Transfer of apps, and app data between Apple accounts.

By UnboundDara, 28 May, 2026

Forum

iOS and iPadOS

TLDR:
I got a new phone, and with it, my own Apple account. I denied the transfer of apps, and app data to the new phone from the old, because the old is a tangled mess of a family account (of 4)s' apps, subscriptions, passwords, and contacts from at least 15 years back.
I've solved some things regarding contacts, and have some idea of sorting out passwords. I've lost my subscriptions, since I have no money for them, and have found the solution to the TestFlight worry I initially had for a closed beta.
So, this is why I am coming here, for the last part of my worry, paired with a couple of questions.
Has anybody else had this kind of experience, when branching out into independence, where Apple accounts are concerned? If so, and even if not, do you have any tips for making sure I have thoroughly found everything I would like to keep before trading the phone back?
Also, what of the payed-for apps, and purchases? I have a game (I believe costs money), and own it on the old phone, but since it is still me, but my own account, is there a way I can get a code, or something, so I can just keep the app, on the new phone.
Other games (Perceptron, Cmd C, and a few others, I am less worried about, because I can just return to the place I am at, when I play the game.) My biggest worry is the in-app purchases. I have the DLC for Dawncaster, and the purchaseable stuff for Home Quest, for example, that I'd like to be able to restore, on the new phone.
Sorry for the long-windedness of this, I am just trying my best to get everything before I send the phone back in.

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Comments

Apple Account Independence Issues

Unfortunately, I do not think there is a clean way to transfer those purchases to a new Apple Account just because the same person was using the old phone.

Paid apps and in-app purchases are generally tied to the Apple Account that originally bought them. Some things may still be accessible through Family Sharing if the original account is part of the family group and the developer allows that purchase to be shared, but that is not the same as moving the purchase to the new account. Consumable in-app purchases are usually the worst case, because they often cannot be restored or transferred at all.

The difficult part is that the old account was effectively used as a shared family account for years, so the ownership of apps, subscriptions, contacts, passwords and purchases is now tangled together. That is exactly the sort of situation Family Sharing is meant to avoid: each person has their own Apple Account, and purchases can be shared where Apple and the developer allow it.

Before trading in the old phone, I would carefully check for anything that only exists locally: photos, notes, voice memos, files, contacts, passwords, authenticator apps, app-specific accounts, game saves, WhatsApp/Signal backups, and any apps with their own cloud login or export option. For important games, it may be worth contacting the developer, but I would not assume they can transfer Apple in-app purchases to a different Apple Account.

So the realistic answer is probably: keep what can be exported, use Family Sharing where possible, restore purchases only where the same account or developer support allows it, and expect to rebuy some things on the new account.

@kool_turk

Thanks! Yeah, it's weird, because I don't understand how this got as tangled as it is, and have been sorting through it to see what all is mine, or what I want to keep. The IAP's, and purchased apps are probably the last hurdle I have.
I was wondering, though I am thinking this isn't a possibility, about logging into the family shared Apple account on the new phone, and seeing if things can be restored this way? But, removing that account after it is done? Or, would this not work?

Apps Are Locked to the Account

To the best of my knowledge, apps are locked to the account on which they were purchased. Your best option would be to reach out to individual developers, explain your situation, and ask if there is anything they can do for you.

For the rest of this, know that I am speaking just from memory and my best guess. I believe I am giving good advice but your mileage may vary and please, check to be sure you have everything before you erase the old phone.

While apps cannot be transferred across accounts, I believe it is possible to leave local copies of things like contacts, photos, etc. on a device even after signing out of an account. With this in mind, if I were in your situation and wanted to sync contacts/messages/photos from the old account onto the new phone, here is what I would likely try:

Log into the shared account on your new phone.
Sync all of your iCloud data. (Settings > Your Name at the top of the Screen > iCloud)
Once the sync is complete (and note that this might take some time, especially for messages and photos), sign out of the old account.
iOS will ask you if you want to erase the phone after signing out. Obviously for your case choose the option to not erase. iOS will then tell you that anyone with access to the device will be able to see passwords, photos, etc. This is exactly what you want, because it means all that data will be accessible to you after you sign out and once you sign back into the new account.
Sign into the new account and allow the device to sync to iCloud.

If everything goes correctly, I think this should allow you to sync the data from the previous account to the new phone and account.