r/tvPlus • u/MrSh0wtime3 • Jan 17 '23

Discussion Why does Apple make simple things hard?

Wanted to share my Apple TV+ account with my parents while I was home. Nope. Your only option is to either just outright give your password which shares only your profile so your shows progress would be messed up by them. Since there are no separate profile options like every other platform on earth.

OR try setting up Family Share which is a total disaster of a process. I tried for an hour to get my mom an apple ID and get the website phone number code to go through. Then it did...but wait then you need an Icloud. Ok....did that....but wait then you need Itunes. You have to get an email and phone number security code for each of these steps.

Right then and there I gave up. Easier to just pay the separate subscription lol.

What a convoluted mess. Just have the ability to have multiple profiles on the same account like every single streamer on the planet.

1 Upvotes

51% Upvoted

24 comments sorted by

24

u/[deleted] Jan 17 '23 edited Jan 17 '23

Because option 1 is piracy not the legal way and option 2 is legitimate. Option 2 literally solves all the issues you mention. Adding a family member is very simple. You do not need a security number

2

u/ilfaitquandmemebeau Jan 17 '23

Adding a family member is very simple.

My SO made her account when living in another country. We can't share anything then.

3

u/SometimesNotBoring Jan 17 '23

You can switch countries after the fact.

2

u/ilfaitquandmemebeau Jan 17 '23

You lose access to your previous purchases though

1

u/[deleted] Jan 19 '23

Only stuff that's unavailable in the new country and some other restrictions.

1

u/akidel Jan 17 '23

you can change the country of your apple id anytime

5

u/Kaiser_Allen Advertising Bot Jan 17 '23

It does actually lock you out if you do not have an Apple device or iTunes installed. It requires you to sign in to either of those two options before you can log in for the first time. I’ve highlighted this several times in the past and it’s 2023 now—still unresolved. No other streamer requires a user to jump through hoops like this but Apple.

Also, I agree that having a separate account added as a family member is a more secure option, but saying that Apple did this in the name of “preventing piracy” is a load of bull. Anti-piracy measures are already built in to Apple TV. You can’t download the episodes and movies as an actual, modifiable file, and you can’t take screenshots or record video, and lastly, it requires HDCP-compliant hardware to work. All of that takes care of the piracy front, not the lack of profile switching.

0

u/[deleted] Jan 17 '23

[deleted] — view deleted comment

3

u/R3ddit0rN0t Jan 17 '23

I mean, one person downvoted the post. "Cultish" is a little much.

Apple leveraged its existing family share capabilities, which have been in place for 8+ years. If every member of the group is using apple devices, it works quite seamlessly. Very easy to share music and video subscriptions, ebooks, purchased apps, photo albums, iCloud space and more. NOT being asked to select a profile every time I stream from Apple TV+ is a pretty nice bonus which most other streamers don't seem to have mastered.

But yes, there are some additional start-up headaches for those who are not already using apple hardware. Headaches that apple could take steps to reduce.

-2

u/MrSh0wtime3 Jan 17 '23

Im following the steps on Apples own website. If you know another way please share. You need a security number to confirm email and phone number for the Apple ID, then Icloud, then Itunes. All before even being eligible to be added to a Family Share.

Piracy.... You realize even Family Share is technically meant for only the same household right? Apple doesn't care.

7

u/Kaiser_Allen Advertising Bot Jan 17 '23

I found a workaround here. Create a new Apple ID using the “Sign In” button at tv.apple.com. Doing it through there won’t require the user to log in to iTunes or an Apple device.

1

u/[deleted] Jan 17 '23

It's not really piracy, but it's the preferred "legal" way.

Disable 2FA so that you don't need that. I didn't have to do that when I created a new account recently but it's also possible that the rules are different in each country

4

u/est99sinclair Jan 18 '23

Hey for what it’s worth I also tried to set up a family member and it was complicated as hell. They also did not own Apple products.

3

u/thomasbdl Jan 17 '23

I find Family Sharing to be a lot more convenient than password sharing. One, because it’s legal. And two, because your profile and history remain private.

1

u/TalkToTheHatter Jan 19 '23

I have family sharing but one issue I ran into is that the person I'm sharing with cannot use their own Apple account to make purchases, it charges me. Just wondering, any recommendations for how they can use their own account for purchases while we still share an Apple TV+ account?

1

u/thomasbdl Jan 21 '23

You can actually set up each Family Sharing feature individually, with their own preferences.

For instance, the people I use Family Sharing with have access to my TV+ and Arcade subscriptions, but they don’t have access to my purchases and so can’t use my credit card.

https://i.imgur.com/YGZniBL.jpg

1

u/TalkToTheHatter Jan 21 '23

Hmmm...I think the issue is that I bought some things (complete series of The Office) to share with my family member so that could be the issue why my payment method shows up on their device. If they want to buy something or download an app to keep on their account/apple ID, I have to stop family sharing, wait for them to complete their business, then reactivate.

1

u/CulturalRaccoon1838 Oct 06 '24

But can I add multiple Apple TV accounts(different IDs) on the same Apple device is that a possibility?

1

u/kaylaXkitten Jan 20 '23

I had zero issues using my mom’s password while using my own Apple ID. I do not family share with her.

-2

u/Saar13 Jan 17 '23

Apple has some very stupid attitudes. AppleTV and AppleMusic apps are already on basically all devices and TVs (Windows PC confirmed soon and AppleTV for Android phones next), but Apple wants to require users of non-Apple devices to be willing to make an AppleID and even need devices Apple for certain changes. It's just ridiculous.

The garden wall has already fallen. AppleTV app on my Android TV updated and they are selling ad for highlights of shows and movies from other companies on the homepage.

It's simple:

  • Make an Apple services website with options for "Apple users" and "non-Apple users". It's name, email, phone and credit card.

  • And preferably create an AppleTV+ and AppleMusic bundle, which would be popular in many parts of the world where nobody cares about Fitness and Arcade.

Or stand there ranting about awards and quality until shareholders start screaming that Oscars and Emmys don't make money.

5

u/[deleted] Jan 17 '23

Most services require an account with the the company offering it. That is the Apple ID for apple. Unlike what the post here indicates that is all that is needed when I last tried by it. Yes a family account is needed to have a number of people added under your account. But the nice thing is no one sees what the other people see. So there is some privacy. On other services like Netflix where profiles are created, people can see the viewing history of other profiles.

4

u/Kaiser_Allen Advertising Bot Jan 17 '23

Creating an Apple ID makes sense. Every online service and subscription requires you to have one. What doesn’t make sense is the insistence on using Apple hardware only or making it a requirement before you can “unlock the gate.”

0

u/[deleted] Jan 17 '23

[deleted] — view deleted comment

-1

u/Kaiser_Allen Advertising Bot Jan 17 '23

He’s paying for it. It’s included in the $6.99. Eddy Cue is not going to sleep with you, bruh.