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My son and husband share the same Apple ID and have all the same media on both iPhones (games, itunes) etc. We are now experiencing a problem where my son receives all my husbands sent and received text messages through iMessage. I was told to change the Apple ID on my son's phone to his own so he would no longer be receiving the messages. When I change the ID, will he lose all of his iTunes? That is his greatest concern. Thanks.

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The good news is that iOS allows you to have a separate iMessage Apple ID then your iTunes store Apple ID. To remedy your problem follow the steps below:

  1. Open Settings.app (on your son's device) and go to "Messages".
  2. Scroll and tap on "Send & Receive"
  3. At the top select "Use your Apple ID for iMessage".
  4. Tap "Create new Apple ID".
  5. Enter in the information and follow the prompts.

After this is done, you can go to Settings.app -> iTunes & App Stores, and make sure the Apple ID there is set to your Apple ID.

And, to firmly answer your question: No, having a separate Apple ID for iMessage and iTunes (and the process of changing it) will not erase content.

Note: instructions provided work best with iOS 6, but should be workable with iOS 5.

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Thank you so much!! – Tracy Mar 18 at 19:36
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EXEPT for iTunes match! also if you feel that bassplayer7 has answer your question don't hesitate to give him the credit by confirming his answer! – Macmaniman Mar 18 at 21:51

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