Each user of Apple products knows perfectly well that for purchases in the App Store it is not enough just to know your Apple ID and password. It is very important that a specific device passes the authorization procedure in iTunes. But far from everyone knows how to authorize a computer in iTunes.
In the framework of this article, we will not only deal with the procedure, but also talk about its limitations, and also discuss other important points.
What is it and what is it for?
If you know even a little about Apple’s ideology, you won’t be surprised at their attitude to the distribution of licensed content. The managers of the "apple" are extremely interested in the fact that you use all the purchased films, books and music exclusively on their computers, preventing their resale and donation.
It was under the pretext of combating piracy that strict restrictions were introduced on the number of authorized computers. At the moment, you can authorize your account on only five computers at a time. Before you authorize your computer in iTunes, if you already have five identified devices, you will have to delete one of them.
What is meant by authorization?
This term implies that a computer running OSX or Windows needs to be identified in the Apple system with the subsequent binding of their hardware. Thus, after reinstalling the OS on the computer, you do not need to go through the authorization procedure again, since the equipment codes will not be changed.
After successful authorization, you can download, sync and use content from the iTunes Store and App Store.
What other possibilities does authorization give?
- You can buy content directly from your computer.
- Via iTunes, download and sync movies, music and books with other devices.
- Even more valuable is the ability to directly synchronize your purchased applications between all mobile devices and computers.
Other information about the number of authorized computers
As we already said, no more than five computers can be linked to an account. Please note that on these devices any operating system from Mac and Windows can be installed, but if it is supported by the current version of iTunes. Important! Despite binding computers “by hardware”, if several operating systems are installed on the machine, you will have to authorize each of them individually. Why such an absurd rule is connected, technical support and company management do not explain.
Mobile Device Authorization
All this time, it was not by chance that we spoke specifically about computers. The fact is that you do not need to authorize an iPhone,
iPod Touch or iPad. This is due to the fact that data transfer is impossible between these devices, and therefore there is no sense in these restrictions. But the music, movies and books that you purchased from your computer can easily be downloaded through the synchronization mechanism.
So how to authorize a new computer? iTunes allows you to do this quickly and with minimal loss of time.
Getting started with authorization
This procedure is no different and complicated. Before you authorize your computer in iTunes, you must perform the following operations:
- If you use PC (Windows), then on the keyboard you must first click on the "Alt" button. After that, the “Authorize this computer” item will appear in the “Shop” section.
- In the case of OSX, just go to the "Shop" menu, and then select the same option.
- A special authorization window will appear in which you will need to enter your ID and password. Needless to say, the data you enter must be completely accurate.
After that, the program will send a request. You will be notified of its results in a separate drop-down box. Here's how to authorize your computer in iTunes. You may notice that this is completely uncomplicated. But what if you urgently need to authorize another device on the network, and you have already chosen the quota for five computers? Have to carry out the deauthorization procedure.
How it's done?
This procedure is no different in its simplicity from the option to bind a computer. To do this, follow these steps:
- Before that, you need to launch iTunes, and then find your account in the "Shop" menu.
- If you use a computer running Windows, press the Alt key on the keyboard again, and then in the Shop section, left-click on the item “Deauthorize this computer”.
- Accordingly, on OSX simply go to the same section and select the above item.
After that, it will again be necessary to enter your ID and password. A request will be sent and you will again see the popup with the result. All! This computer can no longer be used to download and play content from iTunes. Only then can you reauthorize your computer in iTunes 11.
Alas, you will have to do a similar procedure whenever the quota of five devices is already fully selected, but you need to connect another computer to the system.
Deauthorize all computers at once
Experienced “makovodov” often have a situation where a person simply physically cannot remember which computers and when he already connected to his account. What to do if you have already chosen a quota, but don’t even remember which computers you have already authorized? Fortunately for you, Apple has provided the ability to remotely untie devices from your account, and at the same time you can remove all devices from it.
- Start iTunes first, go to your account in the App Store.
- Then you need to go to your account settings.
- Click on the “Deauthorize All” button there. Now your account is completely cleared.
Important! This option can be used only once a year, but still some users may need it more often. Please note that before authorizing a computer in iTunes with a new version, you will have to follow the procedure described below in any case, since with each new release the company’s security requirements are only tightened.
What to do in this situation?
We remove computers from the account for the second time in a year
Fortunately, waiting for a whole year is far from always necessary. To remove the computers registered in it from the account again, do the following:
- First you need to go to the official website, and then go to the technical support section.
- Please note that you must enter the American version of the site. This can be done by selecting the icon in the form of a flag of the United States (United States) in the drop-down list. This is important, since you can authorize a computer for objects purchased in iTunes from any account, but it is with American support that you have to resolve such issues.
- In the “iTunes Store” section, select the account management option (Account Management), and then click on the iTunes authorization or de-authorezation item.
- Then you need to select the item to contact technical support by e-mail.
Then it will be necessary to fill in all the fields accordingly, indicating in them your last name and first name, as well as your personal ID. Of course, all this information should be entered as carefully as possible, because in case of an error you will not be able to achieve what you want.
In the field for the text of the request write your request, and it should be in English. As a rule, within 24-48 hours a response to the request arrives. If the information you entered coincided with the registration data of your account, then the support service will certainly give the go-ahead for re-untying all five devices. We should thank the specialists in the response letter before authorizing the computer for shopping in iTunes again.