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General Is it ethical to share my Apple ID with others?
- Thread starter mon999
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I'm not sure why this topic even comes up. Apple's position is very clear and generous.
If you own or control the device, you can share the login.
This means it is fine for a spouse or child or other device where you pay for the on-going service.
Here is a mental exercise if you are still have trouble wrapping your head around the concept: If the device were stolen, do you have the authority to file a police report? If you don't, then you do not own/control the device.
If you own or control the device, you can share the login.
This means it is fine for a spouse or child or other device where you pay for the on-going service.
Here is a mental exercise if you are still have trouble wrapping your head around the concept: If the device were stolen, do you have the authority to file a police report? If you don't, then you do not own/control the device.
The op isn't talking about sharing his device, he's talking about letting numerous people from outside his own household log into the same account on their own devices in order to download and use software on all of their devices that has only been paid for once, by the OP.
In effect, piracy, albeit a very low tech and lazy version of it.
In effect, piracy, albeit a very low tech and lazy version of it.
Actually, major labels expect you to do so. And even when a different support comes out, instead of, say, paying a smaller premium for having bought the movie (=one licensed copy) in the first place.
Millions feel so since the system started cheating on us decades ago. When we're in trouble, we're pretty much on our own. When big corporations are in trouble, public money comes to the rescue since these corporations find million ways not to pay for their own insurance, so that is OUR money used for THEIR benefit.
Considering the state of things, yes, I feel entiled to cheat the system. Even doing so will leave me paying for it anyway. Just a lesser amount.
Developpers are another matter. They don't classify as part of the "system", AFAIC.
Maybe you shouls switch friends if you can't trust them in the first place.
Right, but Apple's TOS defines your right to share Apps by your relationship with the target device. If you own/control the device, you can install any of your purchased app. Even if the primary user lives at a different location. For example a parent continuing to pay for their childs cell service even after they move out.
But again - the OP doesn't own any of the devices that he's proposing to share his account and his bought apps with. These are his friends' iPhones and iPads etc, not his. I don't think there's anything in apple's TOS that can be used to justify it.
I really dont care. if my friend or family member wants a app i'll give it to them.
Considering i've never actually paid money out of my pocket but got free gift cards.
Considering i've never actually paid money out of my pocket but got free gift cards.
I don't approve of sharing app with friends and beware...
I recall reading somewhere that if one switches their Apple ID within the App Store, or was it iTunes, which presumingly a friend would need to do in order to access the app you want to pirate to him/her then the original Apple ID would/could be disabled for something like 90 days. Then there's the risk when they switch back to their regular Apple ID yours potentially may be disable.
I recall reading somewhere that if one switches their Apple ID within the App Store, or was it iTunes, which presumingly a friend would need to do in order to access the app you want to pirate to him/her then the original Apple ID would/could be disabled for something like 90 days. Then there's the risk when they switch back to their regular Apple ID yours potentially may be disable.
I think it's fine. At least you are purchasing the apps. Once you purchase it, the App is yours. You should be able to do what you want with it.
My take is that Apple introduced this rule to encourage consumers to "go all apple".
Think about it. Say you already have an iphone and invested a fair sum into itunes content and apps. You next want to pick up a tablet. Between a nexus7 and an ipad mini, the ipad seems more attractive despite its heftier price tag because all your existing apps can be loaded onto it for free, effectively giving you your initial investment back (compared to an android tablet, where you likely have to repurchase all your apps). Any loss they make from selling fewer apps is more than earned back from the profits through extra IOS devices sold.
It works fine when the app is made by Apple, since the money funnels back into Apple at the end of the day, but becomes thornier for developers who don't get a cut of Apple profits. Likewise, while the rules allow up to 5 devices, most consumers in reality own just 2, maybe 3 IOS or Mac devices (e.g.: iPhone+ipad, or macbook+imac), and I suspect the pricing assumes as much.
To me, the intent was clearly meant to apply only for installing apps across all IOS devices that you own, not to share them with 4 other iPhone-toting friends. I personally wouldn't recommend sharing apps with other people, if only because it short-changes the app developers. It would be like going to an all-you-can-eat buffet with 4 other friends, paying for 1 person's share, then taking enough food for 5 people to share with the others.
While you can certainly do it, my fear is that is this becomes rampant, app developers may simply try to combat this by either (1) jacking up their prices based on the assumption that it will be shared amongst 5 users or (2) create separate iphone and ipad apps and charge for them them individually or introduce a similar punitive measure that simply screws over the rest who are not abusing this rule.
Think about it. Say you already have an iphone and invested a fair sum into itunes content and apps. You next want to pick up a tablet. Between a nexus7 and an ipad mini, the ipad seems more attractive despite its heftier price tag because all your existing apps can be loaded onto it for free, effectively giving you your initial investment back (compared to an android tablet, where you likely have to repurchase all your apps). Any loss they make from selling fewer apps is more than earned back from the profits through extra IOS devices sold.
It works fine when the app is made by Apple, since the money funnels back into Apple at the end of the day, but becomes thornier for developers who don't get a cut of Apple profits. Likewise, while the rules allow up to 5 devices, most consumers in reality own just 2, maybe 3 IOS or Mac devices (e.g.: iPhone+ipad, or macbook+imac), and I suspect the pricing assumes as much.
To me, the intent was clearly meant to apply only for installing apps across all IOS devices that you own, not to share them with 4 other iPhone-toting friends. I personally wouldn't recommend sharing apps with other people, if only because it short-changes the app developers. It would be like going to an all-you-can-eat buffet with 4 other friends, paying for 1 person's share, then taking enough food for 5 people to share with the others.
While you can certainly do it, my fear is that is this becomes rampant, app developers may simply try to combat this by either (1) jacking up their prices based on the assumption that it will be shared amongst 5 users or (2) create separate iphone and ipad apps and charge for them them individually or introduce a similar punitive measure that simply screws over the rest who are not abusing this rule.
Do you feel it's a "grey area" when you buy 1 DVD and 4 family members all sit down to watch the same DVD? Should they have bought 4 copies?
I don't see why I have to buy a 'Toy Story' DVD twice for both me and my kid, nor do I see why I should buy 'Angry Birds' twice for me and my kid.
You're all watching one DVD, at the same time, on the same DVD player in the same room - that's not comparable to what's happening here, which is much more like copying Toy Story and giving your friends/family all their own DVD to do what they like with (except the iTunes store in the cloud neatly saves you from having to do even mess about doing the copying part).
Look at the pricing of most apps in the iOS store. The last game I bought was 69p - how many people do you imagine that 69p is meant to cover?
I don't give DVDs to friends. I specifically said 'family,' you're the one bringing friends into this, not me.
I may watch a DVD in the morning and my daughter will watch it that night. Likewise I may play Angry Birds in the afternoon while my daughter plays it in the morning.
What's the difference here?
The OP brought friends into this in his first post - it's a very loose definition but so too is family in a way. I have family all over the world, including family I barely see or in some cases have never seen - is it ok to share DVDs/apps with them too?
The fact is your DVD analogy doesn't work - a DVD is physical thing, if someone else is watching your DVD then you can't be, unless you make physical copies which I assume you agree isn't "ok".
Sharing apps in the way suggested means that any number of people (at the instigators choosing) can "own" and use the same apps, at the same time, at any location, independent of each other. One person has paid, everyone else is pretending to be that person and effectively gaining that app by fraud. It's not in any way ok, but hey, if you can get away with it then why not find some way to justify it to yourself?
That's nice, but I was specifically responding to Ashin who was specifically responding to Heb 7:4 who specifically said "everyone in my household."
So no, I was clearly never talking about anyone outside my household.
And yes, I'm not losing any sleep over the fact that my kid and I both play the same copy of Angry Birds. I find it ridiculous that you can equate that to piracy. I paid Rovio $1 for the iPhone version and $3 for the iPad version. You're telling me that I should feel guilty unless I pay them $12 total? (2 versions of the same game x 3 people in my house.)
Sorry, but I don't feel bad for only paying them $4 instead of $12.
Interesting that you should bring that up because, no, I can't watch a DVD in 2 places at once. But you know what I can?
Movies bought from Apple through iTunes. (They have no problem if I play them on my Macbook and my iPhone at the same time.)
Hmmm. So it's ok for me to watch iTunes movies in 2 places at once, but not ok for me to use iTunes apps in 2 places at once? Explain that one to me. Why the difference?
Good. Because the TOS explicitly says that you have the right to install apps to devices you own/control. Legally you would be considered the owner of you child's property (and you share ownership with your spouse's).
My paying for a product for use by my family is nothing like piracy. If I buy a DVD it might be watched by all members of the family, at different times, in different rooms of the house.
If I buy a CD, it might be listed to by lots of people in the house.
If I buy a book, the same.
How then is my buying pages for iPad any different?
Piracy. What a load of crap. If I wanted to get apps for free I would, but don't come out with this bollocks that I need everyone in the house to individually buy their own copies of everything.
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Calm down mate.
I just think it poses an interesting philosophical question with regards to piracy.
It's almost as if scale determines whether something is piracy or not.
If 1 person buys an app and shares it with 1 person, is it really any worse than if 1 person buys an app an shares it with 100,000 people?
In both scenarios the maker of the app just gets paid one time...
If you think sharing with 1 person or maybe 3-4 in the family is okay... then what line do you draw that turns it into fully fledged piracy? 10+ shares? 100+ shares? Just an interesting question to me.
I just think it poses an interesting philosophical question with regards to piracy.
It's almost as if scale determines whether something is piracy or not.
If 1 person buys an app and shares it with 1 person, is it really any worse than if 1 person buys an app an shares it with 100,000 people?
In both scenarios the maker of the app just gets paid one time...
If you think sharing with 1 person or maybe 3-4 in the family is okay... then what line do you draw that turns it into fully fledged piracy? 10+ shares? 100+ shares? Just an interesting question to me.
I think something like this also depends a lot on your culture and how you view gift-giving/ sharing.
As a westerner, I personally see sharing between myself and close family as a way to allow my "family unit" to "get ahead" in the world. If we share between us, that will save us money in the long run for other things (5 apps =one gallon of gas = two days of travel to work = $144 income)
However, I would not share with my friends. I might let them play the app on my phone, just as I might share a passage of a book with them or let them watch a movie with me at my house, but I would NOT give it to them.
I have to work for my money, so why should they get free things? No one gives ME free things.
On the other hand, someone in another culture might view it differently. They might for instance think "Oh, why should I make that person I care about suffer when I can provide them with something I already have?" akin to sharing food, or in as a less dire example candy or sweets. Or to a further extent some cultures would EXPECT you to share, and would see it as disrespectful if you didn't.
To me, something like that would be similar to buying a movie ticket, but letting your friend in the back door.
Culture has a lot to do with how we form our values and views on ethics, morality and how we interact with other people so I think it's unfair to assume that everyone has the same core values and view of the world.
So, it depends on how you view your morals and where you personally stand on the matter. If you think it’s fine, it's fine. If you feel guilty, or shameful or backhanded about it, then it probably is.In my eyes, if you have to ask US if it's wrong, you most likely think it IS wrong and just want comfort or reassurance that you're not doing something "bad"
(EXCATLY what Xbox Said ^.~ )
Eta: if you get bored you might read this Pretty Interesting Article
As a westerner, I personally see sharing between myself and close family as a way to allow my "family unit" to "get ahead" in the world. If we share between us, that will save us money in the long run for other things (5 apps =one gallon of gas = two days of travel to work = $144 income)
However, I would not share with my friends. I might let them play the app on my phone, just as I might share a passage of a book with them or let them watch a movie with me at my house, but I would NOT give it to them.
I have to work for my money, so why should they get free things? No one gives ME free things.
On the other hand, someone in another culture might view it differently. They might for instance think "Oh, why should I make that person I care about suffer when I can provide them with something I already have?" akin to sharing food, or in as a less dire example candy or sweets. Or to a further extent some cultures would EXPECT you to share, and would see it as disrespectful if you didn't.
To me, something like that would be similar to buying a movie ticket, but letting your friend in the back door.
Culture has a lot to do with how we form our values and views on ethics, morality and how we interact with other people so I think it's unfair to assume that everyone has the same core values and view of the world.
So, it depends on how you view your morals and where you personally stand on the matter. If you think it’s fine, it's fine. If you feel guilty, or shameful or backhanded about it, then it probably is.In my eyes, if you have to ask US if it's wrong, you most likely think it IS wrong and just want comfort or reassurance that you're not doing something "bad"
(EXCATLY what Xbox Said ^.~ )
Eta: if you get bored you might read this Pretty Interesting Article
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I'm not mad, apologies if it comes across that way. Just how I talk. But I don't think your comparison works or is even an ethical issue as you're trying to paint it.
If I buy a DVD and watch it with my family (4 people) that's demonstrably different from buying it, ripping it, and file-sharing it with 10,000 people.
I don't draw the line at numbers at all, I draw it with households. If it was physical media (a board game say, rather than angry birds) that all members of a household would share you wouldn't have an issue. Why is it different for electronic media?
If, on the other hand, you are sharing it with someone in another household, that's when it strays into dubious territory. One household with 20 people in it could all share and I wouldn't see it as an issue. Three households of 6 people (2 each) sharing would be.