Reprinted from TidBITS by permission; reuse governed by Creative Commons
license BY-NC-ND 3.0. TidBITS has offered years of thoughtful commentary
on Apple and Internet topics. For free email subscriptions and access to the
entire TidBITS archive, visit http://www.tidbits.com/


            AppleCare One Stumbles Over Multiple macOS User Accounts

   Adam Engst

   On Mastodon, [1]John Siracusa writes:

     I finally called Apple Support and resolved my AppleCare One
     problem. It is as I suspected: AppleCare One does not correctly
     handle multiple user accounts in macOS. This is a known issue. No
     ETA for a fix.

   After days of receiving nonsensical 'you have 24 hours to comply'
   emails about his AppleCare One coverage, John finally discovered that
   AppleCare One cannot properly handle multiple user accounts in macOS, a
   limitation Apple acknowledges but has no timeline for fixing. He says
   the problem may also affect those with multiple accounts on an Apple
   TV, though there's little reason to have AppleCare for an Apple TV.
   Although full details aren't yet available, my guess is that the
   accounts must be associated with different Apple Accounts and accessed
   after signing up for AppleCare One. (For more details about the service
   in general, see '[2]Apple Unveils AppleCare One for Multiple-Device
   Protection,' 28 July 2025.)

   Apple's solution was less than ideal: cancel AppleCare One and sign up
   for individual device coverage instead. Adding insult to injury,
   Siracusa notes that these new plans will cost him $48 more per year
   than his original AppleCare+ coverage, which is no longer available. As
   compensation, Apple offered to let him pick an accessory worth up to
   $200. That's not ungenerous, but Apple wouldn't switch to a gift card,
   as he requested, forcing him to pick a $150 accessory for his wife that
   he wouldn't necessarily have bought otherwise.

   For now, if you use multiple user accounts on your Mac'which is common
   for developers, families sharing computers, and people who maintain
   separate work and personal environments'you should avoid AppleCare One.
   The service might make sense for those with simple account setups, but
   Mac power users should stick with traditional AppleCare+ plans until
   Apple addresses this limitation.


   [3]Read original article

References

   1. https://mastodon.social/@siracusa/115073118967917762
   2. https://tidbits.com/2025/07/28/apple-unveils-applecare-one-for-multiple-device-protection/
   3. https://mastodon.social/@siracusa/115073118967917762

.