Error signing up for Apple Music: "This device is linked to another apple id"

[Beginner_Iphone_User]

I'm trying to sign up for Apple Music from my 5S.

During the signup I get:

"This device is linked to another apple id... you must transfer this device to your apple id to join apple music"

I am not aware that I have a 2nd Apple ID, and the message does not tell me what (alternate) Apple Id it is about to transfer me to.

Let's call the Apple ID that I know about '1st Apple ID'.

If I have a 2nd Apple ID (that I have forgotten about) I'd like to delete it and have all of my activity associated with a single Apple ID.

I've done an internet search to try to solve this and found this article:

Apple Music membership and Apple ID - Apple Community

which refers me to:

View and remove your associated devices in iTunes

but I get lost at this step:

"5. Scroll to the iTunes in the Cloud section, then click Manage Devices. If none of your devices are associated with your Apple ID, you won't see this section."

because I don't see a Cloud section in my View Account section of iTunes. Am I blind and overlooking it?

Thinking that perhaps the problem (with being unable to do Step 5, above) is that I have no devices associated with this particular Apple ID, '1st Apple ID', I googled further and found:

Apple ID

I signed in using 1st Apple ID. The above web page lists my "signed in devices", and I see that my 5S has already been signed in there. That's what I would have expected, because I've performed various activities in the past on the 5S using that Apple ID.

So, is "signed in device" different from "associated device"?

I have no idea where to go from here.

Man, this is so convoluted that I'm not the verge of giving up on signing up for Apple Music !

Thanks in advance for any suggestions.

 

[zstairlessone]

What version of iOS is on the iPhone?
Go to Settings->your name (the very top entry) where it has in small print:
Apple ID, iCloud, iTunes & App Store
Then select iTunes & App Store

The top line will show what account you are signed in with. If this isn't the correct account then tap on the Apple ID line and you can sign out then sign in to the correct iTunes account

 

[Beginner_Iphone_User]

What version of iOS is on the iPhone?
Go to Settings->your name (the very top entry) where it has in small print:
Apple ID, iCloud, iTunes & App Store
Then select iTunes & App Store

The top line will show what account you are signed in with. If this isn't the correct account then tap on the Apple ID line and you can sign out then sign in to the correct iTunes account

zstairlessone, thank you very much for the reply.

It's my bad for not reporting my IOS version. It is: 11.3.1.

I followed your instructions for verifying the Apple ID that I am signed in with and find that it is the account that I would expect, the one I have been referring to as '1st Apple ID'.

 

[bear7962]

Did you buy this iPhone used?

 

[zstairlessone]

The Apple site had this on it also

"When you try to associate another Apple ID with a device that was already associated, you might see a message that says, "This device is associated with another Apple ID. You cannot associate this device with another Apple ID for [number] days." Depending on when you associated your device with your Apple ID, you might need to wait up to 90 days to associate the device with another Apple ID."

Not sure if this is helpful

 

[Beginner_Iphone_User]

bear7962, yes, I acquired the phone used, about one year ago.

Perhaps you're thinking that Apple has the phone associated with the previous owner's Apple ID?

 

[Beginner_Iphone_User]

zstarilessone, thanks for the reply.

At some point in trying to sign up for Apple Music, I saw a "90 days" warning like that. I was reluctant to proceed because I worried that I might be shut out of activities related to my Apple account for 90 days if the process did not complete smoothly.

 

[scifan57]

The previous owner may have used this iPhone to sign up for Apple Music and other Apple services. Try waiting a few days and try signing up again for Apple Music and see if the waiting time before you can associate the iPhone with your Apple ID has decreased. If so, make a note of the number of days you have to wait and try signing up when the waiting time has expired.