Setting up a new iPhone with a different user ID than the final user

garypenn wrote:

Seriously? You can only have one account on an iPhone? Wow. Okay then. I guess I won't be surprising her with the phone already loaded up with her favorite apps.

Thanks for the heads up.

You could always create a little coupon or certificate that says "Good for setup and transfer" or something more cleverly worded so that she knows from the beginning that you will handle that for her and she doesn't need to be anxious.

garypenn wrote:

Of course, Android apps won't run on iOS. But, obviously, Google apps do. And, I was hoping to pre-install a bunch, like Gmail, Maps, Calendar, etc before giving her the phone.

But, it appears I won't be able to do that, according to muguy. So, I'll just have to install all that stuff for her after giving her the phone, and her logging in with her Apple account.

Yep. The iPhone is a single user device and all apps are linked to the user that downloads them. If you set it up with your Apple ID, then the apps will be linked to you and not her. When you transfer the data from her old and use her Apple ID, then any apps that she used from the Google Play store that are also available on the App Store, will be downloaded from the App Store and be linked to her account.

To transfer ownership of an iPhone to another user, you need to factory reset the phone, and that would remove all apps and data. Just set it up with her Apple ID when you transfer the data. I understand that it will ruin the surprise, but this is the correct way to do it. The process to transfer the data is smooth and doing it this way will avoid any complications. There is no need to do any workarounds that could potentially cause a negative experience with her new phone.

garypenn wrote:

Overall, not a pleasant experience.

You might want to let Apple know:

Product Feedback - Apple

garypenn wrote:

Of course, Android apps won't run on iOS. But, obviously, Google apps do. And, I was hoping to pre-install a bunch, like Gmail, Maps, Calendar, etc before giving her the phone.

But, it appears I won't be able to do that, according to muguy. So, I'll just have to install all that stuff for her after giving her the phone, and her logging in with her Apple account.

Even the iOS version of those Google-brand apps have to be downloaded from Apple's App Store.

Note that some of the types you mention have Apple equivalents and you may wish to check them out first just ot see if they meet your purposes. They integrate better with other Apple services on the iPhone.

Now technically you could download them with one account and then sign in with a different one, but then your wife would constantly be pestered to sign in with your account in order to update the apps. This would be a MAJOR PITA and there's really absolutely no advantage to doing it that way other than your minor surprise factor.

The one other thing you may wish to consider though is Family Sharing. That way if there's an app that you have to pay money for, she can very likely download it on her phone too without having to pay money for the app. More here:

What is Family Sharing? - Apple Support

Manage Family Sharing settings - Apple Support

Set up Family Sharing - Apple Support

If an app is completely free you may find it can't be shared because there's no real purpose in needing to share it if it is free.

All apps and content are tied to the Apple ID. You’ll need to set it up using her Apple ID. If you set up using your ID, you’ll need to factory reset it before giving it to her.

Don’t. As for Google apps and the pay store, neither one work on iPhones at all. Android apps do not run on iOS devices.