This article will provide a step-by-step guide on how to transfer purchases from one Google Account to another. Transferring purchases can be useful if you want to consolidate Google content bought across multiple accounts or move purchases to a new account. While not all types of content can be transferred between accounts, apps, movies, books, and some other downloads can be moved through Google Support. The main steps are adding the new account you want to transfer purchases to, contacting Google Support to initiate the transfer, waiting for Google to complete the process, and then verifying the transfer is complete. This will allow you to seamlessly transition your purchased content to a new or consolidated Google Account.
Why Transfer Purchases?
There are several reasons why someone may want to transfer their Google Play purchases to a new account:
Consolidating accounts – If you have multiple Google accounts, you may want to consolidate purchases into one main account for simplicity.
Switching emails – If you want to use a new email address as your main Google account login, transferring purchases allows you to keep your apps, movies, books, etc.
Lost access – If you’ve lost access to your old Google account, transferring purchases lets you regain access to your content.
Sell or gift old device – When selling or gifting an old Android device, transferring purchases allows the new owner to retain your apps and content.
Separate work and personal – You may wish to transfer work-related purchases to a separate work account when leaving a job.
Account security – If your old account was compromised, transferring purchases lets you start fresh with improved security.
According to this Reddit discussion, the main reason people want to transfer purchases is to consolidate content when switching accounts.
What Can Be Transferred?
Certain purchases and data from your Google Play account can be transferred to a new Google Account, while others cannot. Here is an overview of what can be moved between accounts:
- Apps, games, movies, TV shows, and books purchased through Google Play can be transferred. This includes both free and paid content.
- Your Google Play balance can be moved to the new account.
- Music purchased through Google Play Music can be transferred, as long as you don’t have an active Google Play Music subscription on the old account.
- Subscriptions to services purchased through Google Play will transfer and remain active on the new account.
- Most saved game progress can transfer over as long as the game developers enable that feature.
The key items that can switch Google Accounts are digital content purchases and balances. This makes transferring your Google Play purchases convenient if you want to consolidate accounts.
What Cannot Be Transferred
Some key items cannot be transferred or merged when moving between Google Accounts, including:
- Purchased apps, movies, music, and books from Google Play – These are tied to the original account used to purchase them (source).
- YouTube subscriptions – These remain with the original YouTube account (source).
- Hardware devices synced to the account like Chromecast, Google Home, and Nest products.
- Gmail emails and contacts – These cannot be merged between accounts.
- Google Voice number.
- Blogger blogs.
- Google Pay balance and transaction history.
Any paid content or hardware associated with one account cannot be transferred. The new account will have to repurchase apps, music, and other paid items. Subscriptions and synced devices will also have to be reconnected. When moving Google Accounts, focus on transferring free services and user-created content.
Step 1: Add New Account
Before transferring purchases, you first need to add the new Google Account that you want the purchases transferred to. Here’s how to add a new account in the Google Play Store app on your Android device:
1. Open the Google Play Store app.
2. Tap on the profile icon in the top right corner.
3. Tap “Add account” at the bottom.
4. Enter the email address and password for the new Google Account.
5. Tap “Add account” to finish adding it.
The new account will now be added and selectable in the Google Play Store app. You can switch between accounts by tapping on your profile icon. Make sure to select the new account before proceeding with the purchase transfer in the steps below.
For more details, see this guide from Google: How to add & use accounts in the Google Play Store.
Step 2: Contact Google Support
Once you have added the new Google Account you want to transfer purchases to, the next step is to contact Google Support directly to request the transfer. This is required since content purchases cannot be transferred between accounts on your own.
To contact Google Support:
- Go to https://support.google.com/googleplay/contact/contact_support_settings_app?hl=en
- Select the issue type as “Purchases and subscriptions”
- Choose the specific issue you need help with, such as “Transfer purchases to a different account”
- Fill in your email address and any other details
- Explain in the description that you need to transfer previous purchases from one Google Account to a new Google Account
- List the purchases or content you need transferred
- Provide the email addresses for both the old and new Google Accounts
A support representative will then review your request and guide you through the account transfer process. This may take some time as purchases are transferred manually by Google.
Step 3: Wait for Transfer
Once Google Support initiates the transfer, it can take up to 72 hours for the process to fully complete. Be patient during this time. You will receive an email confirmation when the transfer is finished.
Note that it can take up to 72 hours for the transfer to fully complete according to this Google support thread. Do not try to redownload purchases or use paid features until you receive the confirmation email.
While waiting, you can continue using both accounts separately. The old account will still have access to purchases until the transfer completes. At that point, all purchases will be available on the new account only.
If after 72 hours the transfer is still not complete, follow up with Google Support. There may be an issue delaying the process.
What Happens to Old Account?
The purchases made on your old Google account will remain accessible on that account during and after the transfer process. Google does not delete or deactivate the old account automatically after a transfer.
You can continue accessing your previous purchases on the old account using the login credentials for that account. The apps, movies, books, and other content bought on that account stay connected to it unless you specifically request Google to transfer them.
So your old purchases are not lost or erased due to the account transfer. You can still use the old account to redownload or access anything you acquired on it earlier. The transfer simply allows you to access those purchases through the new account going forward.
It is advisable to keep the old account active if you want to retain the ability to reaccess content purchased on it. Deactivating the old account would sever the connection to that content. As long as you maintain access to the old account, your previous purchases stay available.
Tips for Smooth Transfer
Transferring purchases between Google accounts can go more smoothly if you follow some best practices. Here are some tips:
- Note your full purchase history in your current account before initiating a transfer. This will help you keep track of what has or hasn’t been transferred. You can find your purchase history at https://play.google.com/store/account.
- Test transferring one or two less important purchases first. That way you can ensure the process works before moving everything.
- For transferred apps, you may need to contact developers individually to restore in-app purchases or premium unlocks. Have receipt emails ready to help verify.
- Move devices to the new account first, before attempting any purchase transfers.
- Double check that purchases have successfully transferred to the new account by checking your library.
- Keep your old account active temporarily in case any issues arise and you need to switch back.
With some preparation and care, you can move your Google Play content to a new account successfully.
Conclusion
Transferring purchases between Google Accounts takes a few simple steps. First, add the new Google Account you want to transfer purchases to. Then, contact Google Support to request the transfer. Google will take care of moving your content licenses from the old account to the new one.
The main thing to remember is that only certain digital content purchases like apps, songs, movies, and books can be transferred. Hardware, subscription services, and in-app purchases cannot be moved between accounts.
The purpose of transferring purchases is to consolidate content you’ve paid for under a single account. This allows you to access all your Google content from one place for convenience.
Transferring purchases enables you to free up an old Google Account while keeping the content you own. Just be sure to follow the proper steps to request the transfer through official Google Support channels.
