Apple ID

It's important to turn off Activation Lock when you give away or sell your iPhone, iPod, or other Apple device so that the person who now owns your device can use it. Activation Lock turns on automatically when Find My is activated, so you may not even realize it's enabled, which is why many users don't realize until it's too late that they haven't disabled the lock. Don't worry: even if you have already given away or sold the device, it is still possible to turn off Activation Lock remotely. We'll show you how.

Access to a deceased family member’s Apple account allows you to recover photos, finalize financial matters, and save other important digital information. To protect the privacy of customers who have passed away, Apple requires a court order before granting you access to a deceased person’s iCloud account. This ensures that your loved one’s information stays secure even after their passing. To help make this process as easy as possible for you, we've put together a guide to Apple's policies and requirements for gaining access to a deceased person's Apple or iCloud account.

This article will tell you what to do if you encounter an error connecting to the Apple ID server. Have you tried to log in to your iCloud account, use your iTunes login or App Store login, or use any other Apple ID login, and gotten an "Error Connecting to Apple ID, Verification Failed" message? Don't worry; we have nine troubleshooting steps you can take if you receive this Apple ID verification failed error message. Let's get started. 

Have you moved recently and need to change your App Store region? It's possible to change the App Store location you currently purchase from to a new country on your iPhone or iPad; let's get started learning how. This tip is for people who'd like to change their App Store location long-term or permanently; we have another tip coming up soon for those who would like a more temporary switch.

The Sign in with Apple feature lets you use your Apple ID to sign in to websites and their associated apps securely, privately, and without the hassle of a million different passwords to keep track of. Sign in with Apple looks just like the Sign in with Google and Sign in with Facebook buttons you often see when creating new accounts; but unlike Google and Facebook, Apple doesn’t give away any of your information—no advertising profiles, no usage statistics. Read on to find out how to use Sign in with Apple to secure and simplify your online life.

You can add money to your Apple ID account for App Store purchases without buying an iTunes gift card. Here's how to directly add funds to your Apple ID. If you budget your app or iTunes purchases, you can load the balance you want to spend and make purchases accordingly.

Using two-factor authentication helps ensure that the accounts associated with your Apple ID are safe. Even if someone has your login name and password, they won't be able to access your accounts without a verification code from a trusted phone number or one of your trusted devices. Once you verify a new device, you won't need to use two-factor authentication again unless you sign out of it completely, erase your device, or change your password. Similarly, when signing in on the web, you can choose to trust that browser so that you don't have to go through the verification process each time you sign into your account on your computer. Let's go over the steps of signing in to a new device or iCloud account with two-factor authentication.

With so many websites requiring usernames and passwords, and most of us using more than one device to accomplish tasks throughout the day, it can be difficult to keep track of all our accounts and login information. And while there are plenty of apps that can do this for you, your iPhone comes with this service built in. iCloud Keychain encrypts, stores, and keeps up to date credit card information, WiFi network information, and usernames and passwords for internet accounts as well as your iOS Mail, Messages, Contacts, and Calendar apps across all your Apple devices on which you've turned on iCloud Keychain. Enabling your iCloud Keychain is a great way to keep yourself organized, so let’s get started learning how to enable it on your iPhone. 

You can't effectively use an iPhone without an Apple ID; luckily, it's free and easy to sign up for an Apple ID. Once you create your Apple ID and sign in, you can use it for any Apple account or service, including purchases associated with your Apple ID and iCloud account. In this article, we'll show you how to create an Apple ID using any of the iPad generations or iPhone models, from older versions like the iPhone 6, up through later models like the iPhone 11 and iPhone SE (second generation). Let's get started learning how to get a new Apple ID on your iPhone. 

We've gone over creating an Apple ID, but what if you want to delete an Apple ID account? If you're wondering how to go about deleting an Apple ID, it is possible, but first you need to decide if it's really necessary. Deactivating an Apple ID means that you'll lose access to the connected iCloud Mail and Drive Storage, as well as any iMessages associated with that account. All the purchases you made with the Apple ID you're deleting, including content from iTunes, Books and the App Store, not to mention your Apple Music Library and Playlists, will also be gone. Let's go through some less extreme options for solving problems with your Apple ID, then learn how to deactivate and delete an Apple ID permanently if you conclude that's the step you need to take.

If you're interested in learning how to add an iTunes gift card to Family Sharing or to an individual family member's account, you've come to the right place. In this article, we'll explain several methods for using gift cards via Family Sharing and how to set up an Apple ID with the Ask to Buy feature activated for your kids. Read on to learn more about Apple IDs, the Ask to Buy feature, Family Sharing, and how to redeem iTunes gift cards for different family members to use before they utilize the primary billing method on the Family Sharing account.

It’s time to get acquainted with the ins and outs of how to change your Apple ID password. In a nutshell, your Apple ID password is what you use to access iTunes, share photos via iCloud, utilize iMessage—the list goes on. But fear not, changing your Apple ID password on iPhone need only require a few easy steps. Whether you’ve forgotten your Apple ID password or want to reset your Apple password for security purposes, knowing how to manage your Apple ID will save you from any potential tech snafus down the road. (Pro Tip: Just so there’s no confusion here, your Apple ID password on your iPhone is the same thing as your iTunes Password and iCloud password. It is not, however, the same as your Notes password.) 

If you forgot your Apple ID password or you want to reset your iCloud password, we’ll show you how. Your Apple ID account is the same thing as your iCloud account, so if you forgot your iCloud passcode, you forgot your Apple ID passcode. Luckily, it’s pretty easy to reset; there are also a couple different ways to do so. If you have two-factor authentication enabled on your iPhone, changing your iCloud or Apple ID password is incredibly quick and easy. If not, it’s still easy, but you’ll (ideally) need to get on a computer and use a browser to reset your password. Alright, if you have forgotten or want to reset your iCloud (aka Apple ID) password, here’s how.

Can someone hack my iPhone? How do I know if my iPhone is hacked? We tend to think of our iPhone getting hacked as a far-fetched scenario, but large tech companies like Apple take security seriously, and pay big money to white hat (good guy) hackers to find the bugs and loopholes they can’t see. iPhones can definitely get hacked, even with the ever-increasing layers of security Apple implements to protect our devices. While it’s not worth panicking over, it’s good to take precautions and use the security features on our iPhones, and also to exercise caution to not unwittingly allow hackers access to our devices. You can do a lot to secure your iPhone and protect it from possible hackers. We've already gone over Apple security and privacy efforts, ways to protect personal data on your iPhone, and how to keep a password safe, even while you're sharing it. The 14 tips below will ensure you’ve implemented every safeguard possible; here’s how you can protect your iPhone from hackers and cybercrime, both local and remote.

I recently wrote an article on how to turn on Two-Factor Authentication on your iPhone for better security. Apple introduced this feature in iOS 10 And then, with the release of iOS 11, iPhone users were automatically upgraded from Apple's less secure Two-Step Verification feature. Apple ID Two-Factor Authentication requires the use of multiple devices. For example, if you get a new iPhone, when you log into your Apple ID account for the first time, you’ll need to use your Mac, iPad, or old iPhone to receive a six digit Apple verification code to confirm that it’s you logging in and not some stranger trying to access your account on a random device. This is important since your Apple ID is used for everything from storing personal photos to making purchases with your credit card. However, if you don’t feel the need to use this feature, you can use this tip to turn Two-Factor Authentication off. Be careful though, your Apple ID account wil be significantly less secure and you may not be able to use Apple Pay Cash and other Apple features when you turn off Two-Factor Authentication.

Within Settings on iPhone, there are plenty of ways to access your Apple ID. Before iOS.3 on iPhone, you would find your devices, access to Apple ID, storage and iCloud information, and other important device info scattered throughout the Settings app. But when Apple recently released iOS 10.3, that all changed. Now, when you open the Settings app, your Apple ID profile is the first thing you’ll see. Let’s take a quick tour.

Most everything you do on your iPhone centers around your Apple ID. Your Apple ID account is what grants you access to iCloud, iMessage, and Facetime. It's also what allows you to make purchases from the App Store, iBooks Store, and iTunes Store. Since your Apple ID is so important for running your entire Apple ecosystem smoothly, we put an awesome collection together of Apple ID video tips that will make it easy for you to set up and manage your Apple ID account.

Our video tip collections are one of many incredibly helpful benefits of our iPhone Life Insider subscription. When you sign up, you’ll get instant access to this collection and many more features, which I’ll review below. With this post, you’ll get a sneak peak with one awesome video tip from the collection that will help you master your Apple ID account. Here’s our essential tips for setting up and managing your Apple ID account on iPhone or iPad.

For quite some time now, you’ve been able to manage your Apple ID account in Settings on your iPhone. But with iOS 10.3, Apple made it even easier. At the top of your Settings menu, you’ll see your Apple ID profile photo and name. This new option allows you to look at your Apple ID profile in one glance and provides quick access to your Apple ID settings so that you can make any changes you want and manage your Apple ID account overall. Here’s how to manage your Apple ID account in Settings on iPhone.

Have you ever wondered how to turn off iMessage on a Mac? The first time I received an iMessage on my computer, I immediately began looking for a way to disable the feature. My iPhone tends to be right next to me anyway, so broadcasting my text messages on a Mac is definitely something I wanted to deactivate. Luckily, you can stop iMessages from popping up by simply turning off messages on your Mac. It’s actually incredibly easy to do. We've already shown you how to enable iMessages on an iPhone, iPad, and Mac, how to turn off read receipts, and how to fix an iMessage waiting for activation error; here’s how to deactivate and get rid of messages on your Mac.