What if my old iPad is stuck on my old Apple ID?
How can I sign into my old iPad when it’s still registered to my original Apple ID email but I’ve changed it to a different email over the years
iPad mini 4 Wi-Fi
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Presumably your old iPad is currently Activation Locked. You refer to your “original AppleID” and changing your email address over subsequent years.
An AppleID account is intended to be used for life. If you need to change the primary email address that identifies your account, or your secondary (recovery) email addresses or trusted telephone numbers, you simply need to update your AppleID account as necessary.
Change your Apple ID - Apple Support
Change your Apple ID password - Apple Support
What to do after you change your Apple ID or password - Apple Support
Change, add, or remove Apple ID payment methods - Apple Support
Few of us will have the luxury of forever keeping the same email addresses or telephone numbers - sometimes these needing to be changed for a variety of reasons. However, updating our AppleID account and maintaining access to our data and purchases, is easy and relatively straightforward - accommodating life’s many changes as they occur. Failure to keep your AppleID account updated, as changes are necessary, can lead to lockout or inability to use our devices. Using a completely different AppleID account can introduce many complications and issues, not limited to losing access to paid Apps, subscriptions and services - these being forever tied to the AppleID account from which they were purchased.
If you do wish to change and use an entirely different AppleID, you must first ensure that you have disabled the Activation Lock that will otherwise cause difficulties in the future - as is now perhaps the case.
Here are the Apple support pages that outline the Activation Lock - and the available mechanisms by which it can be satisfied:
Activation Lock for iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch - Apple Support
Turn off Activation Lock – Apple Support
As you will discover, unless you are the owner of the AppleID that was last used to activate the device, you’ll not be able to defeat or bypass the Activation Lock. With documentary evidence that you are the original owner (such as sales receipt showing the serial number), Apple may be prepared to assist - otherwise they and nobody here will be able to help you.
If you have the necessary documentation, Apple have recently introduced a portal though which you may be able to request release of an Activation Lock:
How to remove Activation Lock - Apple Support & start an Activation Lock support request.
However, recovery of the AppleID credentials should be possible…
If you have forgotten your AppleID or associated password, these can be recovered here:
To recover your credentials, you’ll need access to any one of the following:
- Your primary email address mailbox that corresponds with your AppleID
- Any of the secondary/recovery email addresses that should be configured for your AppleID account
- Any of the trusted telephone numbers (fixed line or Cellular/Mobile) that are associated with your AppleID
Unless you AppleID account has not been fully/correctly configured, or has been seriously neglected, recovery of the AppleID and password should not be difficult.
More information about recovery of your AppleID:
If you forgot your Apple ID - Apple Support
More information about recovery of your AppleID password:
If you forgot your Apple ID password - Apple Support
When you recover access to your credentials, you would be well advised to log-in to your AppleID account from a web browser - and verify/update any email addresses and trusted telephone numbers: