My ex husband and I used to share the same apple ID. I created a new apple ID 4 years ago, but still have old pictures of his on my phone. Like 2000 pictures. How do I delete them from my phone? needless to say, I do not have his apple ID nor his password.
[Re-Titled by Moderator]
iPhone 15, iOS 17
Scubagirlmom wrote:
It does not give me that option.
That usually means the photos are cable-synced from a Mac or PC, and not from iCloud.
Do you have control of the Mac or PC that was used to sync those photos? If so, delete the photos on the Mac or PC hosting your photo library, re-cable the iPhone to the Mac or PC, and re-sync.
Sync photos between your Mac and iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch - Apple Support
If you do not have control of that Mac or PC, you will have to enable iCloud Photos, and let that sync with iCloud, and you should then (once everything syncs) be able to delete photos. I have not tried this path.
Set up iCloud Photos on all your devices - Apple Support
Ensure the same Apple ID is used everywhere, or things will go awry.
Scubagirlmom wrote:
It does not give me that option.
That usually means the photos are cable-synced from a Mac or PC, and not from iCloud.
Do you have control of the Mac or PC that was used to sync those photos? If so, delete the photos on the Mac or PC hosting your photo library, re-cable the iPhone to the Mac or PC, and re-sync.
Sync photos between your Mac and iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch - Apple Support
If you do not have control of that Mac or PC, you will have to enable iCloud Photos, and let that sync with iCloud, and you should then (once everything syncs) be able to delete photos. I have not tried this path.
Set up iCloud Photos on all your devices - Apple Support
Ensure the same Apple ID is used everywhere, or things will go awry.
Scubagirlmom wrote:
Thank you, but these were taken by my exe's and were saved back then on the shared apple ID. I do not have any access to his Apple ID or cloud for sure.
In general, here is:
How to “unshare” an Apple ID - Apple Community
That's the general sequence for a split into per-person Apple IDs.
If the devices are still tied to the shared Apple ID (and if you don't have the password), then prising the devices and data away from that Apple ID is problematic at best. You'll need the original purchase receipts and a discussion with Apple, if the exe is unwilling to release the devices (and if any potential legal recourses are not an option for you). If you do have the password, follow the steps above.
You will need to get your devices clear of the Apple ID for Activation Lock, and for various other privacy- and security-related reasons.
If your iPhone and any other devices are not tied to the shared Apple ID and the photos are solely tied to the now-unavailable computer, then see if enabling iCloud Photos (details linked in reply above) can get you clear of that computer. You'll need to have rented sufficient iCloud+ storage to upload the photos into iCloud. Once uploaded, you should have access from all devices, though do recognize that deleting in one place will delete that photo everywhere, when iCloud Photos is enabled.
For others following along, shared Apple IDs can end badly, as Scubagirlmom is well aware: Apple recommends against sharing.
Provided the pictures on your device are now connected to your Apple ID, you’ll need to delete each one.
It does not give me that option.
Thank you, but these were taken by my exe's and were saved back then on the shared apple ID. I do not have any access to his Apple ID or cloud for sure.
Thank you, I will try that!
How to remove unwanted photos from my iPhone?
