Sharing 2 apple IDs in 1 phone

I have 2 apple IDs one for US and one for Switzerland. I had always use both, changing the ID on my swiss phone. I was 2 months for work travelling with a new phone and I used the US one there. Now I am back in CH and I can't access my account of US with my swiss phone, before I didn't have any issues. Problem is I have some apps on my US account and some others on my swiss one, so I can't update any of the US apps. I have tried but a pop up comes up saying my account is locked, but is not cause I am using it on other devices ... HELP :(

Posted on Nov 3, 2025 8:56 AM

Reply
Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Posted on Nov 3, 2025 9:28 AM

Apple does not recognize dual residency and you have been using multiple accounts to get around this limitation. Apple will lock accounts if they think they are being used to abuse the system. If it is not one of the reasons outlined in If your Apple Account is locked, not active, or disabled - Apple Support then it is likely one covered by: Legal - iCloud - Apple VII. B. "Apple may at any time, under certain circumstances and without prior notice, immediately terminate or suspend all or a portion of your Account and/or access to the Service. Cause for such termination shall include […]


You are welcome to contact Apple but other than them telling you that an account has indeed been permanently locked they won't tell you why.


Refer to this page for Apple Support for different countries ➔

Choose your country or region - Official Apple Support

Select your country (if you do not see your country, also look for "other" in regions; e.g., "Other Africa"), then "Choose a product". Click the "show" item under each category for more selections. If you don't see one that handles your issue then keep experimenting with selections until you reach one that gets you a chat session or a telephone call and get the representative to redirect you.


If you want an account in each country then get two iPhones and use one for one country and the other for the other. Do not change accounts on a single phone.

4 replies
Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Nov 3, 2025 9:28 AM in response to Lai_D

Apple does not recognize dual residency and you have been using multiple accounts to get around this limitation. Apple will lock accounts if they think they are being used to abuse the system. If it is not one of the reasons outlined in If your Apple Account is locked, not active, or disabled - Apple Support then it is likely one covered by: Legal - iCloud - Apple VII. B. "Apple may at any time, under certain circumstances and without prior notice, immediately terminate or suspend all or a portion of your Account and/or access to the Service. Cause for such termination shall include […]


You are welcome to contact Apple but other than them telling you that an account has indeed been permanently locked they won't tell you why.


Refer to this page for Apple Support for different countries ➔

Choose your country or region - Official Apple Support

Select your country (if you do not see your country, also look for "other" in regions; e.g., "Other Africa"), then "Choose a product". Click the "show" item under each category for more selections. If you don't see one that handles your issue then keep experimenting with selections until you reach one that gets you a chat session or a telephone call and get the representative to redirect you.


If you want an account in each country then get two iPhones and use one for one country and the other for the other. Do not change accounts on a single phone.

Nov 4, 2025 3:47 AM in response to Limnos

I have had exactly the same experience and I am not amused. Thank you for quoting Legal - iCloud - Apple VII. B.

But that same article also states: "Apple will be permitted to terminate only after giving you 30 days’ notice and only if you have not cured the breach within such 30-day period." I didn't get a 30-days' notice and I think the same goes for Lai_D. So this means they are acting in violation of their own terms. I made contact with Apple and even the senior advisors can't tell me the account cannot be unlocked and they can't tell me why my account was locked in the first place. I find that unbelievable.


According to Apple’s own Terms and Conditions, users should be notified if their account is locked or suspended, and they should retain access to previously purchased content unless a clear violation has occurred. In my case, I have received no explanation or assistance, which goes against Apple’s own stated policies on transparency and customer support. I'm so disappointed, frustrated and feel completely helpless. Can't find words... An account I had for more than 25 years gone! Including Apps and Music. Can't believe it. And by all means completely disproportional.

Nov 4, 2025 6:13 AM in response to kevwescott

Again, none of us here work for Apple and Apple does not like us to speculate as to their reasons for doing things. Unfortunately there is no way to find out Apple's reasoning; they won't tell you why they close accounts. All we know was people do see accounts closed immediately and abuse is one of the reasons that Apple gives for closing accounts without notice. It may not even have to be abuse by the actual account owner, just anybody using the account in a manner Apple may deem to be doing something against terms and licensing. The section you quote appears to be about what you should do if you notice there has been a breach in your account security.


I can understand your distress. I still buy CDs and DVDs.

This thread has been closed by the system or the community team. You may vote for any posts you find helpful, or search the Community for additional answers.

Sharing 2 apple IDs in 1 phone

Welcome to Apple Support Community
A forum where Apple customers help each other with their products. Get started with your Apple Account.