Shattered screen, need to upgrade to iCloud+ without the device

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Shattered screen, need to upgrade to iCloud+ without the device

My iPhone is completely shattered. The bottom half of the screen doesn't work and I am not able to press anything on the screen where it is completely shattered. I haven't been able to use this phone in over a year. However, now I need to get access to my iCloud email and in order to gain access to the email, I have to purchase iCloud+ storage because I used all the storage allowed. Well in order to purchase more storage, when I get to the portion where I select how much GB storage I want to purchase, I am not able to press the confirmation button at the bottom of the screen to move forward with the purchase. I have one other iPhone, that my son uses and is logged into his own iCloud account. Would I be able to log into my icloud account on his iPhone and purchase more storage so I can access my iCloud email? If I am not able to log into my iCloud account via his iPhone, is there any other way to purchase more iCloud storage, other than from the device itself? I don't have the money to buy another iPhone and had to switch back to android, because they are much cheaper. I don't even think the iPhone that I have is even fixable because the screen isn't just cracked, the phone itself is bent. Can someone please help me? I was trying to purchase the extra storage without having to use my son's iPhone since this is supposed to help me gain access to my iCloud email so I can get logged back into our Playstation account because I am locked out of that due to forgotten password and the one thing that my son wants for Christmas is his playstation back. Someone please help me.

Posted on Dec 23, 2025 6:01 PM

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Answer 1

zinacef

Level 10

88,798 points

Dec 23, 2025 6:46 PM in response to shelbilynne27

I’m really sorry you’re dealing with all of this at once. A shattered phone, locked accounts, and the pressure of trying to fix everything before Christmas is overwhelming, especially when money is tight. The good news is that this situation is absolutely fixable without repairing or replacing your broken iPhone, and you do not need to use that damaged screen again.

Yes, you can sign into your own iCloud account on your son’s iPhone and upgrade your iCloud storage from there. Apple allows an Apple ID to be used on multiple devices, and you would not be merging accounts. You would simply be signing in temporarily to manage your storage. After the upgrade is complete, you can sign back out and return the phone to your son’s account. The additional iCloud storage remains attached to your Apple ID, not to the device you used to purchase it.

If you would rather not use your son’s iPhone at all, you can still upgrade your iCloud storage from a web browser. This can be done from an Android phone or any computer. You can go to iCloud.com, sign in with your Apple ID, and access your account settings. From there, you can manage your iCloud storage and upgrade to iCloud+. This works even if you haven’t had access to an iPhone for a long time.

If you run into issues with two-factor authentication because Apple keeps trying to send a code to your broken iPhone, there are still options. On the verification screen, you can choose “Didn’t get a code?” and select the option to receive the code by email. If that doesn’t work, you can visit iforgot.apple.com and begin the account recovery process. During recovery, Apple can remove the broken device from your list of trusted devices so you can regain access.

Once you have access to your iCloud email again, you should be able to resolve the PlayStation issue. You can request a password reset through PlayStation, receive the reset email in your iCloud inbox, and set a new password. That should allow you to sign back in and restore your son’s PlayStation access.

You do not need to repair the bent iPhone, buy another iPhone, or stay within the Apple ecosystem long-term to fix this. Everything you need can be done through another device or a browser. This is a stressful situation, but you’re not stuck, and it can be resolved.

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