Old iCloud ID stuck on iPhone, forgot password, I can't change or delete account

It solves the problem if the previous user name is an email address that is still in use.

I just got a new iphone 6s. Switched it on and it asked me to use the iCloud to load it.

So I did, but only to find out it loaded my old user name. I don't have the password for it. I can't change it my new username back to the old one because it sends a verification code to the email address that doesn't exist.

Your post is helpful if you still have access to the old account but if you don't you're pretty screwed.

and btw, telling people that they stole their phone because your advise is unhelpful is low

1. No, it doesn't need to be an address still in use or that you still have access to. if you have used it before you don't need to verify it again, so you don't need access to the address.

2. Where exactly did I say say you stole your phone.

I have had an iPod with this situation for 6 months now. The unit was finally changed to a new ID for my account (after 6 hours with Apple support on the phone) but the old ID stuck in icloud and it will not let me turn off the "find a phone" so I cannot update it.

Based on your earlier answer I just want be clear that the answer is truly NO - if you no longer have access to and a password for the old (in my case an email address from a former employer) there is no fix. Is that correct?

Well, I have to verify it again. So it's a no go for me.

To address point 2

"If it doesn't work for you, then the address that populates the iCloud login wasn't originally yours and you were either mistaken, bought a found or stolen phone or found or stole the phone yourself."

It doesn't work for me....

The situation of a former employee is not the same, nor is it the same situation if you have forgotten the password. FWIW, this is my boilerplate for when an employee leaves without revealing the password.

Contact AppleCare (or Apple ID Support), upon speaking to an operator you should explain that your problem is related to your Apple ID, this way you will not be charged for assistance, even if you don’t have an AppleCare plan.

I'm not exactly sure what procedures are in place for such events but Apple can assist in such cases, but it may take a while and you may need to provide proof of purchase and other corporate documents.

For future reference your best tactic might be to use Apple Configurator to set up all your companies devices. You can set the password for 'Find my Phone' to be identical for all your devices, whilst allowing the user to use their own password for the remainder of the iCloud services.

I would just like to confirm that you are absolutely correct. The verification code which goes to a no longer functioning e-mail address is zero help. I haven't heard back from Winston on my earlier note to him but I believe he did not fully understand our situation, or has never had a personal experience with this - just quoting someone from Apple perhaps.

Hate to just toss the unit! There must be an answer that works for something that must happen hundreds of times every day!

If it doesn't work for you because it has to be verified, then it hasn't been verified before, in which case one of the scenarios I suggested applies. If it is your email address whether old or whatever then you are mistaken, if it isn't your address it's any of the other scenarios I mentioned. But if it hasn't been verified before then it's like the ex employee scenario above and it isn't the scenario for which the solution is claimed to be the answer for.

I'll put it down to you being over zealous in responding, but as is clearly evident I have already answered your question, it's not the same question that was asked originally.

Thank you for your reply!

I'm afraid you lost me on the boilerplate and comments about "employees who leave without revealing their password". I was the CEO and retired. They closed my e-mail account like any employee who leaves.

On the action you recommended, that is exactly what I did in the 6 hours on the phone with Apple support. They did not insist on purchase verification - it was a personal purchase - just used the company e-mail address as the ID.

Whatever the Apple support people - 3 of them over 2 days - did - they did not also change the icloud ID - and I just can't subject myself to 6 more hours with Apple support.

So the answer - at least for me - is NO - unless you are willing to do the Apple support thing again?

OK I misunderstood your situation, l took you to be the owner of the business in which a previous employee had returned a phone to you but hadn't given you the password they had used. However your situation still doesn't seem to be the same, you appear to be saying you don't have access to the email or the password.

If you don't know the password you would need to reset it, which would require access to the old address, in which case I would use this boilerplate...

If you are unable to remember your password, security questions, don’t have access to your rescue address or are unable to reset your password for whatever reason, your only option is to contact Apple ID Support, upon speaking to an operator you should explain that your problem is related to your Apple ID, this wayl you will not be charged for assistance, even if you don’t have an AppleCare plan.

The operator will take you through some steps you may have already tried, however they need to be sure they have exhausted all usual approaches before trying to reset your account, so you should try to be helpful and show patience with the procedure.

The operator will need to verify they are speaking to the account holder and may ask you some questions that only the account holder could know, and you will need to answer them if the process is to proceed.

Once the operator has verified your identity they will send a message through to your device which contains an alpha numeric code, which you will need to read back to them.

Once this has been completed they will send an email to your iCloud email address after a period of 24 hours, so you should check that mail is enabled in your devices iCloud settings.

Upon receipt of the email, use the reset link provided to reset your password, after which you should be able to make the adjustments to iCloud that you wish to do.

First of all to every wonderful being that posts their questions here. YOU ARE NOT in the same situation as original poster. While instructions that Winston (THANK YOU) posted were relevant back then in 2013 they are practically unnecessary now. Back then when IOS 7 was new in order to delete icloud account that was the SAME account, but RENAMED user name- his instruction to temporary change apple id email and sign out actually worked. NOW it is only needed once out of 1000 cases, cause IOS 8 and 9 allow to sign out of icloud with correct password, but new or old email at the top of the screen(as long as it is the same account). People who come here and think their question is the SAME are wrong. While I understand that it feels like if you post here response will be good, response will be wrong, cause your situation is JUST DIFFERENT.

Hence Winston gives you different answer. So answer to everyone, create your own thread. Explain YOUR Personal situation.

Specifically to Orange. Your answer will depend on the simple fact which situation is correct?

1. Your work email was your actual apple id and now your are using different apple id.

2. Your work email was your current apple id and you still using the same id, but changed your primary email.

If it is number 2 - just use your current password to sign out of icloud

if and I am pretty sure it is number 1 use last Winston's boilerplate above.

And if you already tried and failed to verify yourself with apple support, simply contact the place where you got that phone and ask for copy of the receipt.

They (apple support) help with consumer receipts as well.

Thank you for the very helpful guidance! It didn't go exactly as you set forth but you got me aimed in the right direction and I was successful!

It didn't, however, go quietly! After I finally had killed and replaced the old ID, my iPod still kept asking for my password for that old ID!

Then, no matter what password I put in, it informed me that my old ID was not a valid Apple ID. Then, quite amazingly, it again asked for the password on the old ID - which it had just told me was not a valid ID?

Anyway, after a complete reset and removal of all content it totally cleared out the old ID, adopted my current ID and it is working just fine now!

Thanks again!

Thank you for your input as well as Winston's!

It was #1 a you thought and it is now all resolved as covered in my reply to Winston!

This does not work if you cant access the old email address which is the problem I am having.