I changed my iCloud account email, and now am locked out from making changes to my iPhone and iPad

Hi JustAGuyInNC,

Follow these steps to remove the old iCloud accounts from your devices:

1. Go to Manage Your Apple ID and sign on with your current Apple ID and password. EDIT the Apple ID back to the old email address. This is temporary. Do NOT verify it, do NOT change the password: Apple - My Apple ID

2. Go to Settings>iCloud and scroll down to the bottom of the screen and click on Delete Account. When asked for a password, type in your current Apple/iCloud ID password. Follow the rest of the prompts to delete the account. Repeat on all devices as needed.

3. Go back to Manage your Apple ID and sign on with the old Apple/iCloud ID and the current password. EDIT your Apple ID back to the new email address. You may have to verify it again.

4. Go back to Settings>iCloud and sign on with your new ID and password. Repeat on all affected devices.

NOTE: If you are at a different point (like at the restore screen, you would still do all of the steps, but to get your device going again, you would type in the current password on the restore screen after completing step 1.

Cheers,

GB

If the old ID is an earlier version of your current ID, temporarily recreate the old ID by going to https://appleid.apple.com, click Manage my Apple ID and sign in with your current iCloud ID. Click edit next to the primary email account, change it back to your old email address and save the change. Then edit the name of the account to change it back to your old email address. You can now use your current password to turn off Find My iPhone, even though it prompts you for the password for your old account ID. Then save any photo stream photos that you wish to keep to your camera roll. When finished go to Settings>iCloud, tap Delete Account and choose Delete from My iDevice when prompted (your iCloud data will still be in iCloud). Next, go back to https://appleid.apple.com and change your primary email address and iCloud ID name back to the way it was. Now you can go to Settings>iCloud and sign in with your current iCloud ID and password.

Hi buddy! 🙂 I see we are both on the job!!!

GB

Here ya go:

Rescue email address

A rescue address helps secure your Apple ID account against unauthorized access by someone who gains control of your primary address. If you have a rescue address, it receives all security-related Apple ID email instead of your primary address, including the email needed to reset your password or security questions.

1. Go to My Apple ID (appleid.apple.com).
2. Select “Manage your Apple ID” and sign in.
3. Select “Password and Security” on the left side of the page. You may be asked to answer one or more security questions before continuing. Forgot the answers?
4. If you see a list of three security questions, your account has the option to use a rescue address.
   • Accounts that have fewer than three questions don't have and don't need a rescue address.
   • Accounts that use two-step verification don't have and don't need a rescue address or security questions.
5. Add a rescue address:
   • Select Add Email Address, then enter your rescue address. Apple will send a verification email to that address. Didn't receive the email?
   • Follow the instructions in the email to verify the address. If you don't verify the address, security-related email continues to go to your primary address.
6. Edit a rescue address:
   • Select Edit next to the address, then enter the new address. Apple will send a verification email to that address. Didn't receive the email?
   • Follow the instructions in the email to verify the address. If you don't verify the address, security-related email continues to go to your primary address.
7. Delete a rescue address: Select Delete next to the address.

Cheers,

GB

Hi GB,

Didn't see your post las night. Coincidentally, that was my last post for the night (since there was almost no activity) and I didn't see your reply. 😉

No harm, no foul buddy! I figured you were either slammed or in bed! 😁

GB

You're welcome, although gail from maine did all the work. If you ever do have to change your iCloud ID, be sure to turn off Find My iPhone first, then turn it back on after signing back in with the changed ID. Then you should be fine.

Hahaha! As randers said, just remember to do it in the right order, and you're OK! I would recommend that if you ever have to change your Apple/iCloud ID again, sign off of everything that uses it on your devices and your Mac/Computer:

iTunes

iTunes & App Store

iCloud (delete account) on iOS, sign off on computer

Messages

FaceTime

Then change it, then sign everything back on again!

Glad you are all sorted now 🙂

Cheers,

GB

Hoping you can help me out on this one... I recently changed my Apple ID e-mail. Now when I turn my iPad on it says "sign into Cloud" with my old e-mail address, but I'm locked out. I tried changing my Apple ID back to the old e-mail (which I can actually no longer access because it was a school account and I graduated a few years ago) and then putting in in the password but it doesn't work. ALSO my iPad can't connect to the internet because I recently set up a new internet connection. Any chance you know what my next move is? Thanks!

I am experiencing a similar problem with my Uncle's phone. The original Apple ID/iCloud email is not longer active, he cannot remember the passwords or security question answers so cannot recover anything from iForgot, and is locked out of Apple ID due to security reasons. I tried going into an alternative Apple ID (his wifes who initially set up the original and new Apple ID accounts) and changing the primary email to the original, but it comes up with the error that the original Apple ID is taken/in use. I don't know if there's a way around this, or if I've unintentionally bricked my Uncle's phone. Please help.

You'll have to reset the password. If you can't do it yourself, contact the Apple account security team for assistance: Apple ID: Contacting Apple for help with Apple ID account security. If your country isn't listed, contact iTunes store support by filling out this form: https://www.apple.com/emea/support/itunes/contact.html.

GAHHHHHH followed all these instructions and NADA -_- and dont have access to the old email, AND it wont let my computer wipe it -_- (iphone 5S 32gb model) and already on 9.2.1 and was doing the update as changing apple ID email -_- this month hates me

Is the new ID the same Apple account as the old ID? (i.e., did you just change your Apple ID on that account to the new ID)? If so, then to sign it out of iCloud the current instructions are to use the password for your current ID to sign it out.

Cheers,

GB