How can I delete fake Apple IDs our kids make to get around parental restrictions

shollick wrote:

So nevermind why a person wants to delete an account. The sole question here is why doesnt Apple have an option for a person to delete their Apple Id account. Seems weird.

It's really not that simple. I'm not sure if you have noticed in the past few years the appearance of the various and sundry "Recently Deleted" folders and albums that have appeared throughout the Apple ecosphere, but they have popped up like mushrooms. And why? Because people delete things all the time and then scream bloody murder that, despite the multiple warnings that everything would be deleted, when all is said and done, everything really IS deleted.

Now an Apple ID has each and every purchase from the beginning of the life of that Apple ID tied to it. That is the only place where there is any sort of connection between those actual purchases (some say 100's of 1000's of songs, millions of movies, thousands of books, trillions of dollars spent at Apple) and the Apple account itself.

So, how many lawsuits do you think there would be, how many consumers going to every major news media screaming conspiracy to defraud the public if Apple just let you "delete" your Apple ID at a whim. Even if they warned you and warned you and warned you, there would be people (lots and lots of people), who would ignore those warnings, delete the ID, lose their purchases, and then scream bloody murder about being cheated by Apple because they didn't provide a magic way to "undo" something that they warned in every way possible could NOT be undone.

And all because some entitled, badly-behaved children had no respect for the rules and regulations their parents outlined for them?

It's not going to happen. Possibly some time away at a Boot Camp would help 🙂

GB

Make the kid log in, then you take the phone away from them, change the password on the account then log out. That's as good as "closing" an account which has never been something Apple has supported. Apple would have to set up an elaborate system to do things the way you desire, for a pretty much negligible incidence of such events. I doubt the 99.999% of customers who do not fall in this category would not like having to walk to an Apple Store with government issued ID with proof of age in order to activate an Apple ID.

If the kid just goes out and buys another phone it really sounds like you have a bigger family management problem here.

As for why Apple doesn't allow people to close an account, you will have to ask them. Many accounts have purchases tied to them. I could see people asking it to be done in other contexts, then going back to Apple 5 years later and screaming Apple is stealing the things they bought 5 years earlier because now they have changed their mind and want the account anyway and they want Apple to re-open it. BIG headache.

Of course you are welcome to propose this to Apple:

http://www.apple.com/feedback/itunesapp.html

Parental Restrictions don't apply to Apple IDs. They apply to devices.

Creating a random Apple ID will not get around any Restrictions imposed on the actual device. Also creating random Apple IDs that cannot be verified will not let them do anything with the Apple until the Apple ID can be verified.

The only restrictions that can be imposed on an Apple ID is Ask To Buy when part of family sharing.

What do you think they are doing with these Apple IDs? What restrictions are they getting around with them?

Apple has no control over how many email addresses a person can acquire. Once an email address has been created, then it can be used to create an Apple ID. How would Apple be able to figure out that someone is putting in a fake birthdate.

Not quite understanding what the issue, in particular is. If you have Restrictions set on an iOS device, then it doesn't matter what Apple ID is signed into the device, the device is restricted. Restrictions are by device, not by Apple ID.

Can you share what the particular problem is?

GB

Additional phones? If they have additional phones that you do not have Restrictions set on, the the Apple IDs are not the problem. And if your kids are using "burner" phones, then they are not using Apple IDs to do anything. You can't download Apple apps using "burner phones".

We can't help you with the kinds of issues you are describing here. Not sure why they would be given the funds to purchase anything if they are that untrustworthy.

GB

I think you are a bit confused.

A Burner phone unless its an iPhone would not be running iOS Apps or services, so an Apple Id would be irrelevant for it. If they are using a different phone, then of course any restrictions would not apply to a different phone you do not control. But if you cannot stop them from making random accounts or using a different phone what can Apple do?

Again creating random Apple IDs with random emails will not let them sign in to icloud or any other service until such time as the Apple ID can be verified which requires the email exist so a link can be followed from the sent email to verify it.

Apple has no way of knowing who is creating Apple IDs and whether they are lying about their age when creating them. What kid of verification would you have Apple require for age? Also if they are random, how do you even being to know what Apple IDs to delete? Where are you seeing these Apple IDs suddenly?

What you are asking is for Apple to magically know your kids are doing something they are not supposed to, and somehow stop them from doing it for you.

As others have told you several times, making new AppleIDs does not help get around Restrictions. The restrictions are set on the phone, not the ID.

They consider $500+ phones to be burner phones???? Take away their money.

shollick wrote:

I believe there 1.) should be some sort of ability to verify a birthday otherwise whats the point of even asking if its just the honor system that's nonsense. 2.) Once a parent discovers their kid is using a bogus Apple Id they should be able to delete it. Or report it and have Apple delete it.

The birth date is not asked as an "honor" system question. It is a part of the Apple account set up and is a critical factor in authenticating the Apple ID itself. It was never intended as a roadblock to prevent someone from setting up an ID, since there is no feasible way to even do that.

GB

What is the point of deleting them if they are just going to set up a new one as soon as you do?

The answer is that there is no direct way for you to delete an Apple ID. You can contact Apple directly to see if they will do it, but it is not something they do often, so that is not likely the answer either.

Best of luck,

GB

What is that going to accomplish? What is going to stop them from creating another one if that is what they are doing?

Never mind, lets assume, there is a way to delete Apple IDs, how are you going to unequivocally prove to Apple that the Apple ID is one your kids created randomly?

How does Apple know the Apple Id you are wanting to delete does not belong to someone else, and you are trying mess with them? How does Apple know the Apple ID you seem to want to delete was created randomly by your kids?

Why would deleting an Apple ID make any difference at all?