A Simple Guide on How to Delete Your Apple ID Account


The average American household owns more than two Apple devices with the wealthiest owning more than four. And according to the same report, we also know the following about American users and their addiction to Apple products.

  • The CNBC All-America Economic Survey polled Americans on their ownership of Apple products.
  • Sixty-four percent of Americans now own an Apple product.
  • The average American household reports owning 2.6 Apple products.
  • The wealthiest Americans own 4.7 products per household compared with just one for the poorest.

With all of this in mind, how many Apple devices to you currently own? For the average person, these numbers continue to rise year after year.

With so many smart devices making our lives easier, it’s no wonder Apple products are so popular. But there may be a time when you have to delete your Apple ID account.

There are many reasons for deleting an account. You could be upgrading your device to a newer model and selling the old one, for example. Or maybe you’ve changed your job and want to start fresh with a new email address and account. In either case, your Apple ID is something that will likely be with you for a long time, but only if you don’t know how to properly edit or delete it.

Are you wondering how to delete your Apple ID? We go over all the steps you need to take to delete your Apple account.

Start by Removing Devices

On your IOS device, launch your Settings app. Tap the banner at the top that says “Apple ID, iCloud, iTunes & App Store”.

Scroll down to view your devices and select one to remove. Choose “Remove from account” and select remove once more to confirm.

You can also remove devices on the web. Go to Apple’s Manage your Apple ID page and sign in. Scroll down to the list of devices and select one to remove. Click on “Remove” and then select “Remove this device” again to confirm.

Disable Find My iPhone and Sign Out of Everything

The Find My iPhone (or other device) feature is tied to your Apple ID. Make sure you turn it off before selling or getting rid of an old device.

Likewise, you want to sign out of everything. This also includes de-authorizing your account. This is because Apple only allows a few authorized accounts to access an iTunes library.

You can sign out of your Apple ID on your IOS device by launching the Settings app and clicking the Apple ID banner. Scroll down the bottom where it says “Sign Out”.

Have a Mac? Find out how to delete Apple ID accounts on a Mac device.

Delete Your Apple ID Account

Once you’ve taken the above steps, it’s time to delete your account.

Start by going to Apple’s Data and Privacy page and signing in. Find the section “Delete your account” and read the information. Choose your reason for deleting your account and continue.

Keep going through the process until you reach the terms and conditions. Read them and select confirm. To receive status updates on your request, select a method of contact.

You’ll receive an access code after you submit a deletion request. Make sure to write it down and keep this code. You’ll need it to contact Apple support to cancel a request if you change your mind.

Apple will ask you to confirm this code. Afterward, select “Delete account” and Apple will start a verification process. It can take up to seven days for this process to complete.

Other Applications and Setting to Change on Your Apple Devices

While your Apple ID is your main account and source of all information that relates to you, there are also many other applications and setting that might be storing your personal information and history as well.

According to MacRumors and other Apple blogs, the following searches and topics of discussion are all being heavily sought after by Apple and Google product owners in the world today:

  • Step-by-step guide of how to delete your Siri recordings from Apple servers
  • Apple and Google temporarily stop listening to Siri and OK Google queries
  • Apple halts Siri ‘grading’ program, promises opt-out in upcoming software update
  • How to delete photos from your iPhone without deleting them from iCloud
  • Apple iMessage tips and tricks: Master iMessage on iPhone, iPad, Mac and iPod
  • 7 easy steps to free up storage space on your iPhone
  • Apple’s Siri ‘eavesdropping’ controversy can be fixed with a toggle that should’ve been there all along
  • How to recover accidentally deleted Notes on your iPhone in 2 ways
  • How to permanently delete an Apple ID account 

As you can see, these are just some of the most recent news titles, tutorials, and guides making their way through the news section of Google today in reference to Apple/Google account information and customizations.

If you are interested in deleting your Apple ID, you will likely find interest in these others as well.

One Final Word of Warning

After a deletion request is finally processed you can’t reactivate your account. All data is removed from Apple’s servers. Make sure you back up all data before you decide to delete your account.

After a deletion request is processed and completed, you can safely sell or get rid of your old device. Once you’ve taken these steps and your data is safely backed up, go ahead and delete your Apple ID account.


Kokou Adzo

Kokou Adzo is a stalwart in the tech journalism community, has been chronicling the ever-evolving world of Apple products and innovations for over a decade. As a Senior Author at Apple Gazette, Kokou combines a deep passion for technology with an innate ability to translate complex tech jargon into relatable insights for everyday users.

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