Preliminary operation
Before doing anything else, I highly recommend that you download a copy of the data hosted on your iCloud account: photos, videos, emails, documents etc. To proceed, connected to this page of the Apple website, log in to your account (i.e. the account you want to delete) and first click on the button Continue and then on the link Start related to the section Get a copy of the data.
On the page that opens, put the check mark next to the items relating to the types of data you want to download (remember that the more types of data you select, the longer the preparation and download times will be) and click on the button Continue which is located at the bottom. The data that can be downloaded are as follows.
- App Store, iTunes Store, iBooks Store and Apple Music activities.
- Apple ID account and device information.
- Apple Online Store and Apple Store Activities (with the option to include or exclude Apple Store transaction history, Other activities and Booking history).
- AppleCare support history, repair requests, and more (with the option to include or exclude AppleCare support and AppleCare Repair and Service).
- Game Center Activities.
- ICloud reading list and bookmarks.
- ICloud calendars and reminders.
- ICloud contacts.
- Note iCloud.
- Report a problem in Maps.
- Subscriptions to commercial promotions, downloads and other activities.
- Other data.
- ICloud files and documents
- iCloud Mail
- ICloud Photo
At this point, choose the weight that each "piece" of your personal archive should have using the appropriate drop-down menu (1, 2, 5, 10 o 25 GB) and click on the button Complete the request. Apple will process your request and notify you by email when the download is agolable. In the meantime, you can view the estimated date for completing the request by returning to the main page of the Apple privacy site and clicking on the item See the details which is located in the right sidebar, under the inscription Data request in progress.
Another piece of advice that I hope will be useful to you: before requesting the cancellation of your Apple ID, make sure you have downloaded all the contents synchronized with iCloud and iTunes locally. In particular, I also recommend that you unpair your Apple account from iTunes and any other devices you are connected to.
To carry out this procedure, start the iTunes program on your Windows or Mac computer and then click on the menu item Store. Then scroll down the page until you find the wording Account. Then click on it so that you are redirected to the section named Account Information.
In this screen, you can make the modification of some sensitive data: through the menu item Apple ID summary you can change some information relating to the registered payment method and billing address by clicking on the items Modification and Edit on appleid.apple.com.
I also recommend that you click on the wording Manage devices che trovi in corrispondenza della voce iTunes in the cloud. In this way you can individually remove the association of the Apple ID with your devices by pressing the button Remove corresponding to the associated devices.
In case you are denied the chance to delete your Apple ID (Apple's policies on the matter are not always uniform) or if you are asked to wait too long, you can "buffer" the situation by modifying your account and removing all "sensitive" information associated with it.
To change all the information associated with your Apple ID as completely as possible, connect to the Cupertino company's website (from a computer or mobile device, it's the same) and log in with your Apple account credentials. You will then be sent back to the section on managing your Apple ID and you will be able to view all the data relating to your account.
On the page that opens, your account information will be divided into menu items Accounts, Security, Devices, Payment and Shipping, Messages from Apple e Privacy. By clicking on the buttons Modification at Account, Safety and Payment e shipments you will be able to change some information.
However, note that you will not be able to change the primary Apple ID email address if it matches an address @iCloud.com e that to change the password in the section Safety, you may be asked to answer security questions.
Finally, connected to this page of the Apple website, click on the button Manage your subscriptions e verify, through the program iTunes (which will open automatically) that you have no active subscriptions on your account.
How to delete iCloud account
Before proceeding with the explanation of the steps that will allow you to obtain the deletion of your Apple ID (e therefore, consequently, of your account on the iCloud service), I want to make a small but important premise to explain in detail what deactivation entails. permanent account.
By deleting the account in question, you will lose all photos and videos saved in the iCloud Library and / or photo stream as well as all application documents synchronized with the iCloud Drive cloud storage service. The Apple account deletion procedure will also delete all synced numbers in the iPhone address book and all purchases made on the App Store, iTunes Store or iBooks Store will be deleted.
By doing this, you will also no longer be able to purchase and download music from iTunes, purchase movies or books, and download applications from Apple's digital stores. The creation of an Apple ID is in fact essential for the use of an Apple device; therefore, if you want to use your iPhone or iPad again later, you'll need to create a new Apple account.
Furthermore, by deleting the Apple ID, if you have previously made purchases through iTunes or the App Store, you will have to pay the price of the items again. In short, this is not a decision to be taken lightly, I hope you have understood it.
That said, if you are still convinced that you want to permanently delete your Apple account and consequently your iCloud account, connected to this page of the Apple website, log in with the account you want to delete and first click on the button Confirmation (if this is the first time you access the page) and then on the item Start annexed to the section Delete account.
Read, therefore, all the indications on the screen that is proposed to you (i.e. all the consequences you will encounter by closing your Apple ID), select the reason why you are deleting (eg. I want to stop using my account) from the drop-down menu located at the bottom of the page and click on Continue per due turn consecutive.
At this point, put the check mark next to the item I have read and accept these conditions, click once again on Continue e choose whether to receive news on the progress of the practice (the cancellation of the account will not be immediate in fact, it will take up to 7 days) at your current email address, a other email address or yours telephone number, dopodiché clicca on pulsating Continue.
Now you have to write down the security code that is provided to you e, if you have the opportunity, print it by pressing the appropriate button. Next, click on the button Continue, enter the code you have just obtained and start the account cancellation procedure by clicking on Continue e then Delete account.
If you do not want to permanently delete your Apple ID, you can temporarily disable it by returning to the main page of the Apple site dedicated to privacy and first click on the item Start annexed to the section Deactivate your account.
The rest of the procedure is identical to what we have just seen together for the cancellation of the Apple ID: it only changes the fact that you will have the possibility to reactivate the account in case of need (by contacting Apple support and communicating the security code you received during the procedure).
How to Unpair iCloud Accounts from iOS
You don't want to delete your iCloud account but simply unpair it because you would like to change the Apple account linked to yours iPhone or yours iPad? Don't worry, this is child's play; in the following lines I'll explain how to proceed, step by step.
Working from an iOS device, go to the Settings of your device (application with the symbol of a gear). Then tap on you don't know corresponding to the iCloud account and then scroll the next screen until you get to the bottom of the screen.
Then tap the button Logout: at this point you will be prompted to type your Apple ID password and confirm the operation by pressing the button disable.
If, on the other he, you want to unpair your Apple ID from iTunes and the App Store, go to the menu of Settings e tap on the item iTunes Store and App Store. At this point, tap on yours Apple ID e from the menu that you will see on the screen, press on the item Logout.
Are you going through this process because you intend to sell your device and therefore want to disassociate your Apple ID? In this case, what you need to do is not just about logging out of your Apple ID: what you need to do is completely format the device to factory settings.
How to Unpair iCloud Account from Computer
Would you like to log out of your Apple ID via a Mac or PC? No problem, just have the official iCloud client installed on your computer. On Mac iCloud is already present by default, while on Windows you will have to proceed to download the client from the official Apple website.
That said, if you want to unpair your iCloud account from Mac, open System preference (it has a gear icon and is located in the Dock bar). Then click iCloud e then you just have to press the button Logout located in the lower left. This will have disconnected your Apple ID from your Mac.
If, on the other he, you have downloaded the iCloud client on a Windows PC, first start the iCloud application from the installed programs menu accessible by pressing the Start button. Once iCloud has started, just press the button Logout located at the bottom left and confirm the operation by pressing on the item Delete from PC.
In case of problems
If you still have any doubts regarding the cancellation of the Apple ID, contact the official support of the Cupertino giant. To do this, first connect to the official Apple website via the browser you usually use to browse the Internet on a PC or Mac (for example Google Chrome or Safari).
The link I gave you goes to the Apple technical support page and is related to the resolution of some main problems. From the menu items you will see on the screen, then click on the item Apple ID e then click on the item Change Apple ID from the next page that opens.
At this point indicate how you would like to receive assistance from an Apple carrier. You can in fact choose between the items Talk to Apple Support right now (this option is usually recommended, but is only agolable on weekdays and office hours), Schedule a call (in this case you will have to choose the day and time you wish to be contacted by an operator) or call Apple Support in another moment.
In the latter case, you will need to indicate your contact information and you can then call when you prefer. By filling out the form that will be proposed to you, Apple will already have some information regarding your problem and can thus help you solve it faster.
If you have chosen to schedule a call from Apple support, fill in the form that will be provided to you, indicating the date and time you would like to be called. Once you speak to the Apple carrier by phone, you will need to explain your situation and indicate your willingness to delete your Apple ID.
