How to cancel an Apple ID account

Deleting an Apple ID account is a rather unusual action. But it can happen to you to want to create a new one from scratch or, for any other reason, cut with the past and delete your profile.

Apple offers the ability to permanently delete your account or simply disable it temporarily. Among the many options available, you can change the email with which you are registered or simply change the password. In this specific article, however, we will deal only and exclusively with how to delete the Apple ID account.

What happens when you delete an Apple ID account

This operation should not be taken lightly- it entails a series of consequences that could create many problems. Among the main ones it is good to remember that:

• you will lose your purchases on the iTunes Store, Apple Books and App Store
• Your photos, videos, and documents stored in iCloud will be permanently deleted
• you will not receive messages sent to your account via iMessage, FaceTime or iCloud Mail
• you will not be able to access or use services like iCloud, iTunes, Apple Books, App Store, Apple Pay, iMessage, FaceTime and similar
• your data associated with Apple services will be permanently deleted
• if you are subscribed to the iPhone update program, you must continue to make payments for your device
• the cancellation does not cancel any repair or orders from the Apple Store

In short, as you will have understood, canceling an Apple ID account is a rather drastic solution that can be counterproductive.

How to permanently delete an Apple ID account

If you still need the necessary operation, proceed with the following list of operations:

1. login from the Apple site by logging into the account you wish to delete
2. down, click on Request to delete your account 
   possibly check backups of your data, such as photos or similar, which you presumably have saved locally
3. check if you have any particular subscription with your Apple ID
4. Choose a reason to delete your account, click Continue
5. confirms the following steps.

Temporary deactivation

Most likely you will have understood how such a drastic operation is discouraged. However, the alternative of temporary deactivation exists. This particular state where you can fix your account means that:

• Apple will not access or process your data (although there may be some rare exceptions)
• you will not be able to access your purchases on the iTunes Store, Apple Books, and the App Store
• you will not be able to access data stored in iCloud, such as photos, videos or documents
• the ability to access or use services like iCloud, iTunes, Apple Books, App Store, Apple Pay, iMessage, and FaceTime is denied.
• you will not receive messages sent to your account via iMessage, FaceTime or iCloud Mail. 
  Deactivation does not cancel repair operations or Apple Store orders
• All current Apple Care cases will be retained while the account is disabled, but will not be accessible
• if you are subscribed to the iPhone update program, you must continue to make payments for your device

The biggest difference with deletion is that you can resume using your account at any time, choosing to reactivate it.