How to Delete Someone Else's Apple ID Account Off My Phone

By David Wayne

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Your iTunes purchases require an Apple ID for authentication, so any content that someone else downloaded on your iPhone is linked with a different Apple ID. Your iPhone may prompt you to enter another person's Apple ID and password when you try to update programs or transfer purchases to your computer, even if this account isn't stored on your iPhone. To remove these prompts, delete the content associated with a different Apple ID and download it again using your own account.

Step 1

Delete an individual program by touching and holding the Home screen icon until it wobbles. Touch the “X” in the corner of the icon and tap “Delete” to uninstall the program. Once you remove a program associated with another person's Apple ID, you aren't prompted to enter the account password again. You may know which programs someone else installed if you are regularly asked for a password when updates are available. If you don't know which programs to remove, it may be simpler to reinstall iOS and restore programs from your account.

Step 2

Authorize your computer to store your iTunes purchases so you can back up and sync your iPhone's content. If you don't have iTunes, visit the Apple site to download the latest version (see Resources for link). Launch iTunes and click the “iTunes” menu in the window border. Point the cursor to “iTunes Store” and choose “Authorize this Computer.” Enter your Apple ID and password in the pop-up window and click “Authorize.”

Step 3

Transfer the content associated with your Apple ID to your computer by connecting your iPhone and clicking “Transfer Purchases” in the pop-up window. If a window doesn't appear, click the “iPhone” button and press “Ctrl-B” to display the menu bar if it isn't visible. Click “File,” point the cursor to “Devices” and choose “Transfer Purchases.” Enter your Apple ID and password in the dialog when prompted.

Step 4

Transfer your bookmarks, calendars, contacts, documents and other personal data to iTunes by choosing the “Summary” tab and clicking “Sync.” This step creates a backup of your device in case you need to restore it to its current state. Since iTunes doesn't sync unauthorized content, after transferring your purchases and personal data to iTunes, your computer contains only the content associated with your Apple ID.

Step 5

Set your iTunes preferences to sync music, movies, programs and other content by clicking each content tab and enabling the “Sync” option. For example, choose the “Music” tab and enable “Sync Music.” Then choose the “Summary” tab and disable “Manually Manage Music and Videos” if it's selected.

Step 6

Remove all purchases associated with other Apple IDs from your iPhone by opening the Transfer Purchases dialog again. Click “File,” point the cursor to “Devices” and choose “Transfer Purchases.” This time, instead of clicking “Transfer Purchases” in the dialog window, choose “Erase and Sync.” After one or two minutes, your iPhone restarts and iTunes syncs your content with your device, which can take a few seconds to several minutes, depending on the amount of content. While deleting programs individually can be faster, erasing and syncing your iPhone is more thorough and eliminates any guesswork.

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