Take Control of
Your Apple Account

Note: This book updates and replaces Glenn’s earlier title Take Control of Your Apple ID. Because Apple renamed “Apple ID” to “Apple Account,” we had to change the title of the book as well.

Everything Apple relies on your Apple Account. It’s a key that unlocks a long list of Apple products and services on any of numerous devices. iCloud uses an Apple Account, as does Apple Music; the App Store; the Music, TV, and Books apps; and more. An Apple Account protects your personal information, including email and iPhone/iPad backups; helps you find a lost iPhone, iPad, Mac, or Apple Watch; and can even unlock your Mac. So it goes without saying that if something goes wrong with your Apple Account, you could be in for a world of hurt.

Unfortunately, things go wrong with Apple Accounts all the time. Fortunately, Glenn Fleishman, a veteran technology journalist and the author of Macworld’s “Mac 911” column, is ready to help with expert advice on how to manage your Apple Account—including how to prevent, solve, or work around most common problems!

This book is fully up to date with iOS 26, iPadOS 26, macOS 26 Tahoe, watchOS 26, tvOS 26, and other Apple products and services.

In this book, Glenn answers questions like:

• What all is my Apple Account used for?
• How does my iCloud account relate to my Apple Account?
• What’s two-factor authentication and how do I manage it—and not get locked out of my account?
• Should I invest in hardware security keys to up the protection of my Apple Account?
• Are there other mechanisms I can use to ensure that I can recover an Apple Account in the event of a problem? (Spoiler: yes!)
• What should I do if I have two or more Apple Accounts or iCloud accounts?
• Will I lose access to all my Apple media purchases if I move to another country?
• Can I share an Apple Account with someone else?
• What does an Apple One subscription offer and how does it interact with Family Sharing and iCloud+ storage tiers?
• Is there an explanation for how code-based and hardware-based second factors protect my account and how they differ from passkeys? (Yes!)
• What exactly should I do if I think someone is hacking my Apple Account?
• How can I recover a forgotten Apple Account password?
• What happens if I’m assaulted or drugged and someone gains access to my iPhone passcode and resets my Apple Account? (Sadly, a too real, if uncommon, problem.)
• What steps should I take if Apple locks me out of my account?
• If I lose access to an email address associated with my Apple Account, what can I do?
• What Apple Account changes in recent versions of iOS, iPadOS, and macOS do I need to know about?
• How can I use Family Sharing to share data and purchases within my family?
• What types of subscriptions can I manage with my Apple Account, and how?
• Which payment methods can I associate with my Apple Account, and how do I manage them?

And that’s just the beginning. Glenn has packed a remarkable amount of concise problem-solving information into this comprehensive book. Read it before you encounter Apple Account problems to minimize your risk, and if you’ve already encountered a problem, read it to find the best path to a rapid solution.

About Glenn Fleishman

Take Control Books Executive Editor Glenn Fleishman spent 30 years writing for publications like The Atlantic, Fast Company, The Economist, The New York Times, Macworld, and TidBITS. Glenn now focuses his time on Take Control Books, Six Colors (as a columnist), and his own micro-publishing endeavor, Aperiodical, where he writes books about type, printing, comics, and language history, like Six Centuries of Type & Printing and How Comics Are Made. You can find Glenn on Mastodon and Bluesky. Reach him by email at glenn@glennf.com.