By Hally | Last Updated
Q1: "I got one of my brother's used Apple phones, but it is linked with his new iPhone 15 with a same Apple ID. I have created a new account, how do I unlink the two iPhones?"
If you have multiple Apple devices, how do you unify their data and settings? The answer is an Apple ID. By signing in with the same Apple ID, you can easily manage multiple devices and make sure all your data stays in sync, including contacts, photos, purchases, and more.
While it is a useful feature, there are times when users want to unlink their Apple ID, such as when upgrading phone, selling or giving away an old iPhone. So in this article, we'll share six ways on how to unlink two iPhones.
If you have an Apple ID password, the Settings app on your iPhone provides an easy way to stop iPhones from connecting to each other. By accessing your iCloud settings, you can manage devices associated with the same Apple ID and remove any unwanted connections.
Note: Once you unlink your Apple ID on a device, it will no longer sync any of your data, which means you won't be able to access the files, iCloud services, and purchases you've made that are associated with that Apple ID.
Step 1: Open the "Settings" app on your iPhone and tap your name at the top of the screen to access your Apple ID settings.
Step 2: Scroll down to the bottom of the screen where you can see all the devices associated with the same Apple ID as yours and select the one you want to unlink.
Step 3: Click on "Remove from Account" and then click on "Remove" to confirm to stop syncing between the two iPhones.
The option to unlink two iPhones with the same Apple ID is also available in the Mac's System Preferences.
Step 1: Go to "Apple Menu" > "System Preferences" on your Mac computer and click on "Apple ID (your name)".
Step 2: Locate your target device and click on it to view the device details, click on "Remove from Account" and click again to confirm the removal of your iPhone from Apple ID.
iTunes is a multifunctional media management software officially developed by Apple, which offers the option to manage Apple devices in addition to the synchronization of music, videos and other digital content. You can use iTunes to unlink two iPhones, here are the steps.
Step 1: Launch iTunes and sign into it using your Apple ID.
Step 2: Select "Account" > "View My Account" in the menu bar.
Step 3: Click "Manage Devices", select the connected iPhone from the device list, and then click "Remove" button to unlink it from your Apple ID.
How to unlink two iPhones with the same Apple ID? iCloud is a cloud service provided by Apple, which can synchronize your files, photos, contacts and other data. If you don't want two Apple phones to sync, you can easily disconnect them through iCloud.
Step 1: Sign in to iCloud with your Apple ID on any browser.
Step 2: Click "All Devices" and select the iPhone you want to disconnect from the list.
Step 3: Click on "Remove this device" and select "Remove", follow the prompts to enter your account password to complete the removal process. Then the iPhone will no longer be associated with your Apple ID.
The "Find My" App is generally used to track the location of a user's device, but it also allows you to manage the connection between your device and your Apple account, so you can use it to stop iPhones from connecting to each other.
Note: In iOS 17.5, Apple added a new "Repair State" mode. When you try to remove your device from your Apple ID via the Find My app, you'll be asked to enter your Apple ID password to confirm that you're ready to send your iPhone in for repair. Be careful what you choose, as Apple has not yet added the option to cancel this mode in the beta.
Step 1: After signing in to your Apple ID on your device, open the "Find My" app.
Step 2: Tap on "Devices", then tap on "iPhone Name" > "Remove this Device" and enter your Apple ID password and then you will be able to disconnect the two iPhones.
At appleid.apple.com, you can use an Apple ID and password to access all Apple services, including personal data and privacy settings, payments and shipping, and device management. How to unlink two iPhones on this site? Here are the steps.
Step 1: Visit appleid.apple.com and sign in with your account credentials.
Step 2: Click on the "Devices" section and on the right hand column you can see details for the devices associated with your account.
Step 3: Select and click on the iPhone you want to unlink, click "Remove from Account" and confirm the action.
If you purchased a used phone and you don't have an Apple ID passcode linked to it, or you lost your device's Apple ID passcode and can't reset it, how do you unlink two iPhones with the same Apple ID?
iSunshare iPhone Passcode Genius is a popular iOS passcode management tool that makes removing your Apple ID a breeze on any iOS device, even you don't have a passcode . Before you decide to use this software, you can have a brief look at its main features.
1. Easily unlock various locks on your iOS or iPadOS device, including screen lock, screen time, MDM restrictions, iTunes encryption lock.
2. Detect all accounts and passwords used on iPhone or iPad with one click.
3. Easy-to-use software interface, 100% unlock success rate.
4. Compatible with almost all iOS & iPad OS versions, including the latest ones.
Follow the steps below to unlink two iPhones with this powerful software.
Step 1: You can download and install iSunshare iPhone Passcode Genius on your computer.
Then connect your iPhone to the computer with a USB cable, double click to run the software and select "Remove Apple ID" option.
Step 2: Click "Start" to confirm to start removing Apple ID from your iPhone.
If "Find My iPhone" is disabled on your device, the software will perform and complete the Apple ID removal task immediately.
Assuming FMI is not disabled, the software will instruct you to download the firmware package, click the "Download" button to get it.
Step 3: When everything is ready, click "Unlock" and iPhone Passcode Genius will automatically start the Apple ID removal process.
After the removal, your iPhone will restart immediately and you can use screen passcode to turn off iCloud activation lock.
iCloud synchronization is one of the main ways to share data between different devices via Apple ID. If you don't want to completely disconnect your two iPhones, then turning off iCloud backup is a useful way to prevent iPhone to iPhone data synchronization with the same Apple ID.
Step 1: Go to "Apple ID Settings" on your iPhone and click on the "iCloud" option.
Step 2: You can choose to turn off the apps that sync with iCloud to to stop data sharing, such as photos, notes, contacts, etc.
Step 3: Or tap on "iCloud Backup" to turn off backup of all data on your device.
Above are a few common methods on how to unink two iPhones. Assuming you don't have the passcode for your Apple ID don't worry, the iPhone Passcode Genius mentioned in the article is a useful tool you can use to unlock your Apple ID on your iPhone with ease.Hopefully reading this far you've successfully accomplished the task of making your iPhone standalone.
