The Apple ID is at the heart of most Apple apps, services, and devices. It is the identity of a user in the Apple ecosystem and similarly the gateway to most Apple services. It’s safe to say that an iPhone is almost useless without an Apple ID. Knowing this, do you sometimes wonder what happens when you turn off Apple ID from your iPhone? App Store, Apple Music, FaceTime, etc. Will you continue to access Apple services such as What happens to your apps, files and data? This article explains what happens when you sign out of your Apple ID on iPhone.
You may want to sign out of the Apple ID because you want to use another Apple ID on your device. Signing out of your Apple ID is also recommended when selling or buying a used iPhone. Whatever the reason, the consequences of logging out of an Apple ID are the same on all Apple mobile devices (iPhone and iPad). However, only Apple’s native apps and services are largely affected. Third-party apps may also be affected if they are synced with your Apple ID or iCloud account.
Without further ado, let’s take a look at the services that will be affected by your iPhone when you sign out of your Apple ID.
1. iCloud
iCloud is Apple’s cloud storage service that lets you sync and store photos, contacts, and other iPhone data online. Since the Apple iCloud service is tied to an Apple ID, when you sign out of your Apple ID on your iPhone, all the apps that use iCloud on your iPhone will no longer be backed up. While documents and files you’ve previously backed up will remain in your iCloud storage or iCloud Drive, new documents from apps won’t be uploaded or backed up until you relink your existing Apple ID or a new one.
2. Apple Music
Apple Music only works when you have an active Apple ID linked to your account. Signing out of Apple ID on your iPhone makes Apple Music unusable. Besides being unable to transfer songs, all previously downloaded music will also be removed from your device’s storage. While your synced playlists and song library will remain in your iCloud, they will be deleted from iPhone.
3. Apps and App Store
Signing out of Apple ID on your devices also means the Apple App Store is unavailable. This means you won’t be able to download or install new apps from the App Store unless you sign in to your Apple ID again or link a new one. Sure, you can use pre-installed apps on your iPhone, but you cannot update them.
4. iMessage and FaceTime
Both iMessage and FaceTime will continue to be functional when you sign out of your Apple ID on your iPhone. But these services only work if you have a phone number connected to your FaceTime and iMessage. If you used your Apple ID for iMessage or FaceTime, you can’t send iMessage texts or make FaceTime calls.
5. Find (iPhone)
The Find My app also works with your iPhone’s Apple ID. Signing out of your Apple ID means you can’t remotely locate, lock, or wipe your iPhone if it’s lost or stolen. It’s also worth noting that removing your Apple ID from your iPhone will also disable Activation Lock. As soon as you unlink the Apple ID from your iPhone, you will receive a mail from Apple informing you that Find My has been disabled on your iPhone.
6. Files and Documents
Signing out of your Apple ID may cause you to lose some files and app data stored on your iPhone. This means that any files or documents you synced with your iCloud account will be removed locally from your iPhone. For example, if your Notes app syncs with your iCloud account, signing out of Apple ID will delete all notes on your iPhone. This means that these notes can only be accessed through your iCloud account. When you reconnect your Apple ID to iPhone, the deleted data will be restored unless you deleted it from iCloud.
Note: Only data/files from apps synced to your iCloud will be deleted from your iPhone.
Interestingly, Apple gives users the option to keep data from apps that use iCloud when signing out of Apple ID.
At the exit point, you will be asked if you want to keep a copy of some of your iCloud data on your device. If you choose to remove them, you can restore them as they are available in your iCloud account.
7. iCloud Email
If you have iCloud email linked to the Mail app on your iPhone, it will be removed when you sign out of your Apple ID.
Be Known
Now that you know what happens when you sign out of your Apple ID, you are in a better place to decide if you want to sign out of your Apple ID on your iPhone. If you really need to do this, it is recommended to backup your iPhone data to your PC using iTunes. This way, you can easily restore your data if anything goes wrong with some of your files or device configurations after signing out of your Apple ID.
Next: Does disabling iCloud delete photos from your iPhone or iPad? Here’s a guide where we explain how iCloud Photos works and what happens when you disable it.
