How to Switch to a Different iCloud Account in iOS?

Shreyas Patil SEO
Shreyas PatilUpdated :
How to Switch to a Different iCloud Account in iOS?

Switching to a different iCloud account on your iPhone or iPad can be useful if you want to access content synced to another account or if you've changed Apple IDs. While the process is straightforward, there are some important steps to follow to ensure a smooth transition without losing any data. This guide will walk you through how to switch to a different iCloud account on your iOS device.


Back Up Your Device

Before making any account changes, it's crucial to back up your device. This provides a safety net in case anything goes wrong during the transition process.

How to Back Up an iPhone or iPad

There are a couple ways to back up an iOS device:

  • iCloud Backup - Enable iCloud Backup in Settings > Your Name > iCloud > iCloud Backup. Then connect your device to power and WiFi to back up automatically.
  • iTunes Backup - Connect your device to a computer with iTunes installed. In iTunes, select your device and then select Back Up Now.

Backing up provides a copy of your settings, app data, photos, and other information. Having a recent backup lets you restore if needed after switching iCloud accounts.


Sign Out of iCloud and Media Services

Before changing iCloud accounts, you'll want to sign out from your current account on the device. Signing out dissociates your device from that iCloud account.

How to Sign Out of iCloud

To sign out of iCloud on your iPhone or iPad:

  1. Go to Settings > Your Name > iCloud.
  2. Tap Sign Out.
  3. Tap Sign Out again to confirm.

This will sign you out of iCloud services like iCloud Drive, iCloud Keychain, and iCloud Backup.

Sign Out of Media and App Store

In addition to iCloud, sign out of any media services linked to your Apple ID:

  • Settings > TV > Sign Out
  • Settings > Music > Sign Out
  • App Store > Tap your Apple ID > Sign Out

Signing out of these services ensures your content and purchases aren't still tied to the old account.


Backup & Transfer your Photos in Minutes

Trusted by users in 125+ countries.

(283 reviews)

Disable Find My iPhone

If Find My iPhone is enabled, you'll need to turn that off before switching iCloud accounts.

Here's how to disable Find My iPhone:

  1. Go to Settings > Your Name > Find My.
  2. Tap Find My iPhone.
  3. Toggle Find My iPhone to the off position.
  4. Enter your Apple ID password to confirm.

With Find My disabled, your device can now be associated with a new iCloud account.


Enter the New iCloud Account Details

Once signed out from your old account, you can enter details for your new iCloud account.

Here's how to add a new iCloud account:

  1. Go to Settings > Your Name > iCloud.
  2. Tap Sign Out to confirm you're signed out from any account.
  3. Tap Sign In and enter your new Apple ID and password.

Your device will then be associated with the new iCloud account for syncing data.


Re-download Content from New Account

With your new account setup, you can re-download synced content like photos, calendars, and more.

Here are some tips for accessing that content again:

  • Photos - Open the Photos app and your photo library will resync from iCloud.
  • Contacts - Go to Settings > Your Name > iCloud and toggle Contacts to sync them.
  • Calendars - Enable iCloud Calendar syncing to get your events.
  • Notes - Toggle on Notes in iCloud settings to sync your notes from the new account.
  • Keychain - Saved passwords and credit cards will sync after a short delay.

Take time to check that important data is accessible again through the new account.


Update Billing Information

If you purchased apps, music, movies or other media with your old Apple ID, you'll likely want to update your billing info.

Here's how to change billing information:

  1. Go to Settings > Your Name > Media & Purchases.
  2. Tap View Account.
  3. Tap Payment Information to enter updated billing details.

Updating this ensures any future purchases are charged to the correct account.


Transfer Device Ownership

If you want to fully transfer ownership of your device to the new account, you can initiate a transfer.

Transfer Ownership via iCloud

To transfer ownership via iCloud:

  1. Make sure you're signed in to the new account on the device.
  2. Go to Settings > General > Transfer or Reset iPhone.
  3. Tap Transfer to New iPhone/iPad.
  4. Follow the on-screen steps to transfer device ownership.

The new account will then fully own and manage the device.

Transfer via iTunes

Alternatively, you can transfer ownership through iTunes on a computer:

  1. Connect your device to the computer via USB.
  2. Open iTunes and select your device.
  3. Click Summary then click Transfer to New iPhone/iPad.
  4. Select your new account and click Continue to transfer ownership.

Important Considerations

When switching iCloud accounts, keep these important points in mind:

  • Only one iCloud account can be signed in per device at a time.
  • You can't merge data between two accounts - content is either on one account or the other.
  • Purchased apps and media stay tied to the old account unless you transfer purchases.
  • iCloud Backup and restore is useful if anything goes wrong with the transition.

Following the steps in this guide will help ensure a smooth transition to the new account.


Quick Tip to ensure your videos never go missing

Videos are precious memories and all of us never want to ever lose them to hard disk crashes or missing drives. PicBackMan is the easiest and simplest way to keep your videos safely backed up in one or more online accounts. 

Download PicBackMan

Simply Download PicBackMan (it's free!), register your account, connect to your online store and tell PicBackMan where your videos are - PicBackMan does the rest, automatically. It bulk uploads all videos and keeps looking for new ones and uploads those too. You don't have to ever touch it.


Conclusion

Switching to a new iCloud account on your iPhone or iPad takes a few steps, but following this guide will ensure the process is smooth and successful. Be sure to back up your device, sign out from your old account, sign in to the new one, re-download synced data, and consider transferring ownership if desired. With some care taken during the transition, you'll be up and running with your new iCloud account on iOS.


Frequently Asked Questions

Here are answers to some common questions about switching iCloud accounts:

Will my purchased apps transfer to the new account?

No, purchased apps stay tied to your old Apple ID and won't transfer automatically. You'll need to enter the previous account details to update and redownload paid apps.

Can I transfer app data like game progress?

Some app data can transfer if the developer supports iCloud syncing between accounts. But most apps associate data with a specific account.

What happens if I'm using iCloud Family Sharing?

Before switching accounts, you'll want to leave the Family Sharing group so your new account isn't affected. Ownership of shared purchases may need to be transferred as well.

Will I keep any iCloud storage paid for under old account?

No, any iCloud storage subscription is tied to the account that purchased it. You may need to pay for more storage under the new account.

Can I switch back to my old iCloud account?

Yes, you can switch between accounts as needed in the future. Just sign into the old account again and follow the steps above.

World's #1 Photo/Video Uploader

Backup & Transfer your Photos in Minutes

Automate backup & migration of your photos & videos with support for all top services.

(283 reviews)

Trusted by users in 125+ countries.

95,000+ PicBackMan Users

95,000+ Users Trust PicBackMan To Backup Precious Memories

money back guarantee
Kip Roof testimonial Kip Roofgoogle photos flickr
PicBackMan does exactly what it's supposed to. It's quick and efficient. It runs unobtrusively in the background and has done an excellent job of uploading more than 300GB of photos to 2 different services. After having lost a lot of personal memories to a hard drive crash, it's nice to know that my photos are safe in 2 different places.
Julia Alyea Farella testimonialJulia Alyea Farella smugmug
LOVE this program! Works better than ANY other program out there that I have found to upload thousands of pictures WITH SUB-FOLDERS to SmugMug! Thank you so much for what you do! :) #happycustomer
Pausing Motion testimonialPausingMotionsmugmug
I pointed PicBackMan at a directory structure, and next time I looked - all the photos had uploaded! Pretty cool. I use SmugMug and while I really like it, the process of creating directories in is pretty laborious when you need to make 80+ at a time. This was a breeze. Thank you!
Gavin Whitham testimonialGavin Whithamflickr
PicBackMan was really easy to setup and has been running for 3 days now backing up all my locally saved photos to Flickr. My photos are really valuable to me so it's great to be able to have them easily backed up to a secure location.
 Jim Griffin testimonialJim Griffinsmugmug
It's AWESOME!! I have tens of thousands of pictures...and they are now successfully uploaded to SmugMug, where they are safely backed up, and I can edit and organize them. If you are hesitating about using PicBackMan, hesitate no longer...try it...and you'll be glad you did!!
close icon
World's #1 Photo/Video Uploader

World's #1 Free Photo/Video Uploader

PicBackMan has everything you've ever wanted to backup your photos or migrate/transfer from one account to another. No feature left behind!

(283 reviews)
Trusted by users in 125+ countries.
  • Maintain Folder StructureMaintain Folder StructureUpload to your online accounts & keep your folder structure as you have it.
  • Sub-folder SupportFolders & their sub-folders are automatically picked up.
  • Smart De-dupeDe-dupes photos before uploading so you don’t have duplicate copies.
  • AutomaticPicBackMan monitors & automatically uploads from connected folders.
  • PrivacyPrivacyAll uploaded photos & videos are always marked as private by default.
  • RAW FilesComes with support for RAW files for uploads as well as transfers.

“Your pictures are scattered. PicBackMan helps you bring order to your digital memories.”

the wall street journal
close icon
One Uploader for All Services

One Uploader for All Services

PicBackMan is the only tool you will need to backup to one or more of the top online photo and video services.

(283 reviews)
Trusted by users in 125+ countries.
Google Photos

Google Photos

Flickr

Flickr

SmugMug

SmugMug

Dropbox

Dropbox

Google Drive

Google Drive

pCloud

pCloud

OneDrive

OneDrive

youtube

Youtube