Manage and secure your Apple ID and iCloud account

Nate Drake shows you how to master the nuances of Apple ID to help protect your precious data

Your Apple ID is an online account which allows you to easily access various Apple services such as iCloud, the iTunes and App Stores, FaceTime, and iMessage.

You can run into trouble if you lose access to your Apple ID – should you forget your password, say. Some people try to resolve this by creating another Apple ID instead of fixing the one they have, which means they’ll have no access to their existing data in iCloud, nor to any past purchases in the App Store or iTunes Store. It’s not a good idea.

So, you need to insure your ID is linked to a working email address, that you remember your password, and that you know the answers to your security questions – or else set up two-factor authentication for the strongest protection. You can also link a credit card and telephone number to your Apple ID, to help verify your identity if you’re ever locked out of your account.

We’ve assumed here that you’ve already created an Apple ID. If you are unsure of that, follow the steps at bit.ly/mkappleid to check, and create one if necessary.