I'm trying to regain access to an old school Apple ID. I still know the login credentials, but I don't remember the phone number linked to the account for verification. It was probably a parent's old number, and I no longer have contact with them. I've contacted Apple Support several times and offered to verify my identity in person with government ID and other documentation, but they said they couldn't change the number or bypass the verification process. Is there any legitimate recovery option, especially since this was a school account?
2 Answers
Apple generally can’t disclose or replace the trusted phone number just because you know the password or can provide personal identification. You can try Apple’s official account-recovery process, but if you can’t verify the trusted number, recovery may not be possible. Anyone offering to hack or unlock the account is almost certainly trying to scam you.
Since this was a school-managed Apple ID, contact the school’s technology department or account administrator as well. They may be able to reset or recover the account, or tell you whether the account still exists. If it was a regular personal account that merely used a school email address, only the official recovery process is available.
That makes sense for the school account angle, but it may be too old for the school to manage anymore. I’m frustrated that Apple won’t accept other forms of identity verification, but I’ll check whether the school still has any control over it.