I recently bought my first Apple product, an iPad 10th Gen, from a secondhand seller. As I had never created an Apple ID before, I attempted to set one up directly on the iPad but got a message saying "Account cannot be created at this time." I switched to my laptop and successfully created an Apple ID. Everything was fine for about 8 hours until I got a prompt to sign in again. Unfortunately, when I did, I found out my account had been disabled.
I submitted an appeal, but it was denied, and customer support mentioned that I might have violated the terms of service and that I need to make a new account. This has really upset me since I purchased apps already and lost that money. I also can't log out of my iPad without the password to the disabled account. To make matters worse, I was told to submit a reactivation request that requires proof of purchase, which I don't have because the iPad was bought by someone I don't know, and they're not responding.
I'm at a loss here—I don't know how I violated the TOS, I can't create a new account because my email and phone number are tied to the disabled one, and I'm lockout from many iPad features. Finals are coming up, and I need this device to get through.
2 Answers
It sounds like you might have been trying to use an iPad that was reported as stolen. Apple keeps a close eye on accounts created shortly after purchase, and if they suspect something’s off, they can disable it. It's a bummer you bought it secondhand without verifying its history. In the future, always check the device's status using its serial number on Apple's site before buying it! Sorry, but your best bet now might be looking for another device.
Not trying to be rude, but did you really buy that many apps in such a short time? Most Apple products come with free apps like Pages and Numbers, so I don't see how you spent all that money so quickly. It seems a bit odd. Maybe reconsider your purchases next time?
I mainly bought an Apple Pencil and Goodnotes because I've heard great things about them. Just wanted to make the most of my new iPad!
Yeah, that's a good point. Always best to be cautious with secondhand electronics.