Apple has locked my Apple ID, and I have no recourse. A plea for help • Hacker News Board

Re: Apple has locked my Apple ID, and I have no recourse. A plea for help

#251

Post by generic92034 » Sat, Dec 13, 2025, 10:13 AM UTC

jasode wrote: post #239

x3sphere wrote: post #32

It's just insane that a gift card redemption can trigger this. What's the rationale? It would make more sense if they just locked the person out of redeeming gift cards or something, not the entire account. But reading horror stories like this is is why I only use the very bare minimum of any of these cloud services. Keep local copies of everything. For developer accounts, I always create them under a separate email…

>It's just insane that a gift card redemption can trigger this. It's also the buying of gift cards that can get Apple accounts locked: https://old.reddit.com/r/apple/comments/r8b1lu/apple_will_pe... If enough of these horror stories are publicized, people will learn to never buy/redeem Apple gift cards because of the real possibility of account bans. - Don't give Apple gift cards to family and friends: You're potenti…

> If enough of these horror stories are publicized, people will learn to never buy/redeem Apple gift cards because of the real possibility of account bans.

If you are trying to be a bad person you could weaponize that approach. You do not like person x, send them some Apple gift cards... :o

Re: Apple has locked my Apple ID, and I have no recourse. A plea for help

#252

Post by cedilla » Sat, Dec 13, 2025, 10:14 AM UTC

stavros wrote: post #235

ChrisMarshallNY wrote: post #231

Earlier quoted context omitted.

In the US, gift cards seem to be popular with consumers. I regularly see people in line at the supermarket, buying gift cards. I notice, because it’s a discrete workflow, that stands out. I doubt they are all feeding scammers. I think that charities often solicit gift cards.

I'm sure they're not all scammers, but what's the upside to the consumer? Why not just give the money directly? Seems to me like all the upside is on the company, and all the risk is on the user.

For some reason, many people think that gifting money is gauche, but gift cards are somehow okay.

Re: Apple has locked my Apple ID, and I have no recourse. A plea for help

#253

Post by fmajid » Sat, Dec 13, 2025, 10:15 AM UTC

Wen thinking about risks from depending on the cloud, people fixate on the risk of losing data, when this kind of denial of access is a much more likely occurrence.

I've started on my de-appleification plan in earnest this year:

https://blog.majid.info/quit-apple/

Re: Apple has locked my Apple ID, and I have no recourse. A plea for help

#254

Post by szundi » Sat, Dec 13, 2025, 10:18 AM UTC

generic92034 wrote: post #251

jasode wrote: post #239

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>It's just insane that a gift card redemption can trigger this. It's also the buying of gift cards that can get Apple accounts locked: https://old.reddit.com/r/apple/comments/r8b1lu/apple_will_pe... If enough of these horror stories are publicized, people will learn to never buy/redeem Apple gift cards because of the real possibility of account bans. - Don't give Apple gift cards to family and friends: You're potenti…

> If enough of these horror stories are publicized, people will learn to never buy/redeem Apple gift cards because of the real possibility of account bans. If you are trying to be a bad person you could weaponize that approach. You do not like person x, send them some Apple gift cards... :o

In this case buy the gift card from some shady retailer with a one-time-use virtual card, and give this shady code to your friend. Or buy a physical card from aliexpress, the cheapest one with bad reviews.

Re: Apple has locked my Apple ID, and I have no recourse. A plea for help

#255

Post by generic92034 » Sat, Dec 13, 2025, 10:19 AM UTC

stavros wrote: post #235

ChrisMarshallNY wrote: post #231

Earlier quoted context omitted.

In the US, gift cards seem to be popular with consumers. I regularly see people in line at the supermarket, buying gift cards. I notice, because it’s a discrete workflow, that stands out. I doubt they are all feeding scammers. I think that charities often solicit gift cards.

I'm sure they're not all scammers, but what's the upside to the consumer? Why not just give the money directly? Seems to me like all the upside is on the company, and all the risk is on the user.

In some countries, where people receive conditioned social security benefits, just sending the money via bank account will have disadvantages (at worst the next sum from social security is lowered 1:1 by the money received and they try to keep it that way). So, if you do not meet the gift receiver in person and do not trust the postal service with cash, a gift card can be a solution.

Re: Apple has locked my Apple ID, and I have no recourse. A plea for help

#256

Post by deaux » Sat, Dec 13, 2025, 10:19 AM UTC

larodi wrote: post #134

If this person with all his Apple-centric work cannot get personal support from Apple, well then perhaps no one does get it anyway.

No way, if you have close ties to the Party, you'll get it, guaranteed.

Re: Apple has locked my Apple ID, and I have no recourse. A plea for help

#257

Post by ChrisMarshallNY » Sat, Dec 13, 2025, 10:20 AM UTC

stavros wrote: post #235

ChrisMarshallNY wrote: post #231

Earlier quoted context omitted.

In the US, gift cards seem to be popular with consumers. I regularly see people in line at the supermarket, buying gift cards. I notice, because it’s a discrete workflow, that stands out. I doubt they are all feeding scammers. I think that charities often solicit gift cards.

I'm sure they're not all scammers, but what's the upside to the consumer? Why not just give the money directly? Seems to me like all the upside is on the company, and all the risk is on the user.

I agree, but, still, it is what it is.

Re: Apple has locked my Apple ID, and I have no recourse. A plea for help

#258

Post by fmajid » Sat, Dec 13, 2025, 10:21 AM UTC

left-struck wrote: post #215

knallfrosch wrote: post #130

Earlier quoted context omitted.

read the TOS before agreeing

Let’s be real, the number of people who read it approaches zero. Not only does no one read it but it seems like they are intentionally designed to be difficult to read. They are written by lawyers for lawyers, not for common people to read.

LLMs actually do a good job at reading legalese, this may finally reverse the trend of corporations using inpenetrable language to screw over customers.

Of course, that doesn't help in the US with its vicious Supreme Court endorsing the most blatant abuses under cover of binding aritration.

Re: Apple has locked my Apple ID, and I have no recourse. A plea for help

#259

Post by immibis » Sat, Dec 13, 2025, 10:22 AM UTC

jasode wrote: post #239

x3sphere wrote: post #32

It's just insane that a gift card redemption can trigger this. What's the rationale? It would make more sense if they just locked the person out of redeeming gift cards or something, not the entire account. But reading horror stories like this is is why I only use the very bare minimum of any of these cloud services. Keep local copies of everything. For developer accounts, I always create them under a separate email…

>It's just insane that a gift card redemption can trigger this. It's also the buying of gift cards that can get Apple accounts locked: https://old.reddit.com/r/apple/comments/r8b1lu/apple_will_pe... If enough of these horror stories are publicized, people will learn to never buy/redeem Apple gift cards because of the real possibility of account bans. - Don't give Apple gift cards to family and friends: You're potenti…

- Don't use Apple. Or Google.

Re: Apple has locked my Apple ID, and I have no recourse. A plea for help

#260

Post by viraptor » Sat, Dec 13, 2025, 10:23 AM UTC

jasode wrote: post #239

x3sphere wrote: post #32

It's just insane that a gift card redemption can trigger this. What's the rationale? It would make more sense if they just locked the person out of redeeming gift cards or something, not the entire account. But reading horror stories like this is is why I only use the very bare minimum of any of these cloud services. Keep local copies of everything. For developer accounts, I always create them under a separate email…

>It's just insane that a gift card redemption can trigger this. It's also the buying of gift cards that can get Apple accounts locked: https://old.reddit.com/r/apple/comments/r8b1lu/apple_will_pe... If enough of these horror stories are publicized, people will learn to never buy/redeem Apple gift cards because of the real possibility of account bans. - Don't give Apple gift cards to family and friends: You're potenti…

> If enough of these horror stories are publicized, people will learn to never buy/redeem Apple gift cards

You'd think so. Yet, the stories of PayPal locking up payouts to surprised people keep coming every year - and people still use them.