I Have a Refurbished iPod Touch 5G But Need the Former Apple ID to Use It; What Should I Do?

Q: I just bought a refurbished iPod Touch 5th generation and I don’t think it was restored properly. I can’t use it unless I have the previous owner’s Apple ID and password. What should I do?

A: While an Apple ID is not necessary to get your iPod Touch 5G up and running, it is required to download apps, whether free or not. It seems that the previous owner of the iPod Touch 5G did not set the iPod Touch back to factory settings, but left it in the condition in which he finished using it. If so, breathe easy: it’s not a problem to get you up and running.

There are two options you have with regard to getting the device back to factory settings. You can either 1) reset the settings only, but this would likely not help in this case, or 2) you can erase all content and settings. You may need to erase all content and settings, since old apps on the iPod Touch 5G will be tied to the former owner’s Apple ID, and new apps without a restore would require the old Apple ID. Since you do not have the old Apple ID, you need to get to a place where you can enter your own Apple ID and take ownership of the device.

You can reset the settings on your device/erase all content and settings by going to settings, then the general tab, and selecting “reset” all the way at the bottom. The reset screen will allow you to either remove settings only or all content and settings.

You could access your settings, then “iTunes & App Store” to find the Apple ID of the previous owner, but this would not help you much (since you don’t have the password). Thus, the only recommendation I can offer you is to reset the device.  Be sure to erase all content and settings. After you do this on your iPod Touch 5G, your iPod will restart and bring you into a setup process. Part of this setup process involves creating your own Apple ID and password. Once you reset the device, I recommend you set up your Apple ID and password before proceeding further to register your device.

You can also use iTunes to restore. Just connect the device to your computer via USB, then go into iTunes and select the “setup as new iPod” option on your iTunes screen. Keep your Apple ID and password in a safe place, and be sure to erase all content and settings from your iPod Touch 5G, should you decide to sell it to someone else in the future.