We got up got breakfast and did our daily devotion/bible reading. Then checked the time and I got on the phone with Tyler from Apple support. This required sending him an email to call me. His day started at 11:30 east coast time, or 10:30 my time. We worked through the process and eventually were successful in getting the iPad password reset. Kyle went to my Mom’s house and I sent another email to Tyler who did call Kyle and verified that no help was required at that end. So finally we have her new iPad working and the old one reset. We got a new shipping package setup to send the old one back and it is being sent to Kyle who has the old iPad. Everything looks good.
So, what did we accomplish? First lets look at where we started:
My mom needed a tablet to allow her to read books/check emails/access the internet/watch movies on her TV that came from the internet etc. This was in 2017. My older brother gave her a Kindle, but it did not do everything else. We bought her an iPad mini, as she did not want the full size iPad. I set it up for her. A couple years later she finally upgraded to a smart phone and by that time she had attempted to use the password that she thought was correct for her Apple ID. For whatever reason it did not work, and she crossed it out. Being unable to get into the Apple ID, whoever set up the iPhone (might have been me, might have been my nephew, might have been a son) set her up with another Apple ID. Apparently this was part of the problem, both Apple ID’s have the same phone number, which the senior advisor says is not OK with their system. In any case, at this point we have two Apple ID’s, one person, one phone number and a multitude of devices, a Windows based PC, an iPad, an iPhone, and an Apple TV.
Now, we get to 2020. We bought her a new iPad mini. Slightly more speed, slightly more ram, and slightly more battery life. When I bought it, I was unaware how much of an issue the Apple ID was going to be, and I believe I set it up in the purchase for her old Apple ID. When it arrived, we were (of course) back in Mexico. So, Kyle went to her house to set it up, the instructions for setting it up said that the password could be reset as you were setting up the new device. What they really meant was you could change the password as you were setting up the new device, but you had to KNOW the old password. So, about half way through the process, it got to the place where you had to have the Apple ID password and everything stopped. The data transfer from the old one to the new one had gone fairly smoothly including all the settings on the new one to match the old one, including FIND MY DEVICE was turned on. This was, as it turned out , a big deal, as if that is turned on you can not reset/wipe the iPad without the Apple ID password.
This began the process of getting the password reset on the Apple ID. Multiple attempts to reset it using the tool from Apple the techs don’t have access to this, and can’t even see the progress and don’t get told why it was or wasn’t successful, all they can do is tell you how to use it. So several weeks later it is still not working. Next up was another link to request removal of the Apple ID from the devices (note this is plural as in both of them) well the case number is only connected to one device, and after about a week, I got the email that the device was unlocked. I had to find where in the email it identified the device, only way it was identified was by the serial number. But that was the old one. Several more calls and hours on the support line, I finally got in touch with Tyler who was one of those guys who has to get it right, he was really trying to convince me that he was better than all the rest, after several phone calls and being able to get back to one person who actually seemed to be a bit better than average we were able to get the second iPad unlocked.
Kyle made the trip back to my moms and rebuilt the new iPad, then transferred all the pictures via air drop from the old one to the new one then reset the old iPad to blank status. At this point, the new iPad is all set up on the same Apple ID as my moms phone. Her PC and Apple TV are still on the old Apple ID. But at least there are no missing files. We go through the process of setting up the return of The old iPad to Apple (part of the purchase agreement for the new iPad we can sell the old one back to Apple). then make another attempt to reset the password on the old Apple ID. Which is when we discover that each Apple ID can have one phone number, and each phone number can be associated with one Apple ID. Which is probably where the whole reset stuff started. In any case, I then contacted my mom and told her that if she happened to run across the password for the old Apple ID let me know and we would work through it.
So, shortly after I got done telling her that she texted back with a password that she said had not worked and she crossed it out, (I mentioned this above). I tried the password and of course it worked. Good news, it worked and we have access to the old Apple ID! Bad news, we have already reset both iPads to the new Apple ID, and have taken the effort to automatically forward all the email from that Apple ID email account to her old email, a complicated kludge to get around this problem. Next summer, I will probably undertake the project to move the iPad from the “new” Apple ID back to the original one.
End result the iPad was purchased December 30th, and actually working March 5th.
After all that was done, I took a walk to see if I could find the sail loft for north sails to talk to the guy who sells them here in La Cruz, nobody was in the shop, so I walked around back to the pool area, and saw a life raft in the water and figured out that the last raft class (being taught by Mike the sail guy) was going on. I wandered over to where they were in the water and waited for the class to end. When it did I introduced myself to Mike and gave him a boat card. With a request to contact me about sails.
This was about all we got done today. Enough frustration for one day.
No pictures today.