This rare iPhone problem is becoming more common. Why does the error “Could not create a new account” occur?

This weekend on the iPhones.ru Forum, a reader asked a question that in 2023 I began to see, noticeably more often than before. The point is this.

Buying a used iPhone second hand. It can be restored, a la “new”. It was already used one way or another. During the initial setup at the stage of creating an Apple ID, the user sees an error:

Failed to create a new account

It is currently not possible to create an account.

In the meantime, this error will occur more and more often. Therefore, I decided to write a post-explanation of the situation, and also propose a not ideal, but working solution to the problem.

What does the “Failed to create a new account” error mean on iPhone?

The error text is obviously strange because it does not reflect the essence.

Error “It is currently not possible to create an account” occurs because too many Apple ID accounts have been created on the user’s device. In other words, the device had so many owners that they exhausted the limits on the number of iCloud accounts entered during the initial setup process.

Apple limits the maximum number of account registrations on a device to combat account registration farms, spam in iCloud mail and iMessage. The exact limit is unknown and may/may change on the Apple servers side. Rumor has it that he is currently watching 15 accounts.

Once the device limit is reached, it will no longer be possible to register new Apple ID accounts. The company’s technical support will not help in this situation, this limit is clearly not removed, no one has previously managed to remove it and talk about it publicly.

If you see a similar error on your iPhone, iPad or Mac, then you still have an option to solve the problem.

How to register a new Apple ID bypassing the error “Could not create a new account”

You will need any smartphone/browser and a web browser.

1. Go to appleid.apple.com/account – don’t read this, this is the official Apple page.

2. Register through it the Apple ID account that you use on the device with the above-mentioned problem.

3. After completing Apple ID registration, the device encountered an error logging into the created account.

Why this mistake will soon become common when buying used iPhones

The service life of a modern smartphone is increasing every year. Today you can buy and use an iPhone without any problems, the production of which was limited 5 or more years ago.

After so much time, many devices have undergone multiple repairs or have been completely restored. But their motherboard and unique IDs remain the same. Therefore, when buying such a “refurbished” device, even in “like new” condition, the buyer may be confused: the number of registrations with this board is already limited.

In such a convenient time, the device could change dozens of owners, both. We add to this active market of detained iPhones, their restoration and resale – and we get an explanation, Why More and more people are facing this kind of anxiety.

So, if you love old devices or just pick up an iPhone, but are faced with an error during registration, be philosophical about it. The problem is easy to solve, and you won’t have any other consequences later. The main thing is that you have a big man device that still works well. use it, delaying the planet-harmful moment of disposal.