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2021-12-08 01:32:00

Quinn Comendant @com@mastodon.social

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Apple permamently disabled my account

4 Dec 2021

Apple permanently disabled my account today. I've lost access to $1200+ of apps that I have purchased through the App Store, my App Store balance, and my music collection of thousands of CDs uploaded to iTunes Match. @AppleSupport

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Two days ago, I noticed I was unable to update apps or play music from iTunes Match on my iPhone or MacBook Pro. The error was “Your account has been disabled in the App Store and iTunes.” I chatted with Apple support, and they were able to unblock my account.

The next day, my account was blocked again. Support unblocked my account again. Both times, they said they were unable to tell me why the account was blocked, except that I had violated the iTunes terms and conditions. I read the T&C, nothing I did violated any terms.

Hours later, my account was blocked for a 3rd time. I called Apple, and they said my account is now permanently blocked. They said there is nothing they can do, and suggested that I create a new Apple ID and start over.

What happened? I purchased 11 Apple gift cards over the past couple months (legitimately, from Apple, Amazon, and Target) and added them to my account. Apple’s fraud detection team noticed, and flagged my account as violating T&C.

I’ve used Apple products since 1990, have owned more than 13 Macs, and always considered Apple a partner in my life. It’s a grim reality that Apple’s antifraud system can permanently ban an innocent person. I feel like I have been kicked in the stomach.

This is a reminder that you do not own the services provided by companies like Apple. We need an alternative to the App Store. Self-hosting and side-loading apps are the only way we can retain control over the tools we depend on.

6 Dec 2021

Good news! My account is unblocked.

I received a call from Isabela with Apple’s Corporate Executive Relations, who explained that my account was blocked in error “because of a glitch” affecting more than a few users. She said they're working with engineering to fix the problem.

7 Dec 2021

I suggested to Isabela that, based on the stories I've heard of others who also had their accounts blocked, the problem appeared to be that the fraud-detection algorithm has been generating false positives. She said, “yes, something like that.”

The real glitch is not the algo, but rather Apple’s obstinance and lack of recourse. I shouldn’t have had to go to the length I did to get this resolved. Apple should have immediately passed my case to an internal investigation team with whom I could have disputed my case.

My App Store and iTunes is working again (for now). In the meantime, I'm going to download an archive of my iTunes content, and from now on I will prefer buying apps outside the App Store whenever possible (at least on macOS; there is no alternative to the App Store for iOS).

8 Dec 2021

Discussions on this case elsewhere:

https://discussions.apple.com/thread/253430231

https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29437627

https://teddit.net/r/apple/comments/r8hbxp/apple_user_permabanned_loses_12k_in_app_store

https://teddit.net/r/apple/comments/r8b1lu/apple_will_permanently_disable_your_account_for