Guides / Get back into your accounts on a new phone

Get back into your accounts on a new phone

Updated 4 November 2026 · By the FirstHour team

Short answerStart with your Apple Account, then your email, then everything else. For the Apple Account you need your password and a code. If your old phone was your only trusted device, Apple can send the code by text or call to your trusted phone number, so get your SIM back first. If nothing works, Apple's account recovery is slow: several days or longer.

If the urgent steps aren't done yet, start with what to do if your iPhone is stolen. Restoring a backup is covered in after the first hour.

1. Your Apple Account

Apple says that signing in for the first time on a new device needs two things: your Apple Account password and a six-digit code. The code shows on your trusted devices or is sent to a trusted phone number. Your old phone was probably your trusted device.

  1. Get your number working. A replacement SIM can bring your number back. Here's how it works.
  2. Ask for the code by text or call. Apple says that if you don't have a trusted device, you can have a code sent to your trusted phone number as a text message or phone call. On the code screen, choose "Didn't Get a Code?" or "Can't get to your devices?".
  3. Check Messages. Apple says that if you use Unknown Senders filtering, you should check there for your code. It also says Time Sensitive notifications let you still receive time-sensitive messages such as verification codes from Apple.

Apple warns that if your iPhone is your only trusted device, you won't be able to get the verification codes if it's missing or damaged. If you have more than one phone number, it suggests adding one that isn't associated with your iPhone as an extra trusted number. That's one to fix once you're back in.

2. If you can't get a code or you forgot the password

Do you have a recovery key? Read this first. A recovery key is a 28-character code you may have set up. Apple says that setting one up turns off its standard account recovery, that you can be locked out permanently if you can't provide it, and that Apple can't give it back if you lose it. If you chose one, find it before anything else. If you never did, you can ignore this.

Choose "Forgot password?" or go to iforgot.apple.com. Apple says that without a trusted device you may be asked to prove who you are with these, so have them ready:

Not sure of your password? Here's how to check it.

3. If you're still locked out

Apple has a last resort, called account recovery. It says it might take several days or longer, that a confirmation email arrives within 72 hours after you start, and that contacting Apple Support can't shorten the wait. If you haven't started, Apple says to try changing or resetting your password first. If you remember your password and sign in successfully, the recovery request cancels automatically.

When the wait ends, Apple says it will email you and contact you by text or automated call. Our advice is to use only Apple's own pages while you wait.

4. Email, banking and other apps

  1. Email first. Many other accounts send their resets there. Here's how to protect it.
  2. Your bank. Use your bank's app or website from a link you trust, and ask about the best way to reactivate. Here's what to ask.
  3. Everything else. Sign in to the rest one by one. Our advice: use each company's own app or website, not a link in a message.

Google says that if you lose your phone, you can use a backup code for the second step of 2-Step Verification. Its recovery page says wrong guesses won't kick you out of the recovery process and there's no limit to the attempts. Other companies have their own rules.

5. Authenticator apps and passkeys

Authenticator apps hold your codes on the phone. Google says that if you sign in to your Google Account in Google Authenticator on a new device, your codes sync to it. If they weren't synced, Google says you need to visit every site where you use it, remove the old codes and add the new device. Other apps work differently, so check the app's help.

Apple says they sync across your devices using iCloud Keychain. Whether yours come back depends on your settings, so test the ones you rely on once your Apple Account is back. Here's what goes where. Keep backup codes off your camera roll: here's why.

If you're locked out of something

How FirstHour helps

Plan B builds a first-hour plan ahead of time and keeps your phone's details ready. It tells you what to do and who to call. It can't sign you in, get you a verification code, reset a password or recover any account for you.

Questions

Do I need my old phone to sign in?

No. Apple says a code can go to a trusted phone number instead of a trusted device. You do need that number to work.

Sources

All guides