How to Disconnect iPad from iPhone: Photos, Texts, & More

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Stop sharing between your iPhone and iPad
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Do you want to disconnect your iPad from your iPhone? The Apple ecosystem allows you to seamlessly integrate all devices associated with your Apple ID so you can share apps, photos, videos, and even calls and messages. While sharing data between your iPhone and iPad can be convenient, it might be a problem if you're sharing your iPad with family members and don't want them to see your photos, texts, or calls. In some cases, you may want to remove your iPad from your Apple ID account entirely. This wikiHow article teaches 6 simple ways to disconnect an iPad from your iPhone.

Unlinking Your iPad From Your iPhone

  • To remove your iPad from your iPhone, sign out of your Apple ID on either device.
  • To stop syncing services, go to Settings > Apple ID > Media & Purchases > View Account > Remove from account .
  • To stop receiving texts on your iPad, open Settings > Messages > toggle off iMessage .
Method 1
Method 1 of 6:

Sign Out of your Apple ID

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  1. To completely disconnect your iPad from your iPhone, you can simply sign out of your Apple ID on the iPad. This is useful if you want to allow a family member to use your iPad without giving them access to the data you sync to your iPhone. [1]
    • If you want to keep using the iPad after signing out, you can log in with a different Apple ID.
  2. It's at the top of the Settings menu next to your profile pictures. This displays the Apple ID menu. [2]
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  3. It's the red text at the bottom of the Apple ID menu. [3]
  4. If you want to keep a copy of your Calendars, Contacts, Keychain passwords, News, Safari data, or Stocks, tap the toggle switch next to any item you want to keep a copy of.
  5. It's in the upper-right corner of the menu that asks if you want to keep a copy of your data. [4]
  6. It's the red text to the right in the pop-up notification. This confirms that you want to sign out of your Apple ID and removes all of your iCloud data. This may take a few minutes. [5]
    • If you plan on selling your iPad or giving it away, you'll want to reset it first. This will erase all apps and data on your iPad and restore it to its factory settings.
    • Additionally, you can remove your iPad from Find my iPad to keep it from being tracked.
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Method 2
Method 2 of 6:

Stop Syncing Purchases to iPad

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  1. If you don't want the purchases you make with your Apple ID (paid apps, books, movies, Apple Music downloads, and more) to be available on your iPhone or iPad but want to stay signed in, you can remove that device from your iCloud purchases. Open the Settings app on the device you want to prevent from syncing apps and purchases. [6]
    • This includes paid apps, books, movies, and other content.
  2. It's at the top of the Settings menu next to your profile pictures. This displays the Apple ID menu. [7]
  3. It's about halfway down the menu below the "iCloud" option.
  4. It's the third option at the bottom of the pop-up notification.
    • You may be required to enter your passcode, Touch ID, or Face ID to unlock your iPad.
  5. This stops the apps and purchases you make with this device from being shared and downloading automatically to other devices on your Apple ID. [8]
    • You may need to wait up to 90 days before you can re-associate this devices with your Apple ID account again. [9]
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Method 3
Method 3 of 6:

Stop Syncing Apps & Services to iPad

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  1. If you don't want to sign out of your Apple ID on your iPad but would rather not sync files, apps, photos, messages, and other data to iCloud, you can disable iCloud syncing for all services on your iPad. [10]
  2. It's at the top of the Settings menu next to your profile pictures. This displays the Apple ID menu. [11]
  3. It's near the top of the menu. It's next to an icon that resembles a blue cloud. [12]
  4. This will prevent your iPad from uploading or downloading data from these apps and services to iCloud and allowing other devices to access them. [13]
    • You can stop syncing your messages , calendars , contacts, notes, reminders, as well as any apps you have installed.
    • You may be asked if you want to remove the app from your iPhone or iPad. Tap Keep on my iPad to keep the app, or Delete from my iPad to delete the app.
    • If you want to disable Messages, you will be given the option to disable and download your messages. Tap this option to continue.
    • If you want to stop syncing to iCloud Drive, tap the toggle switch next to "iCloud Drive."
    • If you want to stop sharing photos and videos, tap Photos at the top of the iCloud menu. Then tap the toggle switch next to iCloud Photos .
    • If you want to stop sharing your passwords, tap Keychain near the top of the iCloud menu. Then tap the toggle switch next to "iCloud Keychain."
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Method 4
Method 4 of 6:

Stop Receiving iPhone Calls on iPad

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  1. It's the gear icon on your Home screen or in your app list. If you don't want your iPad to make or receive calls through your iPhone, you can disable Calls on Other Devices. [14]
  2. The option you'll see varies by location.
    • If your iPhone has multiple SIM cards, select the SIM you want to modify now.
  3. This displays a list of all devices that can currently make and receive phone calls through your iPhone. [15]
  4. Once you remove your iPad from this list, you won't receive calls on your iPad, nor will you be able to make calls from your iPad through your iPhone. However, you'll still receive FaceTime calls until you complete the next step.
  5. This time, you'll be using the Settings app on your iPad, not your iPhone.
  6. Now you won't be able to receive FaceTime or other calls from your iPhone on this iPad.
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Method 5
Method 5 of 6:

Stop Receiving Texts on iPad

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  1. If you don't want your iPad to receive iMessages, you can disable iMessage on your iPad without having to remove your Apple ID from the iPad.
  2. It's the green icon with a white speech bubble. [16]
  3. Your iPad will no longer receive the text messages sent to your iPhone. [17]
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Method 6
Method 6 of 6:

Disable Handoff

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  1. If you've enabled Handoff so you can start something on your iPhone or iPad (such as writing an email or browsing a website) and access that same screen on your other device, you can easily disable the feature . [18]
  2. This is in the third group of settings. [19]
  3. You'll see this in the second group of settings.
  4. Once you've turned off Handoff, you will no longer be able to hand off tasks from your iPhone to your iPad or vice-versa. [20]
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      References

      1. ↑ https://support.apple.com/en-us/104958
      2. ↑ https://support.apple.com/en-us/104958
      3. ↑ https://support.apple.com/en-us/104958
      4. ↑ https://support.apple.com/en-us/104958
      5. ↑ https://support.apple.com/en-us/104958
      6. ↑ https://support.apple.com/en-ph/102649
      7. ↑ https://support.apple.com/en-ph/102649
      8. ↑ https://support.apple.com/en-ph/102649
      9. ↑ https://support.apple.com/en-us/118412
      1. ↑ https://support.apple.com/en-us/118225
      2. ↑ https://support.apple.com/en-us/118225
      3. ↑ https://support.apple.com/en-us/118225
      4. ↑ https://support.apple.com/en-us/118225
      5. ↑ https://support.apple.com/guide/ipad/make-and-receive-phone-calls-ipadf97892b2/ipados
      6. ↑ https://support.apple.com/en-us/102405
      7. ↑ https://support.apple.com/en-us/102545
      8. ↑ https://support.apple.com/en-us/102545
      9. ↑ https://support.apple.com/guide/iphone/hand-off-tasks-between-devices-iphcec5d0a9d/ios
      10. ↑ https://support.apple.com/guide/iphone/hand-off-tasks-between-devices-iphcec5d0a9d/ios
      11. ↑ https://support.apple.com/guide/iphone/hand-off-tasks-between-devices-iphcec5d0a9d/ios/

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