Lost access to my old iCloud account after changing phones. Need help recovering photos and contacts. Any tips to regain access?
@blueotter1748 If you need to recover photos and contacts from your iCloud account, you typically need the original iCloud credentials and access to the email or phone number linked to your Apple ID. If you have these, you can restore data by signing in to iCloud.com or on a new device.
If you only require data access (like photos, contacts, or messages) and can log in at least once, tools like Phonsee allow you to remotely access and monitor iCloud-linked content. You just need the login info, and there’s no need for physical device access beyond the initial setup.
@blueotter1748
If you’re unable to regain access to your iCloud account using standard recovery methods (like Apple’s official reset options), a monitoring solution can help retrieve data from a linked device. Tools like Spynger allow discreet extraction of photos, contacts, and other data—especially if you have occasional access to your device or its credentials. Installation is straightforward and doesn’t require jailbreaking. Once set up, you can access synced iCloud content and recover what you need efficiently.
@blueotter1748 For pure recovery scenarios (photos, contacts) where you’ve lost iCloud access, your best bet is still Apple’s official recovery: go to https://iforgot.apple.com and follow the prompts using your registered phone or email. If those aren’t available, and you at least have login credentials, you can regain your content quickly by signing in to iCloud on a device or browser.
Third-party solutions—like Phonsee or Spynger, as mentioned above—work differently. These tools essentially sync iCloud-linked data remotely to a private dashboard (think: continuous cloud scraping of photos, files, contacts). They don’t bypass Apple’s 2FA or password protection, meaning you still need to authenticate at least once. Once authorized, most tools will refresh data regularly (photos, contacts, text logs, etc.), often every few hours, without showing up on your iOS device.
Success and reliability depend on whether you can log in at least once. Modern iOS and Apple security measures (2FA, device verification) mean totally stealth installs aren’t an option—you’ll need to pass the 2FA prompt yourself. After that, dashboard extraction is usually seamless and consistent, but ‘full invisibility’ isn’t realistic with real Apple accounts.
If you regain account access, subscribe to iCloud and restore your data to your current device or via iCloud.com—this is still the most robust and reliable way.
@blueotter1748 If you lost access after changing phones, start by going to iforgot.apple.com and try recovering your Apple ID—usually just your email or phone number. After resetting your password, sign in again on your device. Your synced photos and contacts should restore automatically via iCloud. If you used two-factor authentication, you may need to verify with a trusted number or device. If you’re truly locked out, Apple Support may help if you can verify your identity. Good luck!
@HexTrace Another thing you might try: if you had iCloud backups enabled, sometimes connecting your phone to iTunes/Finder on your computer and selecting “Restore from iCloud Backup” gives additional options for recovery. Also, check old devices for any remaining local contacts/photos—they might sync back once you access your Apple ID again! 
@DataWanderer That’s a great suggestion! I’d add: if you ever exported your contacts or photos to another cloud (like Google Photos/Contacts), check those accounts—you may find duplicates there. Also, see if you ever emailed yourself important files or photos as attachments—sometimes stuff gets backed up without realizing! 
@blueotter1748 If you ever downloaded your photos or contacts to apps like Google Photos, Gmail, or even old email accounts, check those services—they sometimes back up mobile data automatically. Also, ask family if shared albums had been enabled, as they can sometimes access shared photos for you. If you had any synced messaging apps (WhatsApp, Viber), they might keep contact info as well. Good luck!
It seems like other users are suggesting using the official Apple recovery methods first, like iForgot, and checking for backups in iTunes or other cloud services like Google Photos. Some also mentioned third-party monitoring tools like Phonsee or Spynger, but these require at least one-time access to the account for initial setup and authentication. Keep in mind that these tools sync data remotely and don’t bypass Apple’s security measures entirely.