Apple evangelist got locked out of his Apple ID: $30,000 of "bricked" hardware and no help in sight

"20 Years of digital life, gone in an instant, thanks to Apple" – I hope you never have to say the same thing as Dr Paris Buttfield-Addison.

But why?

Apple has effectively shut down his entire Apple ID, locking him out of his devices, iCloud, Developer account, and everything tied to it. The worst part is that there's no sign of adequate response from Cupertino at all.

So if you happen to know somebody who knows somebody at Apple headquarters, don't hesitate to help Dr Buttfield-Addison to restore his digital life.

Dr Paris Buttfield-Addison is a technical product leader and co-founder of game studios Secret Lab and the narrative game tools Yarn Spinner.

He has authored more than 20 books on software development, game design, and AI, and regularly speaks at international conferences. His work focuses on building products at the intersection of technology, storytelling, policy, and human behavior. He also runs a long-running Apple developer conference, serves as Secretary of the AUC, and plays a leading role in Australia's game development ecosystem through Tasmanian Game Makers and the Tasmanian Games Incubator.

"I have effectively been an evangelist for this company's technology for my entire professional life", he says.

How is this possible?

After attempting to redeem a $500 Apple Gift Card purchased from a major retail store, Dr Buttfield-Addison (who has held his Apple ID for 25 years) had his account permanently disabled. Apple flagged the card as potentially compromised, cutting access to his Apple ID, iCloud account, Apple Developer ID, and all associated devices.

As a result, his iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, MacBook, AirPods, and Apple TV (a total of $30,000 of Apple hardware) became effectively unusable, and he lost access to purchased apps, media, and terabytes of personal and work data.

Despite providing receipts and contacting the retailer, Apple has offered no resolution. Support has been – how to put this nicely? – dismissive, with no clear explanation or escalation path. Advice to create a new Apple ID is legally and technically risky, as it could violate Apple's Terms and jeopardize his developer account. Attempts to escalate the issue internally and through regulators have so far been unsuccessful. He suspects the account was automatically disabled by a fraud detection system triggered by the gift card.

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