Wasingtheisofwas, writing on Reddit:

I reach out to customer service. They tell me that I have violated the terms and conditions of the app store. I ask them to explain and they say that the account has been flagged for “Fraudulent Patterns”. I have no idea what that means, or what I could possibly have done on my iPhone that would constitute fraud. 

The customer support rep tells me that I will need to create a new Apple ID. When I ask him what will happen to all of the content that I have paid for over the years, as well as the subscriptions that I am currently paying for, he tells me that there is nothing he can do and that I cannot be refunded.

This is the kind of story that makes me exceedingly hesitant to rely on Apple’s services. And it makes Apple’s requirement that all iOS software be distributed through the App Store feel like extortion.

I hope we’re nearing a future where you can realistically use an iPhone without an Apple ID at all — replacing all of Apple’s services, including the App Store, with independent alternatives.

(Via Michael Tsai.)

➝ Source: old.reddit.com