It's great that we have choices today in the personal tech devices that we use... Windows vs. Mac and Android vs. iOS are two examples of choices, and we see people making these choices every day. What's really great about Apple's hardware isn't necessarily Apple hardware at all. It's the Apple ecosystem. What do I mean by that? iCloud, the iOS App Store, the Mac App Store, the iTunes Store, iMessage, etc.
The central component to ensuring that all of these services function properly is your Apple ID. You've seen it many times before, but may not realize just how vital it is to making sure everything runs well and syncs the way it's supposed to. I liken your Apple ID to a car engine... it's there and is critical to your vehicle running properly, but I don't know a lot about them. Just like a car engine, your Apple ID should be maintained (i.e.: lubed) periodically to make sure it's well cared for. While we can't take our Apple ID to a local Jiffy Lube, there is one place that we can go to ensure it's running smoothly.
Apple has a site devoted to managing your Apple ID. The URL is appleid.apple.com.
This isn't necessarily a site that needs to be visited very often, but you should visit it at least once a year to make sure everything is accurate and complete. I reviewed my Apple ID account earlier today and found that I had several devices that no longer belonged to me. It was good to clean house.
When you log in to the site, you are presented with several options on the left to choose from:
Name, ID and Email Addresses
This is where you can change your name, add or remove email addresses associated with your Apple ID and make sure that your birthdate is correct. This information is especially important in case you ever need to reset your password. This is part of the information that Apple will ask for to verify you are who you say you are.
Password and Security
In this section, you can activate or deactivate two-step authentication, add or remove the devices that are registered to your Apple ID as well as retrieve your recovery keys in case you have misplaced them (these keys are necessary in the event that you have two-step authentication enabled and you forget your password).
Addresses
When you order physical items from the Apple Store, it remembers your preferred shipping addresses. This is where you can manage those address by adding or removing from the list. Not a super-critical section, but definitely convenient to have this information current. It helps making orders in the future quicker.
Phone Numbers
Simply, this is a list of contact numbers for you. When you call Apple for support, it will link to these numbers. If you call from a number listed, Apple will automatically know who you are. Very convenient.
Language and Content Preferences
As you would expect, this section allows you to change your language preference (in case ou suddenly become fluent in another language). This is also where you can manage the amount of Apple junk mail you receive.
If it's been a while since you have visited this site, I encourage you to make it an annual tradition. If you've never visited this site (which I venture to say is most of us), I encourage you to not only visit the site at least annually, but spend 15-20 minutes navigating through the site right now to become comfortable with the features.
