HT201253 iPhone / Computer itunes store authorization

Question

I bought a used iPhone for my daughter, and it will not sync to my computer.  Message says computer is NOT authorized on the iTunes store, but it is.  I think the issue has to do with the phone's serial number or something related to what it contained previously.  May have been a bad purchasing decision.  ANy suggestions?

Answer 1

Hello there, sarahg12.
The following Knowledge Base article offers up some great steps for troubleshooting repeated prompts for authorization:
iTunes repeatedly prompts to authorize computer to play iTunes Store purchases
http://support.apple.com/kb/ts1389
All the topics are relevant but this one tends to be the most common culprit:
Authorize using the correct account name
The items you are trying to play might have been purchased using a different iTunes Store account. To determine which account was used to purchase an item, follow these steps:
Select a purchased song in your library and choose File > Get Info.
Click the Summary tab. Note the Account Name that appears in the list. This is the account name (Apple ID) you will need to use when authorizing your computer to play this purchase.
Note: The account name that appears is the one you used when purchasing the item and does not change if the account name (Apple ID) changes.
If you've authorized the Apple ID that is shown in the Summary tab, you can check the purchase history for that Apple ID from Store > View My Account. If your purchase history does not reflect the purchase of the items in your iTunes library, consider any other Apple ID you may have created, and authorize the computer for your additional Apple ID.
If you forgot the password to one of your accounts, you can recover it using Apple's password-recovery website.
Thanks for reaching out to Apple Support Communities.
Cheers,
Pedro.