An automatic keypad lockout system automatically disables the keypad or other buttons of a personal electronic device (102, 202, 302, 402) when it is stored in an accessory (104, 204, 304, 404) and then automatically re-enables the keypad upon removal of the device from the accessory without effort by the user. Encoding and decoding is accomplished through a variety of devices including magnetic (100), electrical (200), optical (300, 400), and mechanical (500) implementations. The automatic keypad lockout system is extendable (600), (700), (800), and (900) to provide a unique identity (ID), to interchangeable accessories (604, 704, 804, 804). The unique ID is associated with a predetermined user configuration with which to configure the communication device (602, 702, 802, and 902).