can't connect iCloud account in Apple TV

The limit is 30 seconds, but that is usually exceeded when one enters the password and code together.

When you just input the password and hit submit it won’t be able to connect because it wasn’t able to sign in properly. Likewise, when the limit is exceeded

What you are now experiencing is a new error message, and is a separate issue (likely related to the password change you recently did). Best to contact iTunes.

I had the same issue.

I used ‘Get Verification number’ on my IPhone and used that number. No luck.

So used my iPad for the Verfication number, used the remote app on my iPhone and then typed my password+verification number and it worked.

2FA is optimized for newer software, which the 3rd gen cannot run. It is not going to generate a separate screen for the code, like on newer models, and one has to enter the password and code together. Even if a code was generated you can easily exceed the limit when attempting to enter both at once. You need to request the code and then add it to the password to ensure it goes through.

The password plus code did not work for me on one of my two AppleTVs (version3). Worked with one, but the other is just stuck in a verification loop for HomeSharing.

Oddly I have no problem logging into iCloud and the store, but one of them just won't play nice on Home Sharing. (despite a full re-set, power down and back up and unplugging.... etc.)

Frustrating.

The good news: it appears that Apple has made a change (at least for Apple TV 3) and now you can sign in normally using your password, after which you'll get a notification on your other devices of a new sign-in attempt, and when you accept that then you will get a the 6-digit code you can use to complete the sign-in on the Apple TV. So in other words, it appears to have been updated.

The bad news: even after I get signed in, I still get "iCloud Unavailable" when I try to get to my iCloud photos.

So it appears that Apple has made some changes here...but they've actually broken things. Please fix this, Apple. I want my photos back for my screensaver!

By the way, I can still use the 6-digit code at the end of the password, that produces the same results (that is, I get signed in but iCloud photos are still unavailable).

But I do find that it's key to not clear the 6-digit code until after you have entered it. That is to say, you can't close the display showing the code on your device until after you've entered the code into your Apple TV. Some people are talking here about having trouble using the code from their iPhones; I think the code from the iPhone will likely work just fine so long as you leave it displaying on the iPhone while you enter it into your Apple TV. Where I ran into problems with this is that I was using the Remote app to do the entry into the Apple TV and so I had to clear the code to get back to the Remote app. Because you have limited time to enter the code and because it's so much faster to enter the code from the Remote app, it is ideal to use a code from another device if possible, but if not just be sure to enter the code using your Apple TV's physical remote while the code displays on your iPhone.

The 3rd Gen is now 7 years old, yet it is still being supported. However the hardware isn’t capable of running the same software as newer models so it requires signing in differently. Apple has merely run into an issue with authentication but they are continuing to work on it. You are free to use another platform but I think you will find they don’t have anywhere near the same level of support.

Thanks, but I know this is a user forum and I know it's likely Apple won't be reading it. My post was written to provide information to others here in this user forum. As for Apple, it appears they fixed the problem with access to iCloud Photos!

No, at this point they have updated Apple TV 3rd generation so that it handles authentication exactly the same way that other devices handle it. After that update, the problem was that they messed something up with how iCloud Photos work, but it now appears they have fixed it.

Well, then within at most a couple of hours of my going through all the gyrations I previously detailed on one of my 2 3rd generation Apple TVs, it broke and I was once again at the point where I could access iCloud Photos and see the shared albums, but the actual photos in them would not display. So I tried my normal approach: reboot. No luck. So more gyrations: turn iCloud Photo Sharing off, wait a couple of minutes, turn it back on, wait some more, go into iCloud Photos again and that worked. Then I was able to get the screen saver working again. I haven't checked the other Apple TV again. While I'm glad that I can at least get to my shared photos once again, it certainly appears that this is going to continue breaking on a regular basis and now it's harder to fix than it used to be. Ugh.

I use 2FA. My AppleTV gives me an option to enter the six-digit code which I quickly enter and it still doesn't work. It does the same thing for iTunes Store. Anything else to do. I reset the unit. Restore to factory settings?

Did you follow my instruction to not clear the code on the device displaying it prior to it being accepted by the Apple TV? I and many others in this thread have experienced if you clear the code from the device displaying it before entering the code and having it accepted by the Apple TV that it will not work. I personally was using iTunes remote on my iPhone and so I was clearing the code from my iPhone so that I could enter it using iTunes remote and I suspect this kind of thing was the issue for others as well. You can enter the code using iTunes remote, but in that case you're going to need to have it displaying on another device (another iPhone, an iPad, a Mac, whatever).

Okay, so you still did the old approach of entering your password + the 6-digit code together? Yeah, I had tried that previously and that too worked for me. It shouldn't be necessary to do it that way but at least it does still work.

What I did is get to the point where it asks for the login on the AppleTV (maybe after the first login attempt is rejected). I then entered my password but did not submit. Went to iPhone and requested a new code, and then quickly appended the code to my password to avoid the rumored 30 second timeout

Yeah, like I said, I also tried that recently and found that it still works. When this thread started, that was the only option because the Apple TV 3rd generation would not prompt you for the 6-digit code but that code was required (for accounts with 2-factor authentication turned on) and so you had to enter it appended to the password. However, though you can still do that and it's not a problem to follow that approach, you no longer should have to do that as Apple has updated the Apple TV 3rd generation firmware and at this point after you enter the password (without the 6-digit code) you next will be prompted for the 6-digit code. I have found that with either method, you must keep the 6-digit code visible on the device displaying it while you enter it, submit it, and wait for it to be accepted before you can clear it from the device displaying it.

I’m glad it worked for you, but the suggestion to keep the code visible doesn’t make sense to me.... and it hasn’t worked for me on Home-Sharing. Oddly, I have no problem now signing in and out of iCloud on the ATV.

If you request the code through settings (under password and security) and clear it, you can re-request it and you will get the same number until the 30 seconds clicks over. For me, it is also the same number that is offered under the sign-in alert.

I keep requesting the code until it changes, then I know I have 30 seconds.