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User profile for user: apple2extremes
apple2extremes Author
User level: Level 1
23 points

iPhone 4 on 7.2.1 - Unable to ever use icloud services anymore?

OK this is an odd one that apple support have said in essence that if you log into an iphone 4 on 7.2.1 with an ID that has two factor authentication then it wont work and you cant downgrade two factor to two step either so essentially my iphone 4 can only be used as a phone with no icloud features (imessage/app store etc).


Searching the forums and internet doesn't suggest that this is so. Surely it isn't?


This is what happened:


  • Erased iPhone 4
  • Created new icloud ID on iphone 4 using existing email but errors at billing screen refering to support website
  • Tried creating a new icloud ID on the iphone 4 instead however after creating email and security questions and accepting terms it then hangs on verifying account then fails due to "server issue"
  • Tried as a last resort to create an icloud ID on the icloud website with success. However when trying to log in on the iphone 4 it comes up saying enter password with two factor code sent to other devices. When i enter the password again followed by the 6 digit two factor code (no spaces or anything) it keeps saying its failed and sends another code, and another and another, failing each time until it says it cant send any more codes.


I spoke to apple support and they pretty much said that as the phone is so old you cant create an apple ID on it anymore and you cant use any new ID with two factor enabled on it, and you cant downgrade your icloud account to two step either.


Surely if no-one was able to use an iphone 4 with an icloud account anymore this would be more prevalent in online searches? Can this still be done or is it pretty much just a phone without being able to use an apple ID on it ever again (and therefore no app store, imessage etc)


The ONLY thing i can think of doing is signing into a newer device with this new apple ID and then when trying to sign into the iphone 4 maybe its waiting for an "allow sign in" on the other device, which currently is not present as it has no other device to send that message too so it just sends a text message two factor code.


Any ideas would be appreciated because we are trying to use this old iphone 4 in a nursery which has bad signal and so needs imessage to use over WiFi (no WiFi calling is not available) and this seems like a very complex problem which shouldn't exist, i should just be able to sign in with the new ID or create an ID but everything fails. Should/how can i re-install the firmware maybe?


Thanks in advance



iPhone 4

Posted on Nov 4, 2020 2:30 PM

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User profile for user: apple2extremes
apple2extremes Author
User level: Level 1
23 points

Posted on Nov 5, 2020 2:36 PM

Ok so I’ve solved this and my hunch was correct.


if you have an iPhone 4 you CAN use an Apple ID created on the Apple iCloud website however you MUST have a second device running iOS 9 or later to be able to successfully sign in to the device on iOs 7. The reason for this is that without a second device signed in with your iCloud ID you won’t be able to click “allow” to the sign in request therefore whenever you try and put the two factor verification code at the end of the password on the iPhone 4 it will fail as it hasn’t had an “allow” auctioned anywhere. Suffice to say, if you only have an iPhone 4 then you cannot sign into it as you will never be able to “allow” the request via two factor authentication. Sadly even though you might be successfully signed into the iCloud website, the website will not present you with the “allow” sign in prompt, only another iOS device running iOS 9 or later can do that.


You will then need to stay signed in on the other device until you have fully set up and signed in on your older device (for example App Store and billing info) as these things will also push the “allow” prompt to your other device along with the verification code.


Hope this helps anyone else unable to sign in on an iPhone 4.

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User profile for user: apple2extremes
apple2extremes Author
User level: Level 1
23 points

Nov 5, 2020 2:36 PM in response to apple2extremes

Ok so I’ve solved this and my hunch was correct.


if you have an iPhone 4 you CAN use an Apple ID created on the Apple iCloud website however you MUST have a second device running iOS 9 or later to be able to successfully sign in to the device on iOs 7. The reason for this is that without a second device signed in with your iCloud ID you won’t be able to click “allow” to the sign in request therefore whenever you try and put the two factor verification code at the end of the password on the iPhone 4 it will fail as it hasn’t had an “allow” auctioned anywhere. Suffice to say, if you only have an iPhone 4 then you cannot sign into it as you will never be able to “allow” the request via two factor authentication. Sadly even though you might be successfully signed into the iCloud website, the website will not present you with the “allow” sign in prompt, only another iOS device running iOS 9 or later can do that.


You will then need to stay signed in on the other device until you have fully set up and signed in on your older device (for example App Store and billing info) as these things will also push the “allow” prompt to your other device along with the verification code.


Hope this helps anyone else unable to sign in on an iPhone 4.

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iPhone 4 on 7.2.1 - Unable to ever use icloud services anymore?

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