Apple ID keeps getting locked

Hello everyone,

I've been suffering this issue since last October, but the differentiating element is that I work as a Sys Admin at a school and the Apple IDs that get locked are Managed Apple IDs that some of the students use with Shared iPads.

So, in an environment of more than 70 shared devices and more than 350 Apple IDs using that devices, you can imagine how frustrating is to get locked from 5 to 10 Apple IDs every week.

However, I'm "glad" to see that maybe it's not an iPads or network bad configuration.

Of course, Apple is not being very helpful, and in all this time, all they can say is that "user is introducing invalid credentials too many times". But the truth is that I have seen Apple IDs getting locked when the users were in front of me with no iPad in their hands.

Needless to say, the problem, 6 months later, is still happening.

I don't think your email address is being hacked. This is happening to too many people and it all started happening at the same time. It's a bug and Apple needs to fix it. It's a real PITA.

I'm getting it too. All of a sudden a few weeks back my Iphone 5S, and wife's iphone SE, and both of our imacs started constantly bugging us to login and UNLOCK our accounts. Either thousands of folks are currently having their accounts being hacked or Apple has messed something up again.

So which is more likely?

Same here. It started a week or two ago. My account seems to lock itself every two or three days. I reset, then have to jump through the hoops on devices to get things working again. Annoying to say the least. It's not happening to my wife at all.

As others have noted, it could obviously be someone going at the account, or it could be a problem with the account itself. Or it could be a device I've forgotten about still trying to hammer its way in with an old password.

I remain uninterested in 2FA -- as good an idea as it might be -- because I don't want to risk getting really, really locked out of my account (I've read of a couple cases of this, and it's worrisome). And I'm not thrilled to change my AppleID because the email I'm using is my primary email. I really wish the AppleID could be a straight-up user ID -- not the email address. I use completely made up names and words in my logins on my most-sensitive websites, making the login almost like a second password.

Agree with the above. Too many people suddenly started experiencing the same issue at the same time for it to be due to attempts to compromise those accounts, and I haven't gotten any suspicious-looking login attempt alerts. This has to be a bug.

This started happening to me about a month ago, November or December. Happens at least once every two days. I will not do two-factor authentication, fingerprints or face recognition. It is super annoying. I don't change my password each time, I just unlock my account by email. The first time I tried answering security questions and my answers weren't correct. It is happening to too many people and Apple isn't fixing it.

NOT A FAULT - But by design from apple...

I started to get this issue at the same time as upgrade AND continued request to enter in my password for another email account on my phone. (NOT used by apple ID) - Funny kept resetting the password to NULL.. Mmmm!!

I do not use 2 factor authentication - and I'm always being prompted to upgrade. Mmmm!!

I refuse each time even trying to back up messages you need to upgrade.. Mmmm!!

So what can apple do to make us use 2 factor authentication - THAT is to make us believe people are hacking into our accounts and to make us use 2FA..

Other systems from other companies tell you that a failed attempt has been made on the account and sometimes they even tell you where and what attempted it.. Where is this on apple id or on the itune account.

So that's my belief --- as I'm sure all people have not yet gone over to the 2FA..... but then again could be wrong.. :)

I can confirm that I have not gone over to 2FA. Interesting theory, but I'm not willing to test it and find out that's not the problem and now I have to enter even MORE information every single day. Can the other people in this discussion reply and say whether they are using 2FA?

I have suspiciously thought the same thing, that it was Apple trying to trick me into 2FA. And it's almost worked. But, like ElfieUK4, I'm worried about having to jump through these hoops with a password AND 2FA recovery methods every time it happens. I envision an eventuality where I lose access to my AppleID altogether thanks to whatever's going on, and I end up getting a suggestion from the sycophants in the support forums that my best and only option is to establish a new AppleID, as if that's a perfectly normal and reasonable thing.

At this point, I'm just trudging along and hoping it just gets resolved. Of course, like so many things Apple, they'd never tell us they fixed anything or that anything was borked to begin with. It'll just be magically fixed.

Same thing here. Same time frame - started in early Dec '20.

It drives me nuts, especially because it disrupts linking desktop messages, calendar, or other apps with the phone apps.

APPLE, can someone get on this??? At least acknowledging the issue??? Hello???

Same thing is happening to me and I’d say it started around late November or early December. It happens almost daily and I’ve had to set a new password twice which is super ******* annoying. I don’t have 2FI and I don’t want it. I used to have 2FI and it ****** with the Apple TV making it impossible to purchase via the Apple TV such that I’d have to rent or purchase via the phone or iPad and then go into to Apple TV and find the item to play it. I don’t want to go there again.

the other thing that keeps happing to me along this this is that I am constantly having to verify my payment information in Apple ID. I’ve checked and there is nothing outstanding in my subscriptions and indeed nothing due in subscriptions until May 2021. It is incredibly ******* annoying but at least I know know my CVC codes by heart.

Same here, started around the same date. Have to unlock the account very often. No Password or Email compromised. Apple being Apple again. Wanted to buy a new Ipad, but will probably switch to another platform. Not mentioning that my IPad 4 is perfectly fine for the purpose, if it wasn't stuck with an old not upgradable IOS. What a waste of ressources.

Same thing happening to me. Started November (or earlier?) , affecting all my iOS devices. I have not had any notifications about attempted hacks and the pattern does not suggest anything to do with illegal logins.

Even when I enter my correct password I will get locked out on occasion. I don’t (and will not) do 2FA.

Sort it out Apple

Same is happening to me.

No 2FA, started late November / early December 2020.

This happens on my Macbook Pro (Mojave 10.14.6) when I need to do any Appstore update "it will ALWAYS lock my account, even when I 100% enter the correct password".

I don't have an iPhone.

I have now logged into iTunes to see if that helps as per the thread 'ShabazzaA' mentioned, not holding my breath though.

Has anyone looked into a possible Keychain link?