Account keeps getting locked for security reasons and requires me to change my password constantly last couple weeks

I have this too. At first I thought it was a real security issue but it has to be a bug. I'm also, at the same time, having a problem with Podcasts App. Keeps asking me to sign in then disappears. I've rebooted a number off times. Others have mentioned this too but it seems there is no solution. Being on latest software update has made no difference

Apple watch, ipad pro, ipad mini 4, iphone, apple tv app on rokus and roku tv. imessage and facetime. itunes and apple store. vast amount of being taunted to sign in and verify id way too many times. Annoying for one device once, pure harassment to have to do it over and over with all linked to your id being effected. Changed my password a few times. Hard resetting phone a few times as well as ipads. Assured a card on file though later found somehow I had to verify same card with same credentials over. To me, that hints at apple store/itunes lost the verification on their end as I never deleted the card and expiration date did not need updating. So more going on than just being forced to repeat its your apple id. As if my card needed to be verified twice chances are others may find they have to do so as well by checking their apple account.

I've been having the same annoying prob for several weeks now and have tried all the useless standard repairs that well-intentioned people keep suggesting over and over again on multiple forums. Maybe it's a coincidence, but one sleepy early morning after an iOS upgrade on my phone I accidentally got tricked into invoking two-factor authentication. I figured out how to override that within a day, but it was around that time that the security lock demon began torturing me. Maybe it's a coincidence, but I feel like it is somehow connected.

I have 2 Minis, 1 MacBookAir, 1 iPad, 1 iPhone, 1 Apple TV, and my PC at work mapped to that iCloud account. I have not yet tried logging all of them out at the same time. I think I'll try that next.

Add me to the list of people who have had this problem for over a month. Typically, every few months, a couple of the devices will ask me to log into iTunes/Facetime/Messages again. I do, and then that's it. That enough has been annoying. Starting a month-ish ago, about once a week, one (any one) of my several devices would ask for the login to several apps again, and after logging in, it would say my account is locked. Then I would have to log in on my main phone again, three laptops, and two ipads to set up the message forwarding again. MAJOR pain because if any message comes in when forwarding isn't set up again, that device will never get the message - this has been a HUGE problem on Apple's end that the iMessage cannot be re-synced.

About a week+ ago, it went from once a week to every other day that I would get locked out and have to go through this mess. A couple of days ago, I finally opened a ticket. I got bumped up to an advanced tech who had to escalate the ticket to the engineers. He did tell me they had found a an authentication bug they were working on that was a little different from this, but really, I think it has to all be related.

One work -around I may have just figured out. This time, one of the ipads said I needed to log into iTunes. I checked my phone, and iMessage was still forwarding correctly, so I wasn't locked out yet. I logged into my AppleID in the computer browser, and I got in normally (security questions) - no unlocking needed. Once I did that, it seems like everything was ok again. I will have to try this again next time I get a pop up to see if it is a real band-aid.

Devices logged in: 2 phones, 2 ipad minis, 3 laptops, 1-3 Apple TVs, 2 Rokus. Only five devices have iMessage linked to the main phone.

I forgot to add that changing my password made no difference, and I also do not have Two-Factor set up because it was a cluster f-ck when I tried to set it up several years ago - had to verify every time I wanted to send a text. I did read on some post that even people with 2FA are having this issue, but it looks like most people on this thread don't have 2FA.

I have this too, on 4 devices, it's driving me crazy. Resetting my password seemed to work for about 2 days, then it all started up again.

I also do not have have two-factor authentication enabled... and have wondered if this is more "encouragement" to force people to enable it. I'd be interested to see if anyone with 2FA enabled is having the same issue (and also if they then also have to input a text message code every time they re-enter their password!). I am tempted to enable 2FA for a few days to see if it helps the problem, then disable it again before the 2 week cut off is up.

I would like to know this too. Is the problem confined to people - such as myself - who resist 2FA (which might explain why Apple are doing nothing about it...) or common to people with 2FA as well? Thanks.

FYI - the advanced tech I spoke to confirmed that if you enable 2FA, you cannot turn it off like you could when they first rolled it out. I remember reading something about that a few years ago. So, that is why I have never tried it again. If 2FA is still is horrible, then I would be stuck with it. If you try it and then are able to turn it off, please share how you did it.

Oh forgot, an Imac too taunts me too. Still wonder how can a debit card already verified and no changes in the expiration date could suddenly show up as needing verification. To me, its because Apple is losing card verified already info and from this discussion as well keeps losing the info we have verified we are who we are to unlock our id.

Same here. It started for me a couple weeks ago. It's a rather large pain. I thought about adding 2FA, but it doesn't help this problem at all, really, from what I can tell. Just makes it harder to get back in every other day.

I'd change my username, but it's stupid that Apple makes your AppleID be an actual email address, probably the easiest thing a hacker can find and use to try to break in. If I could just make up a unique username for my Apple ID, it would be that much harder for someone to get in.

That said, in my at-home experiment, I can verify that my wife has had not one glitch with her AppleID. Go figure.

I'm going to try shutting down some devices, and signing out of iCloud altogether on others just to rule out an errant login somewhere (though all of them have updated login info).

I'm sure it will magically resolve itself at some point. And we'll still not know why it's happening.

I'm not on 2FA, nor is my wife. It's happening to me. It's not happening to her. But I had the same suspicious thoughts as you: that Apple is @#$%ing with people to nudge them into 2FA. The last thing I want is to have to dig out a recovery key every two or three days when the account locks itself again.

Ironically, to even get into this thread in the Apple Community, they try and bounce you into 2FA by making it a presumptive choice that you have to reject. Stop bullying as Apple! We pay your paycheque. But our goodwill is not to be squandered. Sort this problem over having to repeatedly login to Apple ID.

I do not have 2FA. In my iPhone when I attempt to turn on backing-up iMessage to iCloud - important to me because I want me messages on my Mac also - I am now prevented from doing so. I get a message instructing me to turn on 2FA which I cannot bypass. Grrr. So, it is clear that Apple are forcing us to use 2FA now and not giving us an option not to. Have others this problem?

This is happening to me too, and started a few weeks ago. At first I thought it was someone trying to get into my account, but it now seems, that is not the case. It is on my purchases ID, and yesterday, instead of unlocking it, I have just left it alone. App store updates work fine, so I just have to learn ignore the red badge on the settings app.

Apple is dropping the ball big time.

I'm dealing with the exact same issues myself. For the past 2 months my AppleID has been getting locked on the regular. Most recently it's happening everyday which is very frustrating. I have now spoken to five Apple service agents on calls as long as two hours, still none the wiser as to what is going on. I've jumped through all the testing hoops; re-set my password more times than I care to remember; reinstalled operating systems on all my hardware and signed everything out of iCloud and left it for a couple of days, only to find my AppleID has been locked upon resigning in. You name it, I've done it, yet the problem persists. I find it very odd that none of my hardware is being used (sleep) when the AppleID is locked, but the vibe I get from customer services is that it's all my end: My hardware is too old, you need 2FA yada yada. So, in order to put pay to the old hardware being the issue, I borrowed a MPB running Big Sur and made sure that was the only machine signed into my account. Yup, Apple ID still got locked. Now the service department wants me to set up 2 factor for my original account and open up another account to use/test in the meantime. The irony being that I have to wait two weeks to set up 2 factor on my original account because of a grace period Apple has implemented when you make major changes - like resetting your password every 24 to 48 hours! Somehow I have a hunch 2FA won't fix the issue and I'm hesitant to set it up. The frustrating point for me is that the only service I sign into is Messages - to keep in touch with elderly family members abroad - everything else remains logged out. I've asked customer services a dozen times can they check logs and see if my account is being locked as a result of failed attempt to access my ID? I've been told this is not the case, but they can't tell me why my account keeps getting locked. I don't understand how something that has been working rock solid for me, with not a single issue since 2008, has suddenly become so problematic. The great news is that I opened up the Big Sur MBP that I'm typing this on tonight and received a pop up box to enter a password to my original, problematic apple ID; an account it's not logged into....so it's getting weirder.

Also just noticed all the gibberish after my user name! What's with all the ampampamp rubbish? Something fishy is going on with Apple!