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

UPDATE: This Apple iCloud "security" bug continues for me.

I didn't get locked out for about a month or so and today my iCloud account was locked again. The issue hasn't been fixed.

What is startling is how most people contributing to this thread only started experiencing this issue from November 2020 when iOS 14 and macOS Big Sur were released.

Apple broke something then and doesn't care about fixing it now.

I’m sorry you’re going through this. I’ve definitely had my issues with Apple but if this is a bug it honestly hasn’t been that long. I realize it seems so to you and all the others with the issue. I can’t imagine Apple is pleased with so many users having this issue. Imagine how many calls Apple Support also receives. Even though there has been updates, if there’s a bug it’s going to be an update that addresses it. This is just a guess based on previous experience . It very well could be wrong. I’ve been following the thread and realize that that they’re are other very strong opinions and assessments. Continuing to report your feedback will help.

https://www.apple.com/feedback/

The problem seems to be back for me. After a few months of first ignoring password login requests (by not logging in to the device because that led to being locked out, but instead logging into the website and ensuring everything is ok), followed by the whole issue going away completely for a while, it came back a couple of weeks ago (4/5) and now this morning - and with a vengeance.

Two weeks ago, I was just locked out, and had to unlock the account and then re-enter the password on my 5 devices in order to forward imessages everywhere again. But just now, even after logging in on all of the devices, my phone would still not forward messages because it couldn't even send or receive them as the phone number, itself, wasn't listed to send/receive messages. I had to do a quick hard reset in order to get the phone number to show up under imessages again. Then everything was back to normal. Ridiculous.

This was how it started for me last year - problem was every couple of weeks until it became every couple of days. I hope it doesn't get to that again, but it seems weird that this incident was around the same time on the same day of the week as two weeks ago. I thought Apple had fixed this, but clearly not.

vccowan wrote:

Spoke to telephone support to try to find out if my account was compromised, they were unaware of this problem.

Absolute Horseradish! I spent well over 5 hours spread over several calls trying to sort this issue out due to the lockouts affecting iMessage; something I rely on to keep in touch with family abroad. Apple are FULLY aware the problem exists. So much so the last two advisors hinted that I ignore all the hoo haa on here as it's blowing the problem out of proportion. To be fair to technical support, they have worked with me systematically trying to find what is causing the lockouts before escalating it to engineering. However, my last hour and half long call, where I was told my equipment may be too old and was then serenaded to sleep with how Apple works, culminated in opening a new apple ID on a new macbook to see if the problem persists, whilst enabling 2FA on my old account/equipment and reporting back to them if the problem carries on. I'm now at the point I don't want to sit on the phone for hours again only to end back at square one. I don't want to use 2fa ( maybe I should) and it seems that it doesn't solve the problem anyway, according to other users experience. So I've just been putting up with the lockouts as the frequency has dropped form a couple times a day to a coupe times a week. What I don't understand is I've had no problems with my account since opening it in 2008, then in November it all went south. Yet they are adamant it's not a brute force attack, but can't tell me the reason it's happening.

I have this. I suspect Apple are trying to force me to use two-step authenticity by rendering the standard password inoperable. It is very annoying. Is it getting sorted?

I am sorry to hear that. I still haven't been logged out since I started doing that. I just continue to cancel the login prompt on the device.

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

I think its an Apple glitch as well. Read where issues with many signing into new devices from Christmas presents. No idea if their fix for that is messing up those like us, being locked out repeatably for security reasons. Just know I had no issue before. Even stranger was my card on file had to be verified but it had been verified eons ago as valid. So glad to finally read where others are having the same issue and suspect its on Apple’s end.

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.

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 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.