Why does my account keep getting locked? I’ve looked through everything and there have been no new downloads or purchases made. Only my device is set to my Apple ID account. I’ve had to change my password multiple times already.
What’s going on?
I have had this problem too, getting locked out at least once a day, but some times up to 3 times in the same day. I had an online chat with Apple support about it, and I learned a few things during that chat and after trying some things:
So I tried putting my iPhone (X) in airplane mode. I then logged out of iCloud/Apple on my MacBook Pro (2012) and closed the lid to sleep the machine. Finally, I logged out of iCloud/Apple on my iMac (2019) and my Mac Pro (5,1). This left my iPad (4) as the only device logged in. And STILL the problem happened. As an example, the moment I took my phone out of airplane mode, the "account locked" message came up.
Although I acknowledge the nuisance that 2FA was in the early days, during my 13 days with 2FA enabled (1 day short of the 2-week point-of-no-return) I did not encounter -any- nuisance authentication requests. In other words, I was never once challenged to have to enter an authorization code sent to my iPhone in order to "do" anything on any other device. When you enable 2FA, you do have to log into each device now that 2FA is enabled, and when doing so you get some type of notification that the device you're logging into is now a known trusted device. Now that it's a trusted device, you won't get challenged by 2FA for any authorization code for anything you do on THAT device. And so, since all of my devices were trusted, I never once saw a 2FA challenge during the 13-day period. I'm pretty sure that if I got some new device during that time and tried to set up iCloud on it, I'd be challenged by 2FA one time for that new device, but then it would be trusted.
My point is: like many of you here, I've resisted 2FA for a very long time, and even disabled it 13 days after enabling it. But, I have to say that life with 2FA didn't actually have any of the nuisances that were reported by people in the long ago past, and if I cannot get to the bottom of this with 2FA disabled, I will probably end up re-enabling 2FA and letting that become permanent by allowing it to stay enabled past the 14 days. Because it DID solve the "account locked" problem for me.
I've had this same issue for a few months now, and I am tired of it
I've tried changing my email address from @googlemail to @gmail, nope, got locked again
Then i changed the address to a completely new email address, and then just over a week later, that just got locked too!
I've read on previous posts about this topic, that enabling 2FA doesnt fix this issue at all. I could understand if its an issue with bots trying to break into accounts, but somthing is really strange if a new email address which nobody knows has been hacked into, i have no idea!
I thought the same, as my card on the account had expired, so other places online also suggested this, so I updated my card with the new details and the problem still persisted, I also tried removing the card and start again, this also did not solve the issue.
I have literally tried everything everyone has suggested, the problem still exists, I have since removed my Apple account from my mac and iPad which is ridiculous.
The bank card isn't the issue here. My card on file expires in several years from now, and I still keep getting locked out over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over... and over again. 😒 Thank you Apple for ruining people's lives.
I am betting its on their end. Do know at Christmas they couldn’t authenticate all the new devices and were wanting others to wait days to try and sign into Apple. My problem started after I knew of that. I think one of my Apps was messed up with looping back to point A every time I closed app and opened later rendering the game useless. But the mid Dec update prob fixed the app issue bc towards the end of the month i uninstalled the app and reinstalled it after a hard reboot and it was fine. But the logged out of Apple ID remained. Later it seems to have stopped. But pretty sure the keychain stops me from using the keyboard to type in a password for creating an acct any website on Safari. Freezes up at password entry box. Or acts like it wants to show me keychain to use or keyboard. Going into Settings the Toggle to turn on and off auto password lets just say Auto Password in Settings acts too slow and annoying. I have to toggle off auto password in able to create an acct on a website bc if not once i get to the password box it will freeze up or eventually I get lucky briefly bfr no keyboard. No third party app. Think Apple might have messed up in others areas we just have not encountered. They need to not insist on 2 factor to use anything in settings in order to turn on. I turned off something in settings and to turn it back on was blocked bc I wasn’t turning on 2 factor.
Infuriating!
Yesterday I had to login about 15 times and had to go through the unlocking process 5 times...once on the same machine within 15 minutes.
It is enough to make a person look for alternatives....and I hate to do that as everything works quite well except for this incessant harassment.
Well, I am pretty sure it has nothing to do with two-factor authentication, as I haven't activated it. A few weeks ago, instead of unlocking my ID, I just left it alone. I eventually had to enter my password to purchase an app, but that's about it. Even the 1 badge on settings has disappeared.
I think it has got to do with the number of devices you have, some bug that one of them has. As soon as I stopped unlocking my account, it was no longer locked, which leads me to believe that it never really was "locked".
So don't be rushing to activate two-factor authentication!
This issue has existed for a long time. When it first happened to me in late 2020, the earliest post about the problem that I found through a google search was from 2016. I posted in this thread because it was the newest thread I found.
Sounds like it may be a bear of an issue for Engineering or some of the other theories are more accurate. It definitely doesn’t sound related to more current updates. Are there much earlier threads related to it also? I’ve had an issue waiting for an update through several updates but it definitely wasn’t 2016.
Good Luck
I have thought the same thing that on their end they were failing to somehow on their end. As far as I know on my end things have settled but another issue came to my notice dealing with keychain in settings it toggle switch not able to easily turn off and on. But have to turn it off if I need to create an account and go to punch in a password it will not let me. Buggy. Registering a gift card was how I found out. Only one device after a reset corrected itself. Waiting for it to correct itself.
UPDATE: Once again, this Apple iCloud "security" bug continues for me.
All my devices locked out again overnight, with the unpleasant surprise this morning 17 March 2021. This has been an ongoing issue since November 2020.
As for the suggestion to not enter the passwords, it would mean not being able to download apps on the App Store, and more importantly not being able to receive iMessage messages.
If I don't unlock the account and enter the password a dozen times on all devices, my phone number is not linked to iMessage or FaceTime anymore, on ALL devices. iPhone, iPad, Mac etc.
How is not entering the password and not unblocking my iCloud account a solution???
Once again, Apple broke something and doesn't care. This is a serious disruption of my enjoyment and use of several Apple devices I paid premium for, as well as iCloud service I pay a monthly fee for. And that's the level of service we get?? Being ignored for almost 6 months?
Update: My account has been fine for a few weeks, but after logging into itunes (PC, Windows store version) last night its locked me again as of today
Its definetly not my account being hacked into as i moved my appleid onto a new empty email account!
My account is locked several times a week since ios 14. I have four computers and several ipads a watch and apple TV. I unlock the account then must sign back into every device.
It is a huge hit to my productivity. I have come to despise Apple, since there is no opting out of this nightmare. I cannot install apps or properly sync without my apple ID.
Communism without the health care is what it feels like. I can't believe this abusive borg-like monopoly is allowed to rule their victims in this way. It's beyond belief.
In my consulting I have generated many thousands of dollars for Apple. It did cut down on virus removal and let my clients interact better than in the past. But I will no longer help this company. They interject themselves into daily lives in an appalling manner, even when their system is not broken. There is simply no excuse for the coercive demand we buy into AppleID with no ability to control its abusive effects.
I have just started getting the repeating locked out issue too! First one on 28/3; second on 31/3. I only have an iPad and have the latest iOS. (I am not upgrading to 2-factor as I do not have a mobile phone).
I think I had lockouts on those same dates of 28/3 and definitely 31/3. I didn't get any for quite some time, but recently they have started up again. I am getting close to giving up and activating two factor authentication.
Sure "possible reasons", it sounds like you're guessing because apple isn't providing the support they should be providing.
More importantly, if someone is regularly trying to hack my account - I WOULD LIKE TO KNOW ABOUT THAT!!
If I have an incorrect password configured somewhere, let me know - SO THAT I CAN FIX IT!!
Sorry if it seems like I'm having a go at you.
apple keeps dropping the ball and you're not really in a position to speak on their behalf.
Account keeps getting locked for security reasons and requires me to change my password constantly last couple weeks
