Notes Password

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Level 1

5 points

Notes Password

I’ve only ever used my Touch ID to lock my notes and have never set an actual password. Today I tried to unlock one of my notes, just like any other day, but it’s now asking me for a password I never set and no matter what I’ve tried it won’t bring up Touch ID. Resetting the password for notes in settings is useless since it only applies to new notes, and changing the password is impossible because it requests your old password, of which there is none. If I make a new note and lock it using Touch ID, it works just fine and turning Touch ID on and off for notes doesn’t bring it back on the old notes. Worst off, I don’t even know what caused this since it’s been a while since the last iOS update and it was working fine immediately afterwards.

iPhone SE, iOS 13

Posted on Nov 24, 2021 10:20 PM

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Answer 1

Top-ranking reply

Axel Foley

Level 10

149,478 points

Nov 24, 2021 10:50 PM in response to Vialvile

A Touch ID is never the sole password/passcode. Touch ID is a method that uses the established password/passcode and inputs it in the password space. If you were unlocking protected Notes with Touch ID, then there was/is a password established which applied to all locked Notes. Touch ID simply fetched that password and unlocked the locked Notes.

You are right that the new password only applies to New Notes. At this point, you have unlimited guesses at the old password for old locked notes.

Axel F.

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Answer 2

Vialvile Author

Level 1

5 points

Nov 24, 2021 10:58 PM in response to Axel Foley

I was never asked to create a password for notes; I never went into settings to create a password either. When I lock a new note, it gives the option of making a password or of using your Touch ID. I used Touch ID, but never input a password anywhere. It would appear that others have had this issue prior.

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Answer 3

Chris0107

Level 9

51,929 points

Nov 24, 2021 11:13 PM in response to Vialvile

What Axel is telling you is true.

The only way that you can begin locking Notes in the first place is to set a password.

Only then you can enable Touch ID to unlock your Notes.

After that, you can lock new Notes over and over again.. dozens of them if you like.. and it will not prompt you to set a password for each Note that you lock. It is a common password.

But in the beginning, before you ever locked your first Note, could have been years ago.. possibly even on your previous iPhone.. you must have set a password..

Touch ID cannot be enabled to unlock your Notes without the existence of a password.

Just like Touch ID cannot be enabled to unlock your iPhone without the existence of a passcode.

There are some things that can cause the password to be required, I don't know what all of those conditions are, but I am pretty sure that resetting Touch ID or possibly adding a fingerprint may trigger the requirement of the Notes password to enable Touch ID again.

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Answer 4

Vialvile Author

Level 1

5 points

Nov 24, 2021 11:24 PM in response to Chris0107

This is the first phone (iPhone SE 2020) that I have locked notes on. Not once was I aware until today, that I could

go into settings to set a password for notes there. I recall being prompted to set a password or use Touch ID when I first locked the note, but I figured if I could just use my thumb, I wouldn’t bother setting a passcode. I do not recall it telling me I had to set a password; only that it has since been locked and until today I was able to use my Touch ID to unlock it just fine. I have never changed my Touch ID.

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Notes Password

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