In the past few months, I keep getting popups such as: "CallHistorySyncHelper wants to use the "login" keychain. Please enter keychain password". No matter what I enter, the popups don't stop. This frequently freezes everything. Help please
iMac 27″, macOS 11.6
curious88 wrote:
I never consciously access Keychain and don't actively use it to store passwords. I just checked and my Keychain is unlocked.
I asked because a typical result of having changed your account password with a locked Keychain is consistently getting a request to reenter your Keychain password. Just wanted to be sure that this wasn't the issue here.
And yes, I use iCloud to backup my iPhone.
This is potentially where "CallHistorySyncHelper" comes into play. Apple stores your phone's call history so that it can be retrieved and/or synced with your other Apple devices. It is encrypted so it shouldn't pose a security issue. In this case, in order for the device to be able to access it, it would need to use the password stored in Keychain ... and why you are seeing this request. Typically, you should allow it. However, something is amiss with the stored password. It may be missing or corrupted. The "simple" solution is to create a new Keychain where the password matches your user account password.
Ref:
I don't know if this is relevant but I also get popups on my other Apple devices that say "Your Apple ID and phone number are now being used for iMessage (or something else) on a new Mac" - but my Mac is not new - could this be related?
Not directly. This relates to your Apple ID that is being used on multiple Apple devices. You typically will see this message after updating the operating system or logging into a "new" device with your Apple ID. This too, shouldn't be an issue.
curious88 wrote:
I never consciously access Keychain and don't actively use it to store passwords. I just checked and my Keychain is unlocked.
I asked because a typical result of having changed your account password with a locked Keychain is consistently getting a request to reenter your Keychain password. Just wanted to be sure that this wasn't the issue here.
And yes, I use iCloud to backup my iPhone.
This is potentially where "CallHistorySyncHelper" comes into play. Apple stores your phone's call history so that it can be retrieved and/or synced with your other Apple devices. It is encrypted so it shouldn't pose a security issue. In this case, in order for the device to be able to access it, it would need to use the password stored in Keychain ... and why you are seeing this request. Typically, you should allow it. However, something is amiss with the stored password. It may be missing or corrupted. The "simple" solution is to create a new Keychain where the password matches your user account password.
Ref:
I don't know if this is relevant but I also get popups on my other Apple devices that say "Your Apple ID and phone number are now being used for iMessage (or something else) on a new Mac" - but my Mac is not new - could this be related?
Not directly. This relates to your Apple ID that is being used on multiple Apple devices. You typically will see this message after updating the operating system or logging into a "new" device with your Apple ID. This too, shouldn't be an issue.
I never consciously access Keychain and don't actively use it to store passwords. I just checked and my Keychain is unlocked. And yes, I use iCloud to backup my iPhone.
I don't know if this is relevant but I also get popups on my other Apple devices that say "Your Apple ID and phone number are now being used for iMessage (or something else) on a new Mac" - but my Mac is not new - could this be related?
Tesserax, please clarify what you mean by "user account password" when you say ""simple" solution is to create a new Keychain where the password matches your user account password"
(1) do you mean the password I use to log onto my computer OR my Apple password?
(2) Also, when you say "something is amiss with the stored password" do you mean the stored password on my iMac, on my other device (e.g., iPhone, iPad, etc), on iCloud?
(3) Where should I create a new Keychain? (on my iMac, iPhone, iCloud?)
(4) To log onto my iMac, I'd REALLY, REALLY like to use the same password I've been using for years - is this doable?
I so appreciate your input - thanks
curious88 wrote:
Tesserax, please clarify what you mean by "user account password" when you say ""simple" solution is to create a new Keychain where the password matches your user account password"
(1) do you mean the password I use to log onto my computer OR my Apple password?
The password you use to log onto your computer. This is the same as your "user account" password.
(2) Also, when you say "something is amiss with the stored password" do you mean the stored password on my iMac, on my other device (e.g., iPhone, iPad, etc), on iCloud?
This would be the password stored in the Keychain on your iMac.
(3) Where should I create a new Keychain? (on my iMac, iPhone, iCloud?)
On your iMac.
(4) To log onto my iMac, I'd REALLY, REALLY like to use the same password I've been using for years - is this doable?
It should be possible ... but using the same password for "years" could potentially pose a security risk. However, that is your call to make. The key here is when you create a new Keychain, it will "inherit" the same password as your user account password.
Per chance, do you keep the Keychain locked and recently changed your user account password? Do you use iCloud to backup an iPhone?
Keychain password popups
