I updated my daughter's iPhone 7 to 15.7.1 and now every few minutes I get a password prompt that says "enter passcode to start a backup." iCloud backup is disabled! I don't want to back up to the cloud...my internet is too slow. How can I get rid of this? It is super annoying. It keeps the screen lit until I "cancel" it and I am afraid it will just drain the battery unless someone is nearby to cancel it every 5-10 minutes.
Hello Wetsignal,
Thank you for reaching out to Apple Support Communities.
Let's attempt to sign out of iCloud and sign back in. These steps should help:
Sign out on your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch
More details can be found here: Sign out of iCloud on your iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, Apple TV, or Mac
One you sign back in, test to see if the issue persists. Let us know the results.
Cheers!
Wetsignal, Since you're still experiencing the same issue, we recommend that you contact Apple Support directly so that they can work with you to find a solution. Contact - Official Apple Support
Thank you for participating in the Apple Support Communities. Cheers!
Wetsignal wrote:
Updated daughter's iPhone 7 to latest iOS version (15.7.2) and it still happens, so they did NOT fix whatever is causing this. Our iPad Pro (M1), iPhone 12 mini and iPhone 12 were updated to latest version (16.2) still don't and have never nagged us with this issue, so it is definitely only affecting the iPhone 7 in our house.
Whatever is causing it is a security fix put in place so a hacker can’t force your phone to back up without your knowledge and steal your backup so they can steal your identity. The fact that it requires the passcode for each backup IS THE FIX for the vulnerability.
We're going to have to switch her to Android because it is so disruptive and we don't want to spend $$$ on a new iPhone for a 12 year old (especially with no guarantee that it won't happen with the new phone). We thought of replacing the battery through Apple and seeing what a different device would do but it's a $50 gamble. I just hope it doesn't spread to our other devices because that would be terrible...so much money invested in iOS devices, apps and services.
By all means switch to a less secure platform that will not stop hackers from stealing your data. But you should always get the best product that fits your needs.
Here are details:
Apple changed the way that worked because of a recently discovered vulnerability that would allow a hacker to create an unprotected backup of an iOS device without the knowledge of the owner, so Apple add a requirement to always require a passcode to be entered on the phone before backing up to a computer. This to assure that the backup was intentional.
If you want details you can find them in these two links:
Does not fix the issue. This issue persists after following these instructions. I have been using iPhones for years and have not seen this before. Seems like an Apple bug. I hope They fix it soon. Is it present in iOS 16.1?
It would be even more annoying if your iPhone was hacked and your data stolen.
If you understand the reason for it you will understand that there is no way to stop it.
I am not wrong. It affects all devices that have updated to iOS 16.2
Agree this doesn't fix the issue (masterchase's screenshot is exactly what we are seeing). It started happening after upgrading from iOS 15.7 to 15.7.1. Looks like apple has disabled downgrade to 15.7 as well so we are stuck with this and it is very annoying...it pops up every five minutes. Again, iCloud backup is disabled but we get this prompt and when we type the passcode the little backup "wheel" at the top spins as if it is backing up "something," though we have no idea what it is actually doing. Hope to god they fix it with a future update or it may force us to switch to Android.
My iPhone 12 mini does not do it (16.1.1) and we didn't encounter it on my daughter's iPhone 7 until the upgrade to 15.7.1.
Update: here's a link to a thread about the problem. I guess it's a new security "feature" for backups over wifi (even if the phone is unlocked!?). Why it's nagging my daughter's phone and not mine or my wife's is a mystery.
I will try but I don't think I will find an answer as this seems like a bug. Why else would it do this? What could be the purpose? I hope there will be a 15.7.2 fix for this fairly soon.
I will try a few more things and update this thread if anything works for me. Thanks to all for the help.
This "trick", by signing out and signing in again, does not solve this most annoying SOFTWARE BUG that came up with 15.7.1. on my iPhone 7.
Hopefully, Santa Claus will release a 15.7.2 UPGRADE VERY SOON.
Luc93 wrote:
This "trick", by signing out and signing in again, does not solve this most annoying SOFTWARE BUG that came up with 15.7.1. on my iPhone 7.
Hopefully, Santa Claus will release a 15.7.2 UPGRADE VERY SOON.
As you haven’t bothered to read the thread you posted to, I will summarize it. This is not a bug, it is a deliberate change made by Apple because security researchers outside of Apple found a vulnerability that would allow anyone who hacked your computer to also be able to hack your iPhone through its backup feature if they could force a backup without requiring the phone to confirm that you intended to do the backup.
Bug or not bug, it's intrusive, annoying and immensely affects the enjoyment and even basic usage of the phone. My 12 Mini is running the most updated version and suffers NONE of this! How can it not be a bug if my daughter's phone behaves this way and mine doesn't and we are both updated to the newest version? Seriously, something needs to be fixed here no matter what we call it.
It is difficult to believe this is a feature. A feature works consistently over devices. This appears inconsistently on some devices and not others.
My understanding is that iCloud backups happen when the phone is connected to a power source and wifi. This prompt happens when the phone is not connected to a power source. Why did the phone become so stupid as to ask for a backup when it is not connected to a power source. Not being connected to a power source doesn’t meet the requirements for a backup to take place. So this feature/bug is trying to do something it shouldn’t.
I believe it is a bug. If I do type in my passcode at the prompt, there is a small 2 arrow icon that spins for 1 second and stops. It can't do a backup in 1 second. When I check my iCloud most recent backup, it was hours ago, not just finished.
When I do ask my phone to do an iCloud backup, it does not ask for a passcode. So where is this "feature" when it should be most present?
If you understand the reason for it you will understand that there is no way to stop it. But I will repeat the reason again, which you must have missed in your reading:
This is not a bug, it is a deliberate change made by Apple because security researchers outside of Apple found a vulnerability that would allow anyone who hacked your computer to also be able to hack your iPhone through its backup feature if they could force a backup without requiring the phone to confirm that you intended to do the backup.
The thing that needs to be made clear is that my 12 Mini and my wife's iPhone 12 are NOT experiencing this issue in any way, shape or form...nothing. Can anyone explain that? If what is happening to my iPhone 7 was happening to everyone all the time with all versions of iPhone all over the world, people would be freaking out because it is very annoying and disruptive. It would be enough to move me to Android which I really would not otherwise want to do.
If one believes this is a legitimate feature of iOS then they have either not truly experienced it or they will accept any level of annoyance and disruption to the everyday usage of their phone.
I'm finished discussing this for now but if I discover a solution I will post it here.
I do appreciate all the comments in this discussion, thank you.
Disable "enter passcode to start a backup" iPhone Nag 15.7.1
