Can’t get into some iCloud settings, errors occurring

Hey Demo,

Welcome to Apple Support Communities. It sounds like you've tried some great troubleshooting so far. We'd recommend looking over If you can't connect or sign in to iCloud - Apple Support which may help further. For instance, if this happens on cellular data, the following section may be particularly helpful.

"If you're not able to sign in using cellular data only

Make sure that your iPhone, iPad, or PC has a strong Internet connection and that you've turned on cellular data on your iPhone or iPad by going to Settings > Cellular or Mobile Data. If this setting is off, you might not be able to access your Apple ID and iCloud when not connected to a Wi-Fi network."

All the best.

Were you able to resolve this, Demo? [I'll be around if you want to ask any questions.]

I'm getting the same thing after updating to 16.3 from 15.7... on an iPad 9 (WiFi only). I can't enable iCloud Drive, Back Up, Notes etc....Another data point, don't know that it's relevant––I don't have 2 factor turned on.

I'm signed in to my iCloud ID and have the 50 GB plan. I've restarted and have done a soft reset (if that's what it's being called today); no joy.

Were you able to resolve this, Demo? [I'll be around if you want to ask any questions.]

I'm getting the same thing after updating to 16.3 from 15.7... on an iPad 9 (WiFi only). I can't enable iCloud Drive, Back Up, Notes etc....Another data point, don't know that it's relevant––I don't have 2 factor turned on.

I'm signed in to my iCloud ID and have the 50 GB plan. I've restarted and have done a soft reset (if that's what it's being called today); no joy.

[[[Edit to add: I can access/download files in Files app which are stored on iCloud Drive. At the Files app home screen footer for iCloud Drive, it's written "Synced with iCloud"]]]

Thank you for the feedback. I had already discovered the alternate backup location and it works for me (at least manually, haven't tried automatic). As you said, maybe that will give peace of mind. MisterMisterMister in the next post reports that he has 2FA on so 2FA might not have a part in this.

A couple things to report:

I gather from your OP that you updated OTA; I updated through a Mac by wire.

Since then, I tried updating using recovery mode, again through the Mac by wire––no joy.

Despite not being able to enable Notes (again, unknown error) in Settings app > iCloud > Apps using iCloud, I was able to both send and receive notes via iCloud using the iPad. iCloud Notes had been enabled and successfully used in the previous OS.

So, iCloud is working. Sounds like a bug.

I sent both iPad and iCloud feedback. I referenced this thread. We shall see. Thanks for the tips on the missing choices; I used comments as you suggested. (Best to you and family.)

MisterMisterMister––I use a passcode.

Indeed what Demo explains is the case. I find it disturbing that one has to go the convoluted way to see whether the iCloud back up is on. However, when I go through the list of my devices on my iPhone 14, the phone shows "icloud back up on" but for my iPad it shows " - " which I am assuming it is not on.....

HG

Apple bugged me relentlessly to upgrade iCloud and upgrade "security" to 2-factor. 2-factor is a waste of time for many of us and dangerous for anyone who gets their other device lost, stolen, or broken. I upgraded iCloud only to find out now that I can't backup now because of this 16.3 update. Seems more like blackmail to go to 2-factor. If not fixed in the extremely near future, I'm downgrading to iOS 15.

Upgrading my iPad to 16.3 was a NIGHTMARE! I started my iPhone and iPad at the same time, almost an hour later the iPad still had not finished updating. After a bit over an hour, *CRASH!* I get a graphic of a computer and a cord and an error message that tells me to connect the iPad to my "Mac" because there was an error. I don't have a Mac, I have a PC, so I navigate to the indicated website which proceeds to tell me that I need to download the most recent iTunes and connect my iPad to the computer. Then it tells me it will download the update and attempt to install it on the iPad... "attempt" pretty much terrifies me. It took almost 40 minutes to download the update, during which time I kept getting pop-ups asking if I wanted to reset my iPad to factory settings (and lose EVERYTHING that is on it). When I'd press "Update" instead of "Reset" it would start downloading the update AGAIN, even though it was already downloading. I finally figured out how to turn off the multiple downloads, and once the download was done it updated the iPad just fine... Except that as soon as it finished, and the iPad came back on I got a pop-up on the computer telling me the update failed and my iPad would require a factory reset. As the iPad was actually already up and running, I ignored the popup and disconnected. My iPad is updated and running just fine, but getting there was a headache and a half!

I had the exact same problem after updating my iPad mini five and my iPhone 12 and my husbands iPhone 12. After spending four hours on the phone with Apple Support, and three hours in the store with a genius technician who had me wipe iPad clean and he reinstalled IOS16.3, same problem occurred.

he set up a phone consult for the next morning with Apple Support again. This time I really did get a genius. The technician figured out that I had never set up a pass code. She had me set up a pass code on each device and lo and behold, iCloud came back on. I then went back and removed using the pass code and iCloud was still there. So if you have no pass code, try this workaround, you don’t have to keep the pass code unless you want to. But I am thrilled everything in iCloud is working now on all three devices. I hope this input helps someone else out there. She said she was going to inform Apple of her solution. Good luck to all out there with this problem. FYI I already had two factor authentication turned on before the update but never used a passcode.

Apple is still denying that this is a real and very serious problem happening to many of us. I talked to Apple today for the third time

since I updated my iPhone XR, on the first day iOS 16.3 was offered,about being locked out of iCloud back up.

Today I was not rude, I did not raise my voice, etc. there was just dead silence, and I got disconnected. The tech did manage to tell me before I was disconnected that Apple may be doing this deliberately to those of us who have refused two factor authentication. That makes me quite angry. However, I see in this thread that this is happening to some who already have two factor authentication enabled.

This is a very frustrating problem. I have a back up from over three weeks ago that is getting old and I want to be able to do another back up but Apple has not been the least bit helpful about this. My iPhone drives me crazy continuously telling me that I need to make a new back up but I can’t turn cloud back up on since I got the latest iOS update.

Aliza2023 - We had the same foundation to this problem - 2factor enabled but no passcode was ever set. I'm tempted by the passcode solution, but did this fix it permanently for you or was it just a temporary workaround? i.e. was iCloud still enabled after a device restart?

Also not sure if I should just wait for iOS 16.3.1 and see what happens