iCloud "Update" Daily Demands

I have found that I can use the settings to simply "log out" of Apple's increasingly heavy-handed "services." On iOS I can go to settings, where at the top it allows me to manage iCloud, etc. I can simply remove the device. In macOS I can similarly do this in Settings.

It never occurred to me that I could do this so simply, because Apple always forced me to sign into their universe when setting anything up. This works for me because I have never wanted their services forced upon me; I just want a device that works.

Important to note: opting out will cease all Apple "services," like iCloud. Or syncing, which has always been a pain for me since it double-created entries in Contacts anyway. It may disconnect the link where phone apps suddenly appear in the Dock on macOS — something which always spooked me anyway, because of privacy issues. What ELSE is Apple "helpfully connecting" me with?

Personally, I credit this all to the "Microsoft Approach": if a user makes a request, no matter how it affects anyone else, give it to them all regardless of unintended consequences. That way you look like you're responsive and always growing new features. Apple has increasingly become this way, no doubt driven by marketeers than real users.

Imagine designing automobile UIs that way!

Well, upon your message I installed Ventura 13.3 10 days ago, and by golly you're right: Apple has apparently fixed the problem. It appears also to have been fixed on iOS as well.

Thank you for the suggestion!

The problem isn't two-factor authentication; I've been successfully dodging that for years. HERE is the issue: all of the sudden I am getting regular (like every two days) notifications that I need to log into my Apple account. On Mac OS there's a flag on my System Settings: "1 Upgrade". When I open the settings, it wants me to "Update Apple ID Settings with the notation that "Some account services will not be available until you log in again." Red flags appear on both my Macs and my iPhone.

So I log in. Two days later, same **** thing. Why should Apple care if I'm logged in or not to "services" I'm not using?

THIS IS NEW BEHAVIOR, with update to Ventura 13.2.x

How do I make this madness stop?

I don't mind 2FA over trust issues; it's not untrustworthy and if that's your objection you may want to reconsider. It's not a security hole; in fact, it's trying to plug one.

My objection is two-fold: 1) Apple has been progressively and aggressively trying to force me into 2FA, for years now. and 2) it's just a royal pain for something I'm not using. Apple seems to think that their products need and deserve banking-level security — a common delusion when your product is the most important thing in YOUR life. My assessment doesn't count unless it matches theirs.

Kinda funny really, I've been voicing my preference for years on this, and instead of listening to the customer, Apple is losing a customer. Not that I used their "service" anyway.

Frankly, I wish the whole "Apple ID" thing would go away. I know it's convenient for many, but really it's a marketing tool for Apple. Remember going into a store to buy something with cash? Did they make you log into their one-and-only account? No, and if I want to walk into an Apple store and buy something, my credit card should be all they need to welcome my transaction.

But that's not how this world is working these days. Sad, really, how readily people give up their freedom.