Keep getting "Recovery Contact Needed" message on iPhone post iOS update

Hi! I continually get the "Review Your Recovery Contact" notification on my Mac in the upper right of my screen. I've tried resetting my computer, I have dismissed it multiple times. I have ensured that my recovery contacts are up to date. None of this works and it keeps appearing. Any hints on how to resolve?

I am having the same issue and one of my contacts indicates "Not Available". When I try to remove the contact, I get the error message "Unable to remove recovery contact. Couldn't communicate with Helper application". See attached screenshot.

I have a similar issue after every update. Started this year. iOS devices always fine, Mac OS persistently telling me I need to added an EC. I add the same EC again, and it goes away - until the next update. Very buggy process. Leaves me wondering if it would actually work in the event I needed it.

While I don't appreciate this bug, I appreciate all of those who chimed in. It's nice to know I'm not alone on this issue.

Signing out and back into my iCloud account on my MacBook fixed this issue for me.

I may have found a way to get it to disappear.

I added the same contact I already had with a different contact method, previous was by email, second was by phone/text. While the second one was still pending I removed it, just leaving the first contact in place. The reminder went away and hasn't popped up again for the entire day. Even did a reboot just to make sure, but looks good so far.

Same exact thing just started for me two days later than you and I also cannot fix. VERY annoying!

This bug still appears to be present in macOS 14.2 RC2. I have a 2 recovery contacts and a recovery key set and still getting prompted that I need to add a recovery contact. Nothing seems to be able to dismiss it.

This issue started happening today after a reboot on macOS 14.1.1.

There is no way for users to disable this and Apple needs to give those who do not want to use iCloud for device recovery purposes when a recovery key has been set — a way to opt-out of this message. Super annoying that this is happening now. Never had this issue all these years until now.

A change must have happened on the backend on the Apple servers for this message to keep being served to its user base. 😑

Additionally, when users do have a recovery contact set for their iPhones and/or iPads, this message should not be appearing on macOS — when a recovery key has been set.

Same problem here, on 14.1.1, I was getting this on my work MacBook and now it has progressed to my home Mac Studio. When I try to add my spouse as a recovery contact, it says

So, despite iCloud clearly understanding I have a recovery contact, I still get the red Bozo nose on my System Settings demanding I add a recovery contact. I actually have 3 recovery contacts. I think for sure an issue on the Apple server side.

Hello Robert Cates,

To help us get a better understanding of the issue, we’d like to ask a few questions.

1. Does that message appear randomly, or when trying to do something specific on your devices?

2. When you added recovery contacts previously, did you receive any error messages? If so, what did the error say?

The above details will help us plan how to proceed.

Please also check out this link to ensure the correct process was used to set up account recovery contacts, so we can make sure there aren't any issues there: Set up an account recovery contact

Requirements for setting up a recovery contact

* All of your devices must be running iOS 15, iPadOS 15, watchOS 8, or macOS Monterey or later. You might be prompted to update any devices not running the latest OS, or remove any devices that you aren't using.

* You must be over the age of 13.

* You need two-factor authentication turned on for your Apple ID.

How to set up an account recovery contact

Learn how to set up an account recovery contact on your iPhone or iPad with iOS 15 or iPadOS 15 or later, or on your Mac with macOS Monterey or later.

On your iPhone or iPad with iOS 15 or iPadOS 15 or later

1. Go to Settings, then tap your name.

2. Tap Sign-In & Security, then tap Account Recovery.

3. Tap Add Recovery Contact, then tap again and authenticate with Face ID or Touch ID. 

4. If you're in a Family Sharing group, the members of the group are recommended. Or you can click Choose Someone Else to choose one of your contacts.

5. If you select a family member, they're added automatically. If you select a contact, they need to accept the request. You also send them a message to let them know that you'd like to add them as your recovery contact.

6. After they accept your request, you see a message that they have been added as your account recovery contact. 

If your friend or family member declines or removes themself as your recovery contact, you see a notification and need to select a new account recovery contact. 

Thanks!

Does anyone have next to their recovery contact(s) the following message, "Not Available" underneath the recovery contact's name? I know I see it for mine. If so, this might explain why we are now seeing these random pop-ups in macOS. Adding a new/different contact as a recovery contact does resolve the notification nag on macOS. Still though, we the enduser should be able to disable the notification nag if a recovery key has been set — just saying.

How does a recovery contact become "Not Available" is unknown to me at this time. I share this insight as I came across this thread: Account recovery contact showing as “not … - Apple Community

Thank you for the workaround. I still wish that Apple would simply fix this bug.

The same thing happened on my MacBook Air last week. I logged out of my Apple ID and when I signed in again, it resolved the issue. However, it is not happening on my iPad Mini. I am not use if the issue is related to the OS or is something on the server-side. It is not a big problem on my iPad but I might try the same action that I did with the MacBook to see if it works.