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

I searched for this problem and was surprised it hadn't been asked. Since I have updated to iOS 17 I keep getting the "Recovery Contact Needed" message even though I have had 2 for quite a while.

This happens on my Macs (Desktop and laptop) my iPads and my iPhone. While it doesn't affect anything performance wide it is extremely annoying. I've tried "Resetting All Settings", signing out of iCloud and signing back in. The signing out and in seems to work for about 24 hours and then it pops back.

I'm kind of tired of seeing that red 1 on my home screen "Settings" and when I open Settings. Any help would be much appreciated.

[Re-Titled By Moderator]

iPhone 13 Pro

Posted on Oct 14, 2023 6:51 AM

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24 replies

Robert Cates Author

Level 1

45 points

Oct 15, 2023 4:19 PM in response to ryane77

Thank you for your help.

Robert

BrianK90

Community Specialist

Oct 15, 2023 4:36 PM in response to Robert Cates

Hey Robert Cates,

Sure thing! Please let us know if you have any additional questions or concerns.

Best regards.

Dec 2, 2023 10:24 AM in response to farmsm7

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.

Dec 11, 2023 9:22 PM in response to M H A

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

sgmerley

Level 1

27 points

May 24, 2024 10:33 PM in response to tp0503

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

Jun 23, 2024 6:21 AM in response to PeanutButterWolf_ThreeOneOh

Okay, yes. This works! Thanks. Upvoted.

patsy207

Level 1

18 points

Jul 26, 2024 1:56 PM in response to tp0503

Having very same problem. It tells me it can't contact the Helper Assistant. Any thoughts on this?

Nov 24, 2023 1:34 PM in response to Robert Cates

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.

Dec 19, 2023 1:04 PM in response to PeanutButterWolf_ThreeOneOh

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

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