Family Sharing Verification Code

I believe I’ve solved the issue of iTunes purchases requiring a verification code on Family Sharing accounts. I discovered the solution while sitting on hold for Apple Care support, between the Level 1 support, and the Media Services specialist. In sum, I am the Family Organizer, and my wife shares from my account. She was attempting to purchase an album from iTunes. It told her verification is required, and I got a popup on my iPhone and Apple Watch telling me that verification was required, and providing a 6 digit code, which I gave to my wife, but there was no prompt on her phone to enter the code. We repeated this death loop about 20 times, to no avail. Ultimately, it has nothing to do with Apple Pay, or what card is set up on the Organizer’s iTunes account. The solution is to go into the person who is trying to make the purchase’s Apple ID, under Payment & Shipping, and verify the Organizer’s card information there. That sends the verification prompt and code to the Organizer, and once verified, the purchase goes through. My wife got her album. Happy Christmas!

I haven’t pursued it further, our problem is solved, but it may be that my wife had not entered any payment method (her own card, or a gift card) of her own, and/or that my card was the “first (and only)” payment method. I suspect that if she had entered her own card, and/or made her card first, we might have avoided the death loop.

I suggested that Apple post the solution. Hopefully they will.