Why is my recovery key 48 characters?
do I just use the first 28?
iPad (5th generation)
Question marked as
Apple Recovery Keys are 28 characters long: Set up a recovery key for your Apple Account - Apple Support
Microsoft BitLocker uses 48 characters, and Yubikey can also use 48 character management keys.
But not Apple Account recovery using a Recovery Key. That’s 28 characters.
You can certainly try the first 28, but I would not be hopeful that key is an Apple Account Recovery Key.
If you have a trusted device and the Apple Account password, you can re-generate a new Recovery Key.