Unable to log in to Apple Account with "Verification Failed" error on my iPad Air 2

Just to add to my previous post...

To get iTunes to factory reset my phone (this still wasn't enough... I had to then reset phone from device settings after that in order to finally sign back in to my Apple account) was a bit of a headache...

I kept being prompted by iTunes to turn off "Find My" which I could not do as this also required signing in to my Apple account on the device.

I then put my phone in recovery mode (as stated in Mythery's post) and attempted the restore and update options in iTunes. The iOS software began downloading but if it's not downloaded within 15 minutes (it didn't on my connection), the phone will automatically restart.

I found on Apple's site that "If the download takes more than 15 minutes and your device exits the Connect to computer screen, let the download finish" but the download then appeared to go way past it's file size. It kept downloading. I discovered someone else had raised this issue on reddit and it's possibly another bug.

I had to download the software manually via ipsw.me , put phone back in recovery mode, reconnect it to iTunes, cancel the restore and update options that appeared, then shift-click on the "restore" button from the phone's page in iTunes, select the ipsw file, and then iTunes finally factory reset my device.

Again, I was still unable to sign in after all this but realised thanks to Mythery that I could then proceed to erase again, this time from the device settings, and then I was able to sign in again.

1) Back up your iPhone.

2) Put your phone in recovery mode and restore using iTunes (this will erase the phone).

3) Once erased, see if you can sign in with your Apple ID on your phone. If so, you can then restore from your backup.

If not, proceed to step 4…

4) If you still can’t sign in with your Apple ID, you need to erase your phone again but this time from settings, NOT iTunes. Go to “Settings —> General —> Transfer or Reset iPhone —> Erase All Contents and Settings”

5) Once erased via settings, you should be able go sign in with your Apple ID, and can then restore from backup.

Again, credit to Mythtery:

discussions.apple.com/thread/256073487

Workaround (back up your device first):

Credit to Mythtery at discussions.apple.com/thread/256073487

If you can erase your device without doing it via your computer, either from device settings, or via icloud.com/find , you should be able to sign in again.

I could not erase via device because that too wanted me to sign in first to deactivate, nor could I erase from iCloud as I had previously removed my device from there.

Even after performing a complete factory reset via iTunes (this wasn't straightforward either due to iTunes prompting me to turn off "Find My" first which was not possible as that required signing in too, so let me know if you need steps for that), I still could not sign in.

HOWEVER... I realised thanks to Mythery's post, if I proceeded to settings on the now reset device and erased again from there, I was then able to sign in again.

After signing in, I restored from my iTunes backup and was able to still sign in.

Spoke to senior Apple support advisor again today. I have been told this is a known bug but this has been known about for a long time now and still no fix. I urge anyone having this issue to contact support: https://getsupport.apple.com/

Apple stopped signing previous versions of iOS so downgrade is not possible. Still unable to log in on my device even after a restore and also a complete factory reset. Apple are aware of the bug and sounds like there will be a fix soon but feel free to contact Apple support at getsupport.apple.com if you are also experiencing this issue.

Yes, but even after a factory reset with iTunes, the issue still remained. Another erase was required from the device itself after this step. Again, credit to Mythtery:

discussions.apple.com/thread/256073487

yes i did that twice but it didn't work out. finally, i connected it to my mac, and restored it through finder. after that, i was able to sign in immediately :)

thanks!

Same thing happened to my ipad air 2 yesterday, make a call to the apple support and they suggest me to erase my ipad. Since I got nothing important on my ipad, I erase it right away. After it turns on and asked for an icloud login, I tried to log into my account and it WORKS. Now I got my icloud signed in on my ipad which previously always giving me issues.

Same problem for almost 2 weeks. I finally performed a 2nd Factory Reset all Content and Settings and when setting it back up it let me log back in.

Used 3UTools application to ProFlash and it cleared up the issue. Able to login to iCloud now on Apple ID iPad Air 2

This worked. Erasing the entire iPad again even though it was an already erased iPad. Only person to suggest this as I scoured google!

Apple is investigating the issue. No timeline yet on a solution. That’s what a live tech support person (from USA!) told me today on a phone call.

You might be best advised to seek assistance directly from Apple Support. You can contact the Support Team using the Support link at top-right or bottom-left of this page.

Alternatively, you can initiate and manage your support cases from Apple devices using the excellent Apple Support App. If not already installed, the App can be downloaded from the App Store:

https://apps.apple.com/app/apple-support/id1130498044

pianohohn wrote:

I get the same error on multiple devices running 15.8.4 --- @Apple, this needs fixed ASAP!! I called top apple advisor and he knew nothing of the issue. huh????

The Apple Support Community is a user-to-user technical forum. Contributors here are all end-users, just like you. Other than the site Moderators, Apple neither monitor nor participate here. As such, if you hope to reach Apple through these forums, you will be sadly disappointed.

Apple invite submission of comments and bug reports via its Product Feedback portal. For iPad and iPadOS:

Feedback - iPad - Apple

If submitting a Bug Report, ensure that you include details of your iPad model and installed version of iPadOS within the body-text of your report.

Apple support emailed me today to say they appreciate the patience and are doing their best to get this solved as soon as possible. Despite the bug, I am grateful to Apple for providing security updates for their older devices. If you are also having this issue, please report to getsupport.apple.com and keep us posted.