Wherefore the Romper Room treatment?

Question

Level 1

36 points

Wherefore the Romper Room treatment?

I’ve always wanted to ask this question because it always bothered me, but I figured it was just the milieu here. Still, I’d like an answer now:

Why the persistent repeating of questions? And the unremitting validation? Here’s an example:

Q: I’d like to reset my passcode. My phone won’t work otherwise.

A: I understand you wish to reset your passcode. That would be quite useful if you wish to use your phone’s features. It would also be convenient if one could use one’s phone when one wishes to. It makes sense for one to therefore know their passcode to unlock their phone.

… And so on. So why this? Are Community Guides locked into this kind of kitten-gloved approach? Wouldn’t it be far more efficient if utilitarian to just answer the question with, “Sure, this is how you do it,” vs the kindergarten-tinged language?

Ok, I’ll show myself out now….

iPhone 16 Pro Max, iOS 27

Posted on Sep 19, 2026 3:20 PM

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Answer 1

Top-ranking reply

Allan Jones

Level 10

84,924 points

Sep 19, 2026 6:41 PM in response to TashTish

I agree with Chattanoogan that the wording in your example reeks of AI. The condescending tone is almost a giveaway.

The Terms of Use for these forums requires responses to be you own work. See Section B.9. However, with an estimated 10,000 new posts a day, I'm sure the small Apple moderation team could easily be overwhelmed. They can only act on what is reported. A Level 1 user now has reporting privileges. Ref: Share what you know and get recognized - Apple Support

Another factor: We have no way of knowing a poster's level of tech understanding. We have to find balance in how we respond.

I've been here 25 years, and the kind of "Romper Room" response you report is new. Report them before they ruin a healthy user-to-user community.

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Answer 2

Sep 19, 2026 3:36 PM in response to TashTish

That example you posted is possibly indicative of a member using AI to generate answers.

Most of the knowledgable members here would simply provide a link to the appropriate Apple Support Article(s). [Or else some version of them]

e.g. :

See this article:

If you forgot your iPhone, iPad, or Apple Vision Pro passcode, reset your device without a computer - Apple Support

Alternatively:

Use a computer to reset your iPhone and your passcode - Apple Support

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Answer 3

MrHoffman

Level 10

166,135 points

Sep 19, 2026 4:20 PM in response to TashTish

That phrasing and that repeated or rephrased question works fairly well for some readers and some contexts.

Restating the question is fairly common advice for presenters.

I’d also expect that phrasing is a template format used by some of the posters around here.

Or that phrasing can reflect cultural differences.

For some questioners, restarting their question can advance the discussion to the next juncture.

Or lately, yes, that phrasing can be LLM-generated text.

My usual posting style tends direct, not sycophantic, and which can be interpreted as hostile.

English, being three languages stuffed in a trench-coat pretending to be one, is stupidly hard.

People are yet harder.

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Answer 4

razmee209

Level 10

204,230 points

Sep 19, 2026 3:45 PM in response to Chattanoogan

Chattanoogan wrote:

That example you posted is possibly indicative of a member using AI to generate answers.

Most of the knowledgable members here would simply provide a link to the appropriate Apple Support Article(s). [Or else some version of them]

e.g. :

See this article:

If you forgot your iPhone, iPad, or Apple Vision Pro passcode, reset your device without a computer - Apple Support

Alternatively:

Use a computer to reset your iPhone and your passcode - Apple Support

This!!!!!

Or we would've stated to restore phone to factory settings using iTunes to remove the passcode.

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Answer 5

TashTish Author

Level 1

36 points

Sep 19, 2026 6:56 PM in response to TashTish

Thanks for the genuinely sincere replies. I returned hoping I could delete my post given an acute attack of poster’s remorse for my snark, but was pleased responders took it as genuine curiosity (badly) disguised as snark. Good to see real people here trumping A.I.-creep. We now return you to your regular programming.

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