appleTV keeps asking for appleID, password and authentication code circularly

Hope this helps? No. It doesn't.

This is Apple TV, not the next release of The Room.

Instructions should be clear and easy to follow and not rely on undisclosed hacks like some of you have laid out. Apple is losing customers because they can't deliver a product that should be simple to use.

That's correct except many people have a long password and cannot complete the process in a timely fashion. (the two-factor code expires after 30 seconds). The method you mention often fails as it takes some users a long time to enter a pw on an AppleTV (using the remote) and the two-factor code is useless by the time you complete it.

You need to go to your iphone and get a fresh code after you type the password and before you put in the original code. Do this by....

(On iphone or ipad)

• go to settings, iCloud
• click on your iCloud ID at top of screen
• click on "Password & Security"
• click on "Get Verification code"

Then type this fresh code in, appending to the end of the password you already typed in, and it will work

I found a nice work around for the Apple TV (2nd Generation). If you have an iPhone or iPad, just download the Apple TV remote app. Once you download it and link it to your Apple TV, you are good to go. The phone will allow you to authenticate without any issues.

Yes. That's what we're trying to say here. You do not enter Apple ID and password and wait to receive a code. You do

- enter Apple ID

- enter password and stop

- use Settings on your phone to request a code, see this link: Get a verification code and sign in with two-factor authentication - Apple Support halfway down

- add the code to your password and send it.

The only time-critical part is from when you receive the code and when you complete entering the code. Please try to do it like this.

In my case there was no indication of how/where to enter the authentication code. After entering my password I would get the error "iTunes is unavailable". After reading this post, I entered the code immediately after my password and it worked. How intuitive.

While I appreciate the security of two-factor authentication, the implementation of this change was horrible. Apple seems to be losing its way in terms of ease-of-use and seamless integration. Hopefully Tim Cook will do what Steve Jobs did to the development manager of MobileMe.

Hi fancynancy2. If you mean "how do you turn off 2-factor authentication?", you can do it by logging in to appleid.apple.com, and change your Security settings. But, if you're using a recently-created icloud.com ID, that may not be possible.

You should be able to login without turning off 2FA, using the method already posted several times in this thread, for example, this link: Re: appleTV keeps asking for appleID, password and authentication code circularly.

ALL the problems here are the result of the two-factor code's 30-second time out. By the time you put in your password on the Appletv, the code you'd received up front has expired.

The solution is to get the two-factor code AFTER you've typed in your password (and before you hit enter), then add the six digit code to the end of the password and it works.

How do you get a fresh code when you want it?

On iphone or ipad

• go to settings, iCloud
• click on your iCloud ID at top of screen
• click on "Password & Security"
• click on "Get Verification code"

Append that new code to the password on your apple tv and you're done.

Apparently the new Apple TVs will work as expected. The older ones are not designed for two-factor; but Apple should fix this via a software update (will they?).... but the work-around works.

Do not turn two-factor off because of this, just go to your iphone and get a fresh code after you type-in the password on the Apple TV and before you append two-factor code. Do this by....

(On iphone or ipad)

• going to settings, iCloud
• click on your iCloud ID at top of screen
• click on "Password & Security"
• click on "Get Verification code"

... then just type that code in the password field after your ATV password.

It works, I've done it on three older Apple TVs.

The method described multiple times on previous pages in this thread does work - but it is a PITA. If you do have a reasonable password, and have to use the little remote that came with your apple TV - you aren't going to get it in in time. Period.

I have a 22 character camelCase + specials password. Normally entered via an application, which, of course, does not run on the second or third gen Apple TV (I have one of each). Trying to flip between multiple keyboards using the remote is just too difficult. Add to that, I have multiple apple devices (the whole infrastructure - laptop, iPad, iPhone, etc.) so when I entered the password the first time around, I got the 2nd factor request on all of my devices. Including the iPhone i was using as my remote. There are three ways to get that 2nd factor request in:

1) You are the ghod of the appleTV keyboard, and can use that to type as fast as you do on a standard keyboard. Yeah not me either.

2) Change your appleID password to something stupid easy for the AppleTV remote, authenticate, don't save the password when asked, log out. Change appleID password again, and log in again. Swear and curse as you now

have to update your password on every device you own that used the old one.

3) Use some variant of the method mentioned here

4) (nobody expects the Spanish inquisition!) Turn off 2 factor, log in, then turn it back on (also mentioned in this thread, but not something I did not want to do, even for a short time.)

The sequence of steps I wound up using:

1) prepare yourself for doing this a couple of times, doing lots of swearing, and possibly testing the throw-ability of the device you are holding when it tells you there is a problem with your password for the 27th time in a row. The timeout used clearly assumes a functional keyboard. I'm not sure what it is, but I suspect less than the 30 seconds mentioned. I'm a touch typist - around 125WPM, but I sure has heck can't type that fast using anything but a decent keyboard.

2) If you have a bluetooth keyboard, pair it. Then it should be fairly simple. *IF* you have one. I don't.

3) For the rest of us - I still have to assume you have an iPhone, iPad, or other device that can be used to enter the password quickly using the remote app.

4) Take a deep, calming, breath. Prepare to work as fast as you can. Ready? Begin:

-- Enter your normal appleID password using the remote App on your iphone or iPad.

-- When the 2 factor popup shows up on the AppleTV DON"T ACKNOWLEDGE IT YET.

-- Then when your iPhone, iPad, or laptop phone or whatever also gets the 2 factor pop up, allow the device. That will give you a 6 digit code. Yay, you have a code - junk it, as it is worthless. Those aren't the numbers you are looking for, move along.

-- *NOW* acknowledge the appleTV using the Remote app. Which will give you a *new* code on a popup, invalidating the one you got when you did the mandatory acknowledgement on your phone (or whatever). If you memorize fast, great, otherwise write it down.

-- dismiss that popup

-- go back around the login circle to the password screen.

-- enter your password (yes, again) but append the 6 digit code the appleTV displayed and you just wrote down. You did write it down, right? NO SPACES. if your password is "foo" enter "foo123456". Yes, I did that.. 'foo 123456', 'foo123 456', and 'foo 123 456'. The gap in the 6 digits isn't a gap. It's based on the fallacy that most people can remember 2 3digit numbers easily. Or maybe it's true. I definitely am in the other half of "most" and can't.

-- Yay, you logged in, right? Yeah, I didn't either.

-- Next time, really write down those numbers - your memory isn't as good as you thought, and frustration is going to make it harder and harder to remember as the day wears on.

-- Try and calm down your significant other that is getting increasingly ****** off because this is taking too long.

-- Try and calm yourself down. Yes I know you are frustrated, even more so because your SO is sitting there looking at you like you are an idiot, and if you don't calm yourself down that will just make you make a mistake in the password. Extending the agony.

-- Repeat until you *DO* authenticate. It will happen. Sooner or later. Probably later. But happen it will. Took me almost 30 minutes of trying until I finally got it to work. [Does not include the hours I spent before finding this thread. oh, and searching for that darn remote after I threw it. Fortunately I missed the TV]

-- Go get yourself an adult beverage to celebrate.

We were having this problem too. I resolved it by resetting my apple tv to erase my account and reestablish. Thankfully, I didn't have to reset to factory settings. Once I did this, it asked me to sign in without also asking for the annoying authentication code and now it's working.

It seems a common problem and with this type of device and I for one cannot understand it. Its supposed to be a TV not mobile device one of the least mobile devices in the Apple Range!

I have heard about these self-generated passwords and I have tried it several times but always get it rejected!

I reset the whole TV and removed streaming from security. Now I only get asked once or twice. Never like before when my elderly Mum could happily watch my TV and selection of comedy(!) all evening, poor Mum she really cannot handle Password requests and two factor authentication well yes Apple this is really a great shame some customers really cannot handle this. She was a fan not having to stand up and insert DVD's like before, but not any more !

Responding to this hoping it helps at least one person. What a nightmare, Apple!!!! For no reason the AppleTV I've used for years stopped accepting my login info. Literally two months of frustration with this BS. Finally I saw someone mention the issue could be a 30 second time limit on the verification code that gets sent to you that you need to add after your password. I went to iCloud and turned off the 6 digit verification code and chose security questions instead. When I went back to the AppleTV I was in on the first try. If the root of the problem was a 30 second time limit on entering the verification code then shame on Apple for being so STUPID!!

I am sick to almost death after trying for months, periodically, to log into my Apple TV to watch movies I purchased. I recently had shoulder surgery and was in so much pain, I gave up trying to login. Was on the phone with Apple support for hours repeatedly entering ID, password, authentication code, restarting etc. Gave up. Tried again last night — no dice after repeating the whole login process, kept getting a message so entered it incorrectly. Right. Guess this is how we are forced to buy a new version Apple TV. Really not happy. 😡. Will never buy an online movie again. Get movies free from the library now!!! Switching to a different device.

1. if you put 2 step verification on your ios device then you have 2 weeks to phone Apple or chat and get them to deactivate it.
2. the other way is supposed to be to wait for the 6 digit code to come on your ios device and put that in as the password
3. i refer to this thread;

https://discussions.apple.com/thread/7533430

that didnt work for me, i had to ask apple to deactivate 2 step verification, because in id.apple.com, (apple id settings), there is no 'deactivate' button for the 2 step verification, and this messes up apple tv 3 and 2.

If you do try the 6 digit code As password i would recommend using the ios apple tv remote app so you can type the password in fast, as it times out very fast and that is why it was not working for me, as i had a long password.

The second generation AppleTV was designed long before iCloud supported Two Factor Authentication.

This method of supporting it arguably involved the least amount of work and allowed existing devices to keep working.

Newer AppleTV devices support 2FA directly.