Weird request to enter my Mac password on my iPad

Hi. Yes, it's a backup identity confirmation, which particularly allows downloading the Keychain data (if any). If confirms that you really are the owner of the other device sharing iCloud data.

But what's the password to enter here? My Macbook Pro password, which I'm sure is the alphabetical one that I enter every day, keeps getting rejected. "Verification Failed. There was an error verifying the password of your Macbook Pro". What the heck?

Apple's days of greatness seem distant now. I'm stuck here.

Hi NearlyNormal909090. Just asking. Is your MacBook Pro turned on (or maybe sleeping) and connected to the internet? And logged in to iCloud with your Apple ID? This verification requires that the computer respond to a request from Apple.

I don't know that it's true that the device must be turned on. I've received requests for the password for devices that no longer exist, or that have been reformatted, and entering the password works fine.

I am surprised that it keeps asking though; in my experience, you can cancel with no ill effect except having to re-verify your iCloud keychain.

My question is, is my actual login password being transmitted to Apple, or just a hash or something?

I am not willing to enter my Mac password on my phone, and I can't get the "Update Apple ID Settings" message to go away without doing so, even though I tried turning off all usage of iCloud. Can you tell me what else I need to do to make the message go away?

You could try logging in to appleid.apple.com in the browser on your computer, and see if you're able to update your Apple ID that way. As I already said, this requirement is actually an additional security step, for your protection. The password is transmitted encrypted, and it's up to your computer to confirm it.

Interesting points. Since the prompt says it's encrypted, I assume it's encrypted using a one-way cipher, so all Apple can do is verify a match.