Many customers are encountering unexpected logouts from their Apple ID and account lockouts while attempting to log back in.
On the night of April 27th, several customers noticed that all of their devices had unexpectedly logged out of their Apple ID for no apparent reason. When attempting to log back in, several customers claimed that their accounts were locked, despite entering the right information. Eventually, they had to reset their passwords.
A series of users forced to log out
Some users reported having to enter their iPhone passcode to reconnect to iCloud. Meanwhile, those who enabled the stolen device protection feature said they had to wait an hour before they could log in.
“Apple just asked me to enter my Apple ID password. By the time I finished entering it, they asked for the screen lock code. Finally, my account was locked, and I had to reset my Apple ID password. Awful,” user @FiveOhFour shared on their personal X page.
It is still unclear how many users are affected.
Apple’s System Status support center does not display any issues related to the company’s services. However, a series of reports on social media indicate that something abnormal is happening within the Apple system.
Several tech news outlets like 9to5Mac and Forbes also experienced the issue.
In a post on the Mastodon social network discovered by The Verge, one user said that Apple support told them “random security enhancements are sometimes added to your account.”
Meanwhile, on Reddit, a user reported the issue to Apple’s support team. An Apple representative said that this user’s password “was changed” around midnight.
However, the problem is that after being forced to log out and reset the Apple ID password, all passwords for apps that the user had previously set up via iCloud will also be reset. This makes many users spend time restoring their passwords.
However, not everyone is required to change their password. A post on Threads mentioned that resetting the password is only a “suggestion,” not mandatory.
Mysterious cases of Apple ID lockouts
Jake Moore, a global cybersecurity advisor at ESET, said, “When something unexpected happens, such as resetting a password or requesting a one-time password, it’s important to thoroughly investigate before complying with the request.
This seems to be a system glitch as many people are experiencing similar issues. Despite being annoying, you should still reset all connected devices and change passwords regularly or in case of a data breach.”
Mac programmer Michael Tsai also shared a post on his personal blog about a similar experience. In one instance of his Apple ID being mysteriously locked, the programmer had to wait an hour to reset it because the stolen device protection feature was enabled. This is a new security feature from Apple that protects iCloud accounts in case the phone is stolen.
“First, the iPhone asked me to enter my password again. At first, I thought this was ‘normal’ because it happens every few months. But after complying with the request, the system reported that my account was locked,” Tsai recalled.
The iPhone reported that it would be unlocked after an hour because Tsai had enabled the stolen device protection feature, and the current location was not in familiar locations. In fact, he was at home.
Then, Tsai used his Mac to unlock the account but was unsuccessful. The device asked for a password, sent a code to the phone, and then asked for the password again. “I entered the password and clicked Log in. This button remained gray, and it didn’t accept the password or display any errors,” he said.
Not wanting to wait an hour to unlock the account, the programmer exited the System Settings app and restarted the device. He followed the same process as before to unlock the account.
The strange thing is that this time the iPhone allowed him to use the Mac password instead of sending a code to the iPhone. Finally, the Apple ID password entry page returned to normal. The phone automatically unlocked, and the Apple ID worked smoothly without having to change to a new password, Tsai recounted.
