Apple ID account error locks some users out of accounts, forces password reset

Apple users are facing an issue that affects their Apple ID, locking them out of their own accounts, according to several reports from users on social media platforms. The issue appears to affect some users who say they signed out of one or more devices and were then prompted to change their Apple ID password, while others appear to be unaffected by the bug. Resetting the Apple ID password seems to work and affected users report that it gives access to their accounts again.

First reported from 9to5Mac, the Apple ID password reset error appears to be affecting several users who have posted details of the error on social media platforms. A Gadgets 360 staff member was also affected when his Apple ID was logged out on both his iPhone and iPad, followed by a prompt to reset his account password.

Screenshot of the error posted by the developer
Photo: Mastodon.Social/ Dave Wood (@davewoodx)

Mac software developer Michael Tsai described his experience in a blog post, explaining that his iPhone first asked for his Apple ID password, then informed him that his account was locked. The reset process was complicated because he had stolen device protection enabled, but Tsai was able to reset his password without any delay using his Mac, although he says he had a few errors in the process.

Likewise, developer Dave Wood stated in a Mastodon post that he was warned that his Apple ID was similarly locked. A screenshot of the pop-up message reveals that the account has been locked “for security reasons”, with two options Unlock account and Rejection. Like Tsai, he was also asked to wait for an hour as Apple’s new stolen device protection feature was activated on his phone. Several other users also shared their experience in threads, X (formerly Twitter)and Mastodon.

At the time of publication of this story, there were no current or recent issues affecting any of Apple’s services — including Apple ID and iCloud account and sign in — according to the company’s system status web page. There’s currently no word from Apple on why this issue is affecting some users — we’ve reached out to the company for comment and will update this story when we hear back.