I was on my Mac this evening and randomly got a prompt that my Apple ID was locked for security reasons. I quickly checked my other Apple devices and everything was locked on those as well. I couldn't even use my AirPods.

I use 2FA and didn't see any unusual prompts or login attempts anywhere, so I contacted Apple support before going through the process of resetting my password — just to be safe. While on the phone, I was able to reset my password on my Mac, after which I recovered my account and got back into all of my devices.

However, Apple couldn't tell me why my Apple ID got locked. I asked if anyone attempted to access my account and the rep said they couldn't really see that. He then suggested that, if I was concerned about it, I could check my device list for unknown devices. So, I did and there was nothing there.

Any one else ever had their Apple ID randomly locked like this? I just want to make sure there's nothing else I should be doing on my end to secure my account.

A few months back my Apple ID got locked for security reasons according to the pop up, but I can’t remember my password or security question answers. I’ve been able to use the phone relatively normally aside from updating apps or downloading new ones. Is there some way I can remove my old Apple ID so I can replace it with a new one? Or do I need to get a whole new phone and go from there?

Hi I need a big help....I wanted to log in with my Apple ID on my new MacBook, but I forgot the password and insert it wrong couple of times.

After that I tried to reset my password follow all of the instructions and at the end I got massage < your Apple ID is locked for security reasons we will send u the information about changing your password in about 24h once we verify that's u. >

Its now 40h later from the 1st massage and I didn't get shit.

I try to called apple support he just told me to do exactly what I did 7times before... after all that he told me to wait for the email "that I'm about to get"

I also tried iForgot, apple website that u can provide them with the information like your debit card that u are using to pay for iCloud and iTunes, u also get a code to your phone number and email and.....

I have all the information but I can't do shit. I'm also logged in my Apple ID on my iPhone but I can't do nothing with it.

Im really lost cuz I need to get in my account ASAP. So if anyone had similar problems pls help.

Thank you all so much for the help.

I'm trying to get into my very old apple account from years ago. I believe it was one of my first accounts but I couldn't remember the password so I went to forgot password, put in the email and it said the account is locked and can't be used. And the account uses an iCloud email. I don't know what to do. Is there any way to get into the account or am I screwed?

Machine: Macbook 2016 Phone: Note 20 Ultra, Note 8 Services: Primarily gmail accounts, google and samsung for cloud backup.

SHORT VERSION: My apple ID keeps getting locked when I hardly ever mess with it. Im an average computer user who doesn't do much outside of social media, youtube, reddit, quora, pornhub and occassional basic video/image/audio editing. Anyone have thoughts on likely culprits?

LONG VERSION: Why do you suppose this keeps happening seemingly on it's own? I used to think it perhaps had something to do with the rare occasions I used NordVPN because eventually it occured to me thats what kept getting me blocked out of the Mail app. But I havent used a vpn in a long while, like not since 2023. And I don't find myself at an apple ID login screen very much either. If I do it's usually because im trying to download something in the app store, or Dropbox (which I don't really use) is doing that thing where it randomly alerts me that I can't use it until I login with my Apple ID.

It's always months inbetween attempts, but whenever I end up needing to (certain the login info is correct), it tells me my "Apple ID has been locked for security reasons". When I go through the annoying procedure of unlocking it, it always takes some ridiculous extra steps because it never accepts my security answers. As if I forgot my first dog........yea right. As I am not especially cybersecurity literate, i am not sure whether this reads like a hacker threat or just a security wire I somehow keep tripping.

In summary, I am running out of oomph for this and im developing the habit of just saying "screw it" to any mundane problem that takes more than 60 seconds to fix. It's not even a laziness thing, it's simply becoming a "do i even care that much?" thing. I know these companies are trying to make our information more safe and secure but holy sheep sheet, it's just getting more and more annoying to deal with and making it easier and easier to leave it for other things. Is it just me?

Hey Reddit, I have been having extreme Apple Account issues for the last few months and was wondering if anyone knows what I should do. I've attached my email I sent to Apple, but once again have been redirected to the sample apple support website and help line that I've tried to fix this issue through time and time again.

Dear Apple Support Team,

I am reaching out regarding an urgent and ongoing issue with my Apple ID, which has been inoperable since October 17, 2024. On that day, I woke up to find all my Apple devices prompting me to re-enter my login information for security reasons. However, upon attempting to sign in, I was met with a message stating that my account was locked.

Since then, I have submitted four separate account recovery requests, all of which have failed. I have visited the Apple Store twice, spent over three hours on calls with Apple Support, and despite my persistence, I continue to receive the same response: “There is nothing we can do, just submit another recovery request.”

This issue has severely impacted my ability to use Apple’s services and devices:

• I cannot download or update apps, including those I have paid for.

• Find My, FaceTime, and iMessage on my Mac and iPad are unusable.

• AirDrop and iCloud access are completely blocked, preventing me from accessing years of photos and important documents.

• I am unable to cancel or manage in-app subscriptions linked to my Apple ID.

• I cannot update software like Logic Pro X on my Mac.

• I receive “re-sign into your Apple ID” prompts around 35 times per day, making my devices frustrating to use.

Most frustratingly, even performing a full reset of my devices is not an option, as I am required to re-enter my Apple ID password, which I am locked out of.

As someone who has invested heavily in Apple products, I am deeply disappointed with the lack of resolution. I am now at a point where I need escalation beyond standard support channels. I am requesting immediate assistance from a higher-level support specialist who can provide a direct and effective solution rather than another failed recovery attempt.

I know it has been some time since the issue started, but after all of my failed attempts to fix this, I gave up. I figured it would be more productive for me to get on with my life and just use my devices with the handicaps they now possess. But with all of my apps going out of date, my borderline inoperable phone, and the money I am losing with the subscriptions I bought through iCloud I no longer need, I thought it was long overdue to try and find a solution. 

Please let me know the next steps to resolve this issue as soon as possible. I appreciate your immediate attention and look forward to hearing from you promptly. Attached is my email history surrounding this subject matter.

Best regards,

(My name)

I tried too many times to unlock my account and now my apple id is lock. I tried calling apple assistance and they said that the account is in recovery. I received a text saying that I will receive instructions on june 10 to recover my apple id but when i check on the site of iforgot.apple.com the waiting time is still 5 days today is june 6 is should be 4 days. Its my 1st time having an apple product please bear with me. Is there someone who had same problem with me? How did it go? Should i wait? I readl alot of post here and they said they are on loop with this process.

My apple id account got “locked for security reasons”.

I cant open it because I dont remember the date i chose for the apple id nor the password for the email associated for the account. Cant recover that password either.

How can I have an apple id again? Can I somehow recover my current account?

Thx

So about a week ago, I offloaded my procreate app on accident while trying to back up my work, but when I tried to reinstall it immediately after, I was told my apple id was locked for security reasons, I went through all the steps and was told to come back the next day, when I did I couldn't find anything saying I could unlock my apple ID or anything, and everytime I would change my password I would be given the same message everytime I would try and reinstall procreate, I changed the instalment permissions to not ask for anything when installing anything but nothing, is there any way for me to fix this or at least access my procreate data to back it up so I can reset my iPad completely without losing my work? Thanks.

Edit: now once I try and reinstall procreate it gets stuck loading, it's been stuck like that for over an hour now.

I recently tried to gain access to an old apple id account that has long been not in use. I was trying to guess the password until it was “locked for security reasons” but now i remember the password. It is now asking me to prove myself through sending a code to the linked phone number and email address. The problem now is the phone number is deactivated and the email address is also icloud. I am now in the process of account recovery but have been hearing bad stories about it. is there any other way that i can access this apple id faster. Does the “locked for security reason” ever just disappear and i can just get to just type down the old password?

15 years ago I got my first Apple product (Ipod Touch) and set up my Apple ID. My ID is ([email protected]). This is the same Apple ID on my current device (iPhone XS Max).

Every time I open my iPhone and multiple times throughout the day I am prompted with a message to Sign in to iCloud using my Apple ID. I know my password, so I enter it. I'm then prompted to verify my Apple ID in settings. I go to settings and am told my ID is locked and I need to verify my account.

Here is my issue: I do not have access to this email account anymore and I don't know the answers to my security questions. This was my original childhood email that has since been closed due to inactivity, and I don't know why I can't answer the questions correctly. I probably set these up 15 years ago back when I got that iPod touch and never wrote down the answers.

I've submitted an activation unlock request through Apple that showed proof of purchase but was denied and told they cannot share any more information and that I won't be allowed to submit a second request.

I cannot log in to my Apple ID. I cannot log out to add a different Apple ID. I cannot backup my phone to the iCloud account of my new Apple ID.

I am planning to buy a new device, but as soon as I try to backup from iCloud or backup from my computer, I'm going to be asked again to log in to my Apple ID. Apple has put their hands up saying there's nothing more they can do and I'm losing my mind.

Has anyone gone through this? I don't know what else to do. I guess my only option is to buy a new phone, use a new apple id, and just be OK with the fact that I will lose all the data on my phone (photos, contacts, videos, messages, etc)?

I've been a huge Apple fan for 15+ years but this is absolutely ridiculous at this point.

I got a notification on my Mac a few days back that there was an issue with my Apple ID. It said I needed to reenter my pass, so I did and I got "This Apple ID is not active. I requested a unlock then a day after I got a email saying they DECLINED my unlock. I contacted support and they confirmed my Apple ID was gone forever and all I could do was create a new one. As I cannot sign out, I created a new one and linked it to App store and iMessage only. I have important things on my iCloud, so that's why I'm so desperate to unlock this account. I saw a post (https://www.reddit.com/r/applehelp/comments/186ej02/my_apple_id_has_been_permanently_disabled_and_was/) and their Apple ID was unlocked randomly. What are the chances this will hopefully happen to me?? I am willing to do anything to get this account back. (I haven't done anything wrong, I read the terms and conditions and I haven't broke them, I am just a normal Apple user. The only thing I did was send "hello" to my friend that day.)

First of all, know that I've regained access to it and thankfully it's now all good. I'm looking for more information as to what happened or why.

Running an iPhone 11 with iOS13.6

Basically, as I wake up today, I am greeted by a AppleID locked for security reasons pop-up message prompting me to reset my password. At first I thought that might be some phishing message, but then that's not an email and speaking of emails - I've got none telling me that my account is locked or is trying to get log into from an unknown device or location. So I proceed to log back into AppleID which then asked me to change my password.

After it all ended, I received an email saying that I changed my password successfully. I then head over to the appleid(dot)apple site to check the recent activity but they've got nothing as well.

That leaves me wondering, what happened during the night, what might've caused it, is it only me who has had this happened and what can I do to make sure it doesn't happen again?

TLDR: AppleID locked for security reasons popped up out of nowhere, no other notification of it. Why?

So my mom's iphone 11 pro max has been bugging her to enter her password for weeks now. Despite entering it, it keeps saying it's locked. They tried to reset multiple times to no avail. It's constant. Other than that, phone mostly works (Facetime, etc.). They tried Apple and spent hours over several days also to no avail. They finally came to me, and I'm stumped. I reset the password on the phone. Immediately says enter new password, which I do, says your Apple ID has been unlocked. Verified with email, phone number, even credit card. Nada. Apple calls my mom asking if it's been resolved (it hasn't).

The thing is, it's only on this phone. Her phone. I can log into Apple ID, Icloud, etc. no problem. I updated it to iOS 15 hoping it would shake something loose, nope. I changed her email address in a browser, the iphone immediately reflects this in a "subscriptions" area, but the Apple ID doesn't change. It won't let me log out, because FindMyIphone is on. Entering the password does nothing but it's even dumber: it says "Enter Apple ID Password" but there is only a prompt for the password. I enter it, it says the Apple ID must also be entered, but there is no field to enter it, and no other nav options.

My friend who repairs phones told me to do a DFU restore. That works, my optimism starts to rise. After it is reset, it asks if I want to restore, I do from a local backup. After restoring, it's exactly the same. I try to log out of FindMy, nope. My friend suggests I log into another iphone with the ID and pass.. So I grab an old iphone 7 we have laying around (I ain't letting that ID touch my phone) and am able to log in with zero problems. Pull up the apple ID on the phone, and kick my mom's phone off. It does. Easy.

Go to my mom's phone, and it still says it's logged in, and cannot turn it off. I'm at a loss, this is crazy!

Has anyone heard of this? Anyone ever able to shake it loose somehow?

So I do not own an Apple product and never had an Apple ID. I wanted to watch Apple TV and set up an account and was able to use. The problem came when I went to stream on my TV and failed logon and got locked out. The problem is it is asking me for my Birthday. I usually don't use my real Birthday and just make something up which is what I did when setting up Apple TV so I cannot get past that screen I have tried a few but have no idea what I had entered. Help!!!!

So for some odd reason, I tried downloading an app and it asked me to put in my password (mind you I have not changed my password ever) and it said incorrect password, did it multiple times and now my account is locked for security reasons. I then went through the whole 24 hour waiting period only to find out my account is in recovery for the next 14 days. Waited the whole 14 days only for the problem not to be solved. Everytime I do forgot password and put in my right information it’s a recurring process of waiting another 14 days. I can’t access any of my music nor update my apps. This is complete bullshit for a billion dollar company. Apple support is no help either. Any suggestions?

I am experiencing an issue with my iPhone's iCloud account, which has been locked. It is requesting a recovery code, but the option to receive a recovery code is disabled on my device. Additionally, my previous recovery key is no longer working. I have attempted to use the "iForgot" website to resolve the issue, but I continue to encounter an "Unknown Error" with no further details provided in the error description please help me everything is concerted to this account

Edit i turned off the recovery key setting a while ago

So I bought my wife her first ever apple product (an Ipad A16) to do some drawing/digital media creation. We created an apple account and set up the new ipad, went to the app store and purchased a specific app that she knew she wanted, after which she also installed netflix/hulu and everything was fine. She only used it for about 20-30 mins after that just testing out her new app and deleting some apps she knew she wouldn't use. The next morning it said she had to sign in again, but gave us "an unknown error has occurred" after entering the password. We can use the ipad and use the apps we have already downloaded, but we cannot download anything else. We went online to icloud.com to try and sign in, and it said her account had been locked for security reasons. We had to fill out an unlock request and send it off, and this morning we got an email back saying the request had been denied. Now we aren't even given the option to request the unlock again, when we put in the email/password it just says "Your account has been locked and cannot be used". I called apple support and they said removing the activation lock "might" work, but we cannot sign in to request it and we cannot sign in to request a refund for the purchase we made in order to justify a new account. Any Ideas would be greatly appreciated.

So I JUST bought a used MacBook pro 2018, it was activated and factory reset, all working fine, I created an apple ID yesterday and installed a few apps, today when I turned it on it turned out that the apple account is locked due to security reasons, I've requested the account using recovery, is this an issue? Should I be worried about getting locked out of the MacBook and not being able to use anything ? Even if it gets recovered will it happen again ? This is my first experience with Mac and awesome :(

(I'm freaking out rn)

I recently opened my iPad from 2014 and saw it on activation lock. However its not a problem for me since I know the password and ID. But I enter it and guess what comes up? "Your Apple ID is locked/disabled for security reasons". I did a lot of research on how to solve this issue. First i went to reset my password but in order to reset it i had to either

1. Answer the security questions which I unfortunately forgot (who remembers something they put 8 years ago?)

2. Click on the confirmation/verification button whatever sent to my other email id. But guess what. That email id is also "locked for security reasons". SO i GO to RESET that email id's password and unfortunately it had the two factor authentication numbers i had to put but unfortunately, those numbers are now inactive (because theyre numbers i used back in 2014). So everything i do goes in a loop. I need help and suggestions. I saw someone say to do an activation lock request or something but it asks you for your purchase info (store name, address, number) which i could NEVER remember (again its an 8 year old ipad) but i still send it. So i have little hope of this ipad and my last hope is that someone on this website at least figures a way to help. If not, well then im throwing that ipad off a cliff.