How to unlock Apple ID: reasons for blocking, effective methods and step-by-step instructions

• October 6, 2018
• Instructions
• Oksana Yatskevich

In the modern world, Apple products are in great demand. This organization is engaged in the production and production of smartphones, smart watches, computers and tablets. Apple mobile devices are distinguished not only by their functionality, but also by their high level of protection. To work with the iOS operating system and data on a particular device, you have to create a special account. It's called Apple ID. Unfortunately, sometimes such profiles are blocked for one reason or another. Such an event causes a lot of problems, especially for true owners of Apple devices.

Next, we’ll try to figure out how to unlock your Apple ID. Why is this account being blocked in the first place? Why is it needed? And what difficulties do people face in the process? Answers to the questions listed will help you prepare in advance for blocking Apple ID. No one is immune from this unpleasant event. The risk group usually includes those who are inattentive to mobile devices.

Description

So, how to unlock your Apple ID? Many modern users of Apple products are looking for an answer to a similar question. Unfortunately, coping with the task is not so easy. Especially if you do not initially prepare for the possible blocking of your account.

Apple ID is a kind of “passport” for iOS. A profile containing information about the settings and data of the mobile device operating system. Without Apple ID, neither iCloud, nor the App Store, nor any other smartphone/tablet options work. Therefore, immediately after purchasing a device, you should think about registering an Apple ID. The procedure for creating a new account takes only a few minutes. The main thing at this moment is to have an Internet connection.

What's happened?

This happened about a week ago, when I was working on creating another material for AppleInsider.ru, simultaneously checking information on the iPad. The resulting idyll was interrupted by the blocking of the tablet, accompanied by a very impudent signature “Lost iPad. Write to ***@gmail.com.” The first thing that came to my mind was that it had been hacked. But how? I have always treated my data with care and never left it in a visible place, which means that absolutely no one could know the password for my account. I will note in parentheses that I never managed to get to the bottom of the truth.

The first is that the iPad I sold a few months earlier might still have some information about my iCloud account, and the current owner decided to seize control of the new device as well. And although I am firmly confident that I have completed all the necessary manipulations to pre-sell the tablet, including formatting and logging out of the account, this particular version seems quite plausible to me.

Second: since I had the sin of using the same password on several sites - albeit a complex one - it could well have been “taken away” by attackers operating in the Android camp (yes, the author of AppleInsider.ru uses an Android smartphone). Read about how exactly this happens in the corresponding material on AndroidInsider.ru. Let me just say that the so-called ClickJacking has already ruined the lives of more than one thousand people. I could easily have been among these victims.

Why do they use it?

How to unlock Apple ID? Is it necessary to do this at all? And for what purposes is such an account used?

Apple ID is a kind of base for working with an Apple device. Using the appropriate account, the phone owner can work with all the functions of the device. For example, make purchases in a company store, synchronize data, and even save OS settings and settings.

In addition, Apple ID is used as a means of protecting information on a mobile device. Using it, a person can activate the “Find iPhone” option. It will come in handy if your phone/tablet is stolen or lost. Remotely, a person will be able to turn on Lost Mode, which will lead to blocking of the device. It is very comfortable.

Method 3: Reset Network Settings to Fix Apple ID Verification Error

If the Wi-Fi network you're connecting to is in good condition, then you can reset your network settings to fix Apple ID verification failing to detect unknown errors.

Select "General" from your iPhone's Settings section. Scroll down and select Reset. Tap Reset Network Settings and tap Reset to confirm resetting your iPhone's network settings.

Restart your iPhone and go back to iPhone settings again. Select "Wi-Fi" and turn on "Ask to connect to networks" below. You can now select your Wi-Fi network and enter its password.

Reasons for blocking

Is your Apple ID account locked? What to do in this case? Usually you want to understand why the blocking occurred. There are not as many options for the development of events as it seems. However, in some cases, regaining access to Apple ID is very problematic, if not completely impossible.

Most often, account blocking occurs for the following reasons:

• someone tried to hack a mobile device;
• the Apple ID password was entered incorrectly;
• suspicious profile activity has been detected (for example, frequent refunds for purchases in the App Store);
• the user simply forgot his account information;
• The download of updates occurred with errors.

Most often, it is hacking and incorrectly entered passwords that lead to account blocking. In addition, the owner of the phone or tablet could manually activate Lost Mode. Say, if he discovered that his Apple products were missing.

Suspicious actions of the owner

This is one of the reasons why an Apple ID may be blocked by security. Apple closely monitors changes in all customer accounts automatically. Reviews account changes on released mobile devices. Therefore, if it is discovered that the owner’s actions do not inspire confidence, then Apple employees have the right to restrict access to his account - block it temporarily or permanently. For this purpose, special scripts were written to analyze user behavior on the network.

Examples of “strange” activity that could lead to an Apple ID being blocked:

• Account settings change frequently.

When activating an Apple gadget, it is recommended to enter the data that will not change - login (a combination of letters and numbers), password, email address, standard security questions.

• You should not try to frequently demand a refund for movies, applications, and music purchased in the Apple online store.

Experts may well suspect that the mobile device has been stolen, and strangers are trying to withdraw the maximum amount of funds from the account. The same will apply to other payment systems. It is recommended to pay only using one or two bank cards or electronic wallets. If you regularly change the information of outgoing shipments (details), it will look too strange and suspicious.

• The biggest difficulties often arise for holders of “general accounts”.

Some owners of Apple devices use an unusual way of generating regular income: they provide access to the mobile device to other people. Such company clients often change account registration information, which is monitored by security staff. This type of activity is considered to be tantamount to fraud.

Ways to solve the problem

But how to unlock Apple ID? Unfortunately, it is not always possible to achieve the desired result. The real owners of Apple products have the best chance of success. Moreover, one must always take into account the life circumstances under which the user was blocked.

At the moment, you can unlock your iPhone (Apple ID) using the following methods:

• using a special recovery form;
• by contacting support by email;
• by calling Apple.

This is where the list of real and valid ways to unlock Apple ID accounts should end. As you can see, there are not so many of them.

Important: at the moment, in some cases it is possible to bypass Lost Mode. Only in this case will the phone turn into an iPad. This is due to the fact that when bypassing Lost Mod, some smartphone options stop working. For example, making calls and receiving messages.

Resolving the "Verification failed, login failed" error

An error occurs when you try to sign in to your account when using official Apple applications. There are several ways in which you can solve this problem. They consist mainly of carrying out standard procedures for optimizing some of the settings of your device.

Method 1: Reboot

A standard method for solving most problems that does not raise any questions or difficulties. In the case of the error under discussion, a reboot will allow you to restart the problematic applications through which you log into your Apple ID account.

Recovery form

How to unlock Apple ID password? Typically, such a question involves recovering an account if the user has forgotten the password for it. This is the simplest layout. Usually, with this, the chances of restoring the user profile are the highest.

To begin with, you can resort to working with a special form of recovery. Let's look at the procedure for unlocking Apple ID on a PC.

In such circumstances, it is recommended that you do the following:

1. Open the official Apple password creation and recovery website in any browser.
2. Click on the hyperlink “Forgot your password?”.
3. In the window that appears, enter the email address associated with your account.
4. Press the “Next” button.
5. Answer several security questions.
6. Submit the recovery form for processing.

If everything is done correctly, after a while a letter from Apple technical support will be sent to the specified e-mail. It will contain a link by clicking on which a person can recover their Apple ID password. To do this, you just need to specify a new code and repeat it.

Now it’s clear how to unlock Apple ID. But this is only one of several possible scenarios. What other techniques exist in practice?

Method 4: Update iOS System

Make sure you have updated your iDevice to the latest version. Otherwise, it may generate an error and cause Apple ID verification to fail on iPhone and iPad.

Open Settings on your iOS device. Select General and select Software Update to see if an iOS update is available.

Click the "Download and Install" button to update your iPhone to iOS 11.2/11.1/11. Make sure the Wi-Fi or cellular network is stable.

Recovery form via phone

How to unlock an iPhone (Apple ID) and its password? Sometimes it turns out that the account is blocked by the user for one reason or another. You can quickly restore access to it via a smartphone or tablet. But how?

In general, the algorithm of actions will resemble the previously specified instructions. How to unlock Apple ID if password and e-mail are not forgotten? In such circumstances, you can proceed like this:

1. Open the main menu of your mobile phone or tablet.
2. Go to “Settings” - iTunes and App Store.
3. Click on the “Login” sign.
4. Provide your Apple ID and account password.
5. Click on the “Unblock” hyperlink. It appears only when the authorization data has been entered correctly.
6. Select the unlocking method - “By mail” or “Answer questions”. It's better to stick with the first option.
7. Go to the specified email address and open a letter from Apple technical support.
8. Click on the hyperlink “Unlock your account or reset your password.”
9. Specify a new password to log into your profile in the form that appears.
10. Confirm the operation.

Now it’s clear how to unlock your Apple ID. But what to do if a person has forgotten the password? Can I get my account back? Yes, you can do this according to the first instructions. With its help, the user will be able to restore access to Apple ID via e-mail or by answering security questions.

What is the purpose of hacking an iPhone?

The reason for hacking Apple ID in 90% of cases is the thirst for profit. Returning to the celebrity story, let us clarify that the hackers did not just post intimate photos online – they sold them for cryptocurrency (bitcoins).

The personal information of an ordinary user is of no interest to scammers - no one needs it, and it will not be possible to sell it. Personal data is valuable only for the owner of the iPhone who has suffered from a hacker attack - it is he who the attackers are trying to “swindle” him out of money, using banal blackmail in the spirit of “pay or we will delete the information FOREVER.”

The purpose of hacking an Apple ID can be more “sublime” - for example, the desire of a jealous guy to find out the truth about his beloved. Such cases, however, are rare - “home hackers”, as a rule, are not competent enough to bypass the “defensive redoubts” of Apple cloud storage.

Mail and technical support

How to unlock Apple ID? Forgot your account ID or the profile was not created by the current owner of the device? Then the previously mentioned tips will not help at all. You will have to contact Apple support and prove that the iPhone really belongs to the applicant. Otherwise, you can forget about unlocking your account forever.

The first way to contact technical support is by email. How to unlock an iPhone? Forgot your Apple ID and other login details?

The following guide will help you regain access to your account:

1. Take a photo of the iPhone box. This is the side where the device data is indicated.
2. Scan and photograph the receipt indicating the purchase of the device.
3. Take a group photo. It will have to fit: an iPhone with the back panel up, a purchase receipt and a box with data about the device.
4. Download all the listed files to your computer. It will be much more difficult to work from a mobile device.
5. Write to support. In the text of the letter you will have to indicate a request to unlock the device or to unlink someone else's Apple ID from the gadget.
6. Attach prepared photos and scans to the letter.
7. Send your application to the appropriate addresses. If the “Find iPhone” option is blocked, you will have to write to a different address (it can be found on the official website), where the number of the first request to technical support is indicated in the subject line of the letter.
8. Wait for an answer.

After some time, Apple support staff will contact the complainant. The Apple ID account will either be restored (you will receive an email with a recovery and unlock link) or it will be unlinked from the iPhone. This means that you will be able to enter your profile data for further work.

Method 6: Fix verification error using iOS System Recovery

Download this program for free on your Windows or Mac computer. Launch it and select "iOS System Recovery" to fix your Apple ID verification code error professionally.

When you determine the main interface of iOS System Recovery, you need to connect your iPhone to the computer using a USB cable.

Click the Start button and follow the on-screen instructions to put your iPhone into DFU mode step by step. As a result, your iPhone or iPad is completely discoverable.

You can see basic information about your iOS device. Check and correct the wrong part manually. Otherwise, your iPhone will be bricked during repair.

The moment you click the "Recover" button, iOS System Recovery will start downloading and automatically fixing the verification error.

Have you resolved your Apple ID verification error issues using the above solutions? If you have any questions or advice, please contact us. You can also leave them in the comments below.

By phone

Need to unlock your iPhone? Is the Apple ID forgotten or has someone already used their account on the device? Then you can try to call Call-. Sometimes you can restore your profile or reset it over the phone.

What should the owner of this device do? Instructions for resetting/restoring Apple ID through the Call Center are as follows:

1. Call the Apple hotline.
2. Inform the center employee of your desire. For example, reset your account or unblock it.
3. Answer several security questions.
4. Provide the data from the receipt for the purchase of a smartphone/tablet. Other information that can confirm the fact of actual ownership of the gadget may be useful.
5. Provide contacts for feedback. For example, e-mail or mobile number.
6. Wait for a letter (or SMS) from technical support or reset your Apple ID account.

This technique is used extremely rarely in practice. Now it’s clear how to unlock an iPhone (password and Apple ID) if the phone belongs to the owner, and someone else’s account is activated.

How do you know if your iPhone has been hacked?

The attackers themselves inform users that their Apple account has been hacked. If a request to pay for unlocking appears on the gadget’s screen, you can be sure: you have been “hacked”!

Most often, the message on the screen is written in Latin letters, but in Russian. For example, like this:

The message always contains a mailing address, which the user is asked to write to in order to receive instructions on unlocking the iPhone.

Another sign of “hacking” is the presence in the mail (the address of which coincides with the Apple ID ) of a letter notifying that iCloud accessed from a web browser using your authorization data.

The letter always contains information about the browser used to log in and the PC operating system. If a browser is mentioned that has never been on your computer, this is an obvious reason to sound the alarm.

Similar notifications are sent to your email after each visit to iCloud . If the real owner of the account logged into the “cloud” an Apple ID then he should send such a letter to the “Trash” the first time he checks the mailbox - so as not to get confused later and not miss the message about the threat.

Apple Contacts

You can reach Apple technical support using the numbers listed on the official website or on the box in which the device was sold. Calls are accepted from Monday to Friday from 9:00 am to 21:00 pm Moscow time.

You can also contact Apple technical support by email. The email addresses that can be used to restore accounts and unlink them have already been discussed earlier.

Apple ID errors and how to fix them

The Apple ID error usually occurs when a user tries to log into their account when installing an application through the AppStore, making a purchase in iTunes, or turning on the device after updating iOS. This problem often appears in iOS versions 9.3.2 and 10 - this is due to Apple's transition to a two-factor authentication system.

First, make sure your Apple ID is valid. Checking this is quite simple: go to the Apple website and enter your account information - it should open. If this does not happen, you are either entering the information incorrectly or have forgotten your password. If the information is lost irretrievably, register a new “account”. If everything is fine with the Apple ID, then you need to find out the cause of the error by sequentially checking the options described below.

Error connecting to server

Messages like “Error connecting to the server”, “Failed connecting to Apple ID”, etc. occur for the following reasons:

Date, time and time zone settings are set in the menu “Settings” - “General” - “Date and time”

The serial number of the device should be displayed when you go to “Settings” - “General” - “About this device”

The current version of iOS and available updates are checked in the menu “Settings” - “General” - “Software Updates”

To fix network problems, restart the device, in the “Settings” - “Wi-Fi” menu, select the name of your network, click “Forget this network” and connect to it again

On the official Apple website you can see the current status and performance of Apple servers - sometimes failures occur due to technical work

To remove jailbreak, you need to go to iTunes from your PC and select “Restore iPhone” (or iPad)

Access to Apple servers can be blocked by antiviruses and similar programs. Remember that they are not needed in iOS - you can safely disable them.

There are two more ways to solve the problem connecting to the Apple server:

To log out of your account, click on its name in the iTunes Store and AppStore menus

To completely erase all settings on your iPhone or iPad, select “Erase content and settings” in the “Reset” menu (“Settings” - “General”)

Video: what to do if an Apple ID connection error occurs

Failure to sign in to Apple ID account

Failure to log in to your account sometimes occurs due to software problems on the server - then you need to wait until the technical work is completed. How to check this is described above, but if the problem is not on Apple’s side, then you should go through activation through the iTunes program. To do this, you need to launch it on your PC and follow these steps:

To de-authorize in iTunes, select the appropriate item in the “Account” menu - “Authorization”

If you cannot authorize your computer, then in the settings window you need to select “Set up as a new iPhone”

3. In the “Store” menu in the upper left corner, log in.

Log in: in the upper left corner, click “Store” and select the appropriate menu item

Invalid Apple ID

The error that you entered an incorrect Apple ID along with a message that it cannot be used to unlock your device occurs for two reasons:

Apple ID not found

This error appears when logging into your account, and its reason is simple - you forgot your exact login or password. In this situation, you can take the following actions:

You can recover your Apple ID password on the official Apple website

To view your iTunes ID, look at the details of any previously purchased app.

To find out your Apple ID, just go to settings: it is listed in the iTunes Store and AppStore section

Remember, it's best to use one Apple ID - it simplifies access to all applications and avoids confusion.

Apple ID creation fails

When creating an Apple ID, the system may also generate errors - usually this happens due to the user’s carelessness. Here are a few reasons why ID creation may fail:

Video: how to create an Apple ID without errors

Sometimes the system displays a message that the maximum possible number of free Apple IDs has already been activated on this device - this happens when you are not the first owner of the device (it is impossible to activate more than three accounts on one device). If you have a computer with MacOS, you can activate your account from it. Otherwise, find an iOS device from your friends or acquaintances, on which you can activate your Apple ID.

This Apple ID is valid but is not an iCloud account

This rather rare problem occurs in two cases:

To activate Apple ID in iCloud, you need to select the appropriate item in the settings and enter your account information

To prevent your account from being hacked, it is advisable to enable two-factor authentication.

Disabling Apple ID

If you receive the message “Your Apple ID has been disabled,” it’s annoying, but not fatal. Most likely, you have violated some rules for using the identifier. Apple disables an account for several reasons:

Apple ID deactivation usually occurs due to violation of the rules for its use

The easiest way is to create a new Apple ID, but if too much data was tied to the old ID, then it must be restored. To do this, you will have to contact Apple technical support. You need to find out the exact reason for deactivating your account, eliminate it and reactivate your Apple ID.

Russian-language support can be contacted from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. by phone numbers listed on the company’s official website. There you can order a call back by filling out a special form and start a chat with a specialist. If you speak English, write a letter to the email address indicated on the site and state your problem.

On the official Apple website you can order a call from a technical support specialist if you don’t want to call there yourself

Technical support will tell you the real reason for the shutdown and offer ways to cancel it. In the worst case scenario, you will be informed that your Apple ID is blocked forever - then you will have to create a new ID.

Unfortunately, problems with Apple ID do not allow you to freely use applications installed on your iOS device, and generally cause a lot of inconvenience. Remember that a hard reboot with data reset is an extreme way out of the situation; most often, errors with your Apple account can be resolved in other ways. And, of course, be careful!

Category: Computers and IT

Most owners of modern gadgets encounter some errors during the process of using the device. Users of iOS devices were no exception. Problems with Apple devices often involve the inability to log into your Apple ID.

Apple ID is a single account that is used for communication between all Apple services (iCloud, iTunes, App Store, etc.). However, very often there are difficulties connecting, registering or logging into your account. The “Verification failed, login failed” error is one such difficulty. This article will point out ways to solve the error that has appeared, getting rid of which will allow you to use the device’s capabilities one hundred percent.

Bypassing Activation Lock

We found out how to unlock Apple ID if you forgot your password. And what to do if the user needs to reset the account, too. How to bypass Activation Lock?

It is recommended to resort to this technique only in extreme cases. Using the appropriate method makes it impossible for the device to communicate. For example, after bypassing Activation Lock, you will not be able to make calls, write SMS, or send MMS. The phone will turn into something like an iPad.

If you want to figure out how to unlock your iPhone (Apple ID) and bypass Activation Lock, you can follow these steps:

1. Turn on your mobile device and wait until Activate iPhone appears.
2. Press and hold the Home button on your device.
3. Open Internet connection settings.
4. Select one or another Wi-Fi network.
5. Tap on DHCP.
6. Specify a new network IP address. For example, you can use this combination 78.109.17.60. It is used for Russia and most other regions of the world.
7. Save changes and click the "Back" button.
8. Click on Done.
9. Tap on the line Activation Help.

That's all. Now you can use the device, but with significant restrictions. As already mentioned, instead of a smartphone, a person will have something like an iPad.

Situations: When Apple ID verification fails

The validation error does not occur in many different cases. Below are typical situations when verification fails when connecting to the Apple ID server and others. Just read and see if you have similar experience or not.

During this time, you may see three warnings.

Well, by checking the above points, you can fix the validation error, unknown error occurred more easily than before. Now just move on to the following paragraphs and find out how to fix the verification issues.

About unlocking someone else's device

How to unlock an iPhone? Forgot your Apple ID or didn't know it at all? If you fail to prove the fact of purchasing the device through technical support, you will either have to remember your login details in the Apple system or refuse to work with your profile.

What about the found phone? Usually it is not possible to unlock it and use it for further purposes. Apple smartphones usually either have two-factor verification or a screen lock. In addition, any attempts to hack Apple ID will lead to account freeze. And then only its real owner will be able to resume working with the device.

What follows from this? The found iPhone will have to be returned to the owner. The maximum that a person can do is to find contacts to contact the owner of the found device. It is also recommended to keep the device’s battery infected and connect to the Internet.

How is this possible

When attempting to hack, a similar scheme is used.

First, you need to obtain the victim's credentials. For this purpose, banal observation or data collection through special applications can be used. It's no secret that some programs can collect statistics, including the user's personal data.

When the victim's password is in hand, the attackers receive a copy of his SIM card. Now this is quite easy to do; you can forge some documents, photocopies, etc. or use the “help” of a cellular operator employee.

This is how a complete stranger can get your username and password, as well as your work phone number. But that’s all you need to pass two-factor authentication.

Yes, it takes a lot of time and effort to get everything you need, however, with the right level of preparation, anything is possible.

Now you can block any victim’s device without owning any of his trusted gadgets.