Random Apple ID password resets and lock-outs are plaguing iPhone, iPad and Mac users
If you were inexplicably logged out of your Apple ID this weekend and had to reset your password, you're not alone. It's been happening since Thursday (April 25), according to a slew of reports on social media of people turning on their iPhones, iPads, Macs and other Apple devices only to find they’ve been logged out. Worse still, nobody seems to know why.
Though I'm team Android, I can confirm the issue as a friend of mine with one of the best iPhones ran into it on Thursday. At the time, we were in a mad dash to catch her first Metra trip into Chicago, so I assumed Apple was prompting her to reset her password because of some issue with connecting her card to the train's fare app. Imagine my surprise when I logged on this weekend to see reports of the very same thing happening to many other Apple users.
In some cases, folks are finding that their Apple ID accounts have been logged out and they only need to log back in. But for some users, logging back in with the original password actually locks you out of the account until you update your password. Even more perplexing is that Apple’s System Status webpage shows no current issues with any of its services, so it’s not clear how widespread an issue this has been. That said, at least one Forbes contributor and several members of the crew at 9to5Mac report being affected.
Apple hasn't yet offered an explanation about what could be behind it, but we've reached out for comment and will update this once we know more. One Mastodon user who managed to get in touch with Apple's support team said they were told “sometimes random security improvements are added to your account.” Meanwhile on Reddit, a person posted in a thread about the issue that Apple support told them their password “was changed around midnight" on Saturday.
All of this is to say that if your Apple devices are acting strangely this weekend, you're in good company. Worst-case scenario, you may have to reset the password for your Apple ID. While you're at it, be sure to check out our round-up of the best Apple deals you can snag right now.
