Apple ID Account Hassles Continue

2015-08-16 • SEND FEEDBACK |
Related: Apple, Apple iOS, Apple iPhone and iPad, backup, iOS, passphrase, security, SSD

This is what I would write to Apple:

Dear Apple,

I have a strong password.

I do NOT want my account with a strong password disabled at Apple whim—you see, this is a constant hassle because my account is attacked regularly. So Apple disables my account every two weeks or so. This is not working for me, eh?

And why does my account disable itself immediately after I authenticate successfully for a system update? More Core Rot I presume? But in the Cloud too.

Worse, the strong password is a big hassle to enter on an iPhone or iPad. Apple actively encourages poor-quality passwords due to the ill-considered keyboard design: the back/forth to enter special characters and upper vs lower case, as well as the tiny size that I literally cannot see in dim light. And those tiny buttons on the keyboard are just too small for my chunky fingers. Worse, the keyboard won’t enlarge in landscape orientation to fill the screen; it stays miniature. I don’t feel like playing this tedious game of trying to enter my password correctly with a poorly designed UI.

Yes, I want 2-factor auth for any sensitive operation, and I want Authy, not some text message or a nuisance, like the ill-considered unlock code that I cannot remember.

— Lloyd Chambers

Apple disables accounts regularly

Update: 6 hours later I got the same dialog and had to repeat the unlock process... now I realize that I had not signed in immediately after completing most of the process (including the Apple recovery key)—the process is multi-step and its completion is ambiguous (no M of N guide through it). Then I was forced to verify my credit card info, even though I had not attempted to buy anything (just launched iTunes)—I just wanted to access my own stuff (from CD) on my local hard drive.

Piling on, under some conditions iPhone won’t let me listen to my own music (from CDs) without cellular service enabled (just great when there is no service or I want to be in airport mode). The kitchen-sink crapware that is iTunes and the even worse Music app on the iPhone throw up so many hurdles and problems for my uses: listening to audiobooks. I could list all the problems, but I’m probably a niche user in my voluminous use of audiobooks so I’m cutting my losses on time spent here.