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For a while iOS would just seemingly randomly ask me to enter my icloud password. I’m so used to this that without reading this article I would have literally f

by smcl 9y ago

For a while iOS would just seemingly randomly ask me to enter my icloud password. I’m so used to this that without reading this article I would have literally fall for this every single time.

davidcbc 9y ago
I had the same issue, but I was so paranoid that I would always cancel out and not put in my password. I'm 95% sure it was legit, but randomly asking my password for seemingly no reason made me paranoid.
- chadgeidel 9y ago
  Yeah, If i get a password prompt and I didn't do anything to "initiate" it, then i'm not typing my password in. I've never had anything fail using this behavior so I feel I'm safe. "feel" being the operative word here - am I safer? Who knows?
josefresco 9y ago
I have a joke with my family that I am forced to enter iTunes password on at least one iOS device - daily. We share one iTunes account, and when you enter the password on one device, all the others prompt for a password when unlocked. It's mildly frustrating when you have kids, and multiple iOS devices. The scenario goes like this: One of my kids' Messages app stops working (thanks Apple!). I am forced to turn off/on Messages, and during the process Apple asks for my password. Then, when I attempt to use my other iOS devices, I am prompted for the same password ... on ... every ... device. Then, about 20% of the time the password does not "take" and I am forced to ignore and attempt at a later time. /rant
- zippergz 9y ago
  An aside, but wouldn’t you be better off with each person having their own Apple ID and using family sharing to share apps and such?
  - ballenf 9y ago
    There's one annoying omission from family sharing: no IAP are included. And almost every kids game has one. Not talking freemium but just ones with one free level that gets kids hooked.
    - jrowley 9y ago
      IAP = In App Purchases
    - zippergz 9y ago
      Oh, interesting. I hadn't encountered that, but that's very annoying.
    - yardie 9y ago
      That doesn't appear to be the case for us. We have sharing and my spouse and son make IAPs frequently. For him, I'm alerted to authorize the payment.
      - ballenf 9y ago
        You can share the payment method, but family members can't benefit from the "unlock" of the IAP and must each purchase it separately.
        yardie 9y ago
        I believe that is set by the app creator so that users wouldn't try to load the same subscription under multiple accounts. I'm speaking of the general app purchases, and family subscriptions we haven't had an issue with.
  - josefresco 9y ago
    I'm sure there is a better way, but it would probably require a "weekends worth" of time to convert my entire iOS empire. When we started with Apple, "family sharing" and "ask to buy" wasn't a thing (so I'm not locked into the shared model) but I will definitely check it out - I didn't know I could create an Apple ID for my child AND share apps among all family members. For those interested: https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT201084 https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT201084
- djrogers 9y ago
  I’m not sure if something is screwed up with your account or your devices or what, but I do t have that wacky experience amongst all my devices that share an account (~7-8 of them).
- zoltaan 9y ago
  The Apple's way of implementing authentication into the various services caused me a lot of frustration. All this constant password reassurances combined with the necessity of complex passwords that is difficult to type in on an iOS device and the previously very persistent enforcement of constant user agreement updates made me use the least possible services. It was far from a pleasant user experience. I might have missed several things, interestingly looking non-essential programs or cool iCloud features that I gave up to avoid these annoyances, but that is it now. I will never know. It is still enough to 'click' those remaining stupid messages away that block you from using the device, like click away warning about the accuracy of local positioning when I want to make a photo on a situation that goes away in 3 seconds (so eventually no point of warning me about metadata of a photo not happening), it is absolutely wrong obstructing the user more, repeatedly, in using its device. I guess I accepted not to use the iPhone that much as its potentials would allow. I don't trust it (firstly just about its usability, now about its security as well).
sgustard 9y ago
I agree, the ongoing and erratic basis that my devices ask me to sign in to iCloud is a serious flaw. I already find iCloud a completely opaque mess of services that I don't understand, and this doesn't help. The only saving grace is that cancelling out of these requests usually has no obvious downside.
criddell 9y ago
I've experienced this as well. I seem to be able to just cancel out of it but I'd like to know what's triggering it. It would be nice if the password box had some text to explain the context of the request. So why does iCloud(?) randomly ask for credentials?
giobox 9y ago
Me too. For a while it was truly awful on my Mac as well, constantly requiring a login. Signing out from all my devices and logging in again finally put it to bed, but it's seriously concerning when you consider how much sensitive info is carried by iCloud.

by smcl 9y ago

For a while iOS would just seemingly randomly ask me to enter my icloud password. I’m so used to this that without reading this article I would have literally fall for this every single time.

davidcbc 9y ago

I had the same issue, but I was so paranoid that I would always cancel out and not put in my password. I'm 95% sure it was legit, but randomly asking my password for seemingly no reason made me paranoid.

chadgeidel 9y ago
Yeah, If i get a password prompt and I didn't do anything to "initiate" it, then i'm not typing my password in. I've never had anything fail using this behavior so I feel I'm safe. "feel" being the operative word here - am I safer? Who knows?

josefresco 9y ago

I have a joke with my family that I am forced to enter iTunes password on at least one iOS device - daily. We share one iTunes account, and when you enter the password on one device, all the others prompt for a password when unlocked. It's mildly frustrating when you have kids, and multiple iOS devices. The scenario goes like this: One of my kids' Messages app stops working (thanks Apple!). I am forced to turn off/on Messages, and during the process Apple asks for my password. Then, when I attempt to use my other iOS devices, I am prompted for the same password ... on ... every ... device. Then, about 20% of the time the password does not "take" and I am forced to ignore and attempt at a later time. /rant

zippergz 9y ago
An aside, but wouldn’t you be better off with each person having their own Apple ID and using family sharing to share apps and such?
- ballenf 9y ago
  There's one annoying omission from family sharing: no IAP are included. And almost every kids game has one. Not talking freemium but just ones with one free level that gets kids hooked.
  - jrowley 9y ago
    IAP = In App Purchases
  - zippergz 9y ago
    Oh, interesting. I hadn't encountered that, but that's very annoying.
  - yardie 9y ago
    That doesn't appear to be the case for us. We have sharing and my spouse and son make IAPs frequently. For him, I'm alerted to authorize the payment.
    - ballenf 9y ago
      You can share the payment method, but family members can't benefit from the "unlock" of the IAP and must each purchase it separately.
      - yardie 9y ago
        I believe that is set by the app creator so that users wouldn't try to load the same subscription under multiple accounts. I'm speaking of the general app purchases, and family subscriptions we haven't had an issue with.
- josefresco 9y ago
  I'm sure there is a better way, but it would probably require a "weekends worth" of time to convert my entire iOS empire. When we started with Apple, "family sharing" and "ask to buy" wasn't a thing (so I'm not locked into the shared model) but I will definitely check it out - I didn't know I could create an Apple ID for my child AND share apps among all family members. For those interested: https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT201084 https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT201084
djrogers 9y ago
I’m not sure if something is screwed up with your account or your devices or what, but I do t have that wacky experience amongst all my devices that share an account (~7-8 of them).
zoltaan 9y ago
The Apple's way of implementing authentication into the various services caused me a lot of frustration. All this constant password reassurances combined with the necessity of complex passwords that is difficult to type in on an iOS device and the previously very persistent enforcement of constant user agreement updates made me use the least possible services. It was far from a pleasant user experience. I might have missed several things, interestingly looking non-essential programs or cool iCloud features that I gave up to avoid these annoyances, but that is it now. I will never know. It is still enough to 'click' those remaining stupid messages away that block you from using the device, like click away warning about the accuracy of local positioning when I want to make a photo on a situation that goes away in 3 seconds (so eventually no point of warning me about metadata of a photo not happening), it is absolutely wrong obstructing the user more, repeatedly, in using its device. I guess I accepted not to use the iPhone that much as its potentials would allow. I don't trust it (firstly just about its usability, now about its security as well).

sgustard 9y ago

I agree, the ongoing and erratic basis that my devices ask me to sign in to iCloud is a serious flaw. I already find iCloud a completely opaque mess of services that I don't understand, and this doesn't help. The only saving grace is that cancelling out of these requests usually has no obvious downside.

criddell 9y ago

I've experienced this as well. I seem to be able to just cancel out of it but I'd like to know what's triggering it. It would be nice if the password box had some text to explain the context of the request. So why does iCloud(?) randomly ask for credentials?

giobox 9y ago

Me too. For a while it was truly awful on my Mac as well, constantly requiring a login. Signing out from all my devices and logging in again finally put it to bed, but it's seriously concerning when you consider how much sensitive info is carried by iCloud.