6 ms·

The unexpected appleID problem is, in my opinion, a world stopping bug...the kind that would cause a code red meltdown if it wasn't fixed 24 hours. This bug has

The unexpected appleID problem is, in my opinion, a world stopping bug...the kind that would cause a code red meltdown if it wasn't fixed 24 hours. This bug has been reported for years, with no resolution. The apple stores pretend the problem doesnt exist or they give you the runaround because their product that "Just Works" doesnt have a fix for it yet. My wife, who was a hopeless apple junkie, has decided that her current iPhone5 will be her last apple product...with her continued frustration with AppleId authentication being the straw that broke the camels back.

larrik 14y ago
I read the whole article, and I read all the HN comments (so far), but I still have no idea what the "unexpected appleID problem" is. Care to explain, for the unintiated like me?
- saosebastiao 14y ago
  When it prompts you to log in, it will pull up your appleID for you, but it gets it wrong. It will pull up some random other appleID...sometimes an old one you created for iTunes using a hotmail account you haven't checked since 2004, but sometimes a completely random other person's appleID. The authentication is unpredictable too...my wife has successfully signed on to her current account using an old password and successfully signed on to an old account using her new accounts password. Most of the time she can't sign on at all.
  - vacri 14y ago
    How is that even possible? What could be the possible rationale for keeping old passwords stored? Crazy.
    - larrik 14y ago
      Normally it would to be prevent users from reusing their most recent N passwords, for security. I don't believe Apple does that anywhere, though.
      - erichocean 14y ago
        I can confirm that they do.
      - vacri 14y ago
        I suppose thinking about it, as long as they're hashed and salted, it's less of a problem... but it's still crazy that the system could fail that way.
    - archivator 14y ago
      You're assuming it's intentional. The first thing that comes to my mind is inconsistent state between multiple authentication servers.
  - r00fus 14y ago
    Sign on to what? iCloud? Is there a forum thread or discussion somewhere that actually describes this in more details? I've never gotten this before.
    - saosebastiao 14y ago
      https://discussions.apple.com/thread/4342193?start=0&tstart=0 https://discussions.apple.com/thread/4342193?start=0&tst...
Terretta 14y ago
If trying to juggle more than one apple ID in the same storefront is breaking the camel's back, she's in for a world of soul crushing disappointment with any less UX polished product -- which is pretty much all the rest of them.
- saosebastiao 14y ago
  With my much less polished Android UI, at least I can use my phone.
  - Terretta 14y ago
    Someone can't use an iPhone because they're juggling Apple IDs? First, it supports multiple IDs, the limit is one ID per storefront or sync. Second, if this isn't about multiple IDs but about multiple addresses for a single ID, and if you don't like it supporting the old addresses, go to http://appleid.apple.com http://appleid.apple.com and manage them. You can update, edit, and remove old email addresses, decide what your primary one is, etc. I find it helpful to ensure 100% of all services across all devices are using the same exact ID aka email address; one way to enforce this is to be sure your appleID account only has one listed. On the other hand, if she has inadvertently created multiple IDs over the years, she needs to either settle on one ID per service (my wife has one for music, one for apps, one for iCloud), or she needs to ditch the extra ones and standardize on a single one. To tell if they're the same or multiple accounts, again, go to http://appleid.apple.com/ http://appleid.apple.com/ and log in with the one you think is the master, be sure the others are listed. If not, they're separate IDs. None of this stops her from using her phone. Conveniently, all these phones fine with or without the ID. FWIW, on my Galaxy Nexus I find managing multiple Google Accounts and cloud data sync more precarious. Sure, there's an easy radio button to pick accounts in the Google Play store, for example, but once I made sure I'm using the same ID across devices I've never had a bookmarks, contacts, calendar, or messages sync issue with iCloud, while I am having to go in and reset sync settings for bookmarks, contacts, etc., every couple weeks on Jellybean. And I usually don't know the sync is broken again until I notice something's missing, check sync settings, and see the broken sync alert.

larrik 14y ago

I read the whole article, and I read all the HN comments (so far), but I still have no idea what the "unexpected appleID problem" is. Care to explain, for the unintiated like me?

saosebastiao 14y ago
When it prompts you to log in, it will pull up your appleID for you, but it gets it wrong. It will pull up some random other appleID...sometimes an old one you created for iTunes using a hotmail account you haven't checked since 2004, but sometimes a completely random other person's appleID. The authentication is unpredictable too...my wife has successfully signed on to her current account using an old password and successfully signed on to an old account using her new accounts password. Most of the time she can't sign on at all.
- vacri 14y ago
  How is that even possible? What could be the possible rationale for keeping old passwords stored? Crazy.
  - larrik 14y ago
    Normally it would to be prevent users from reusing their most recent N passwords, for security. I don't believe Apple does that anywhere, though.
    - erichocean 14y ago
      I can confirm that they do.
    - vacri 14y ago
      I suppose thinking about it, as long as they're hashed and salted, it's less of a problem... but it's still crazy that the system could fail that way.
  - archivator 14y ago
    You're assuming it's intentional. The first thing that comes to my mind is inconsistent state between multiple authentication servers.
- r00fus 14y ago
  Sign on to what? iCloud? Is there a forum thread or discussion somewhere that actually describes this in more details? I've never gotten this before.
  - saosebastiao 14y ago
    https://discussions.apple.com/thread/4342193?start=0&tstart=0 https://discussions.apple.com/thread/4342193?start=0&tst...

Terretta 14y ago

If trying to juggle more than one apple ID in the same storefront is breaking the camel's back, she's in for a world of soul crushing disappointment with any less UX polished product -- which is pretty much all the rest of them.

saosebastiao 14y ago
With my much less polished Android UI, at least I can use my phone.
- Terretta 14y ago
  Someone can't use an iPhone because they're juggling Apple IDs? First, it supports multiple IDs, the limit is one ID per storefront or sync. Second, if this isn't about multiple IDs but about multiple addresses for a single ID, and if you don't like it supporting the old addresses, go to http://appleid.apple.com http://appleid.apple.com and manage them. You can update, edit, and remove old email addresses, decide what your primary one is, etc. I find it helpful to ensure 100% of all services across all devices are using the same exact ID aka email address; one way to enforce this is to be sure your appleID account only has one listed. On the other hand, if she has inadvertently created multiple IDs over the years, she needs to either settle on one ID per service (my wife has one for music, one for apps, one for iCloud), or she needs to ditch the extra ones and standardize on a single one. To tell if they're the same or multiple accounts, again, go to http://appleid.apple.com/ http://appleid.apple.com/ and log in with the one you think is the master, be sure the others are listed. If not, they're separate IDs. None of this stops her from using her phone. Conveniently, all these phones fine with or without the ID. FWIW, on my Galaxy Nexus I find managing multiple Google Accounts and cloud data sync more precarious. Sure, there's an easy radio button to pick accounts in the Google Play store, for example, but once I made sure I'm using the same ID across devices I've never had a bookmarks, contacts, calendar, or messages sync issue with iCloud, while I am having to go in and reset sync settings for bookmarks, contacts, etc., every couple weeks on Jellybean. And I usually don't know the sync is broken again until I notice something's missing, check sync settings, and see the broken sync alert.