Since 2020 there has been an increase in reports of Apple product owners being prompted to Update Apple ID Settings on their devices, but when they sign in it hangs.
A notification appears on the device accompanied by a warning that says “some account services will not be available until you sign in again”.
A prompt requests the owner to Sign in to iCloud using their Apple credentials.
This alert is titled Apple ID Suggestions on iPhone and iPad and appears under Settings.
No matter how many times the owner tries, the red circular warning never goes away and the process seems to hang.
For some, it appears to be triggered by a change in the Apple ID password. For others, it happens after an iOS upgrade.
The issue seems to be worse for owners that have multiple Apple products registered to a single Apple ID.
Regardless of the cause, when the owner tries to verify their Apple account details by signing in, the verification process gets stuck.
In this guide you will find out:
- Fixes for the Apple ID Settings getting stuck.
- Why you are asked to update Apple ID settings.
- How to update your Apple ID.
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How to fix Update Apple ID Settings being stuck
There are a number of fixes that you can try to get your Apple ID to work properly.
Try these solutions in the order they are listed and the Apple ID Settings will no longer be stuck.
Check your internet connection works properly
Check you have a good quality, stable internet connection. Preferably via WiFi.
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If you don’t, then connectivity could be the reason you can’t Update the Apple ID settings.
Do the following:
- If you are using WiFi, reboot your router.
- Make sure you don’t have airplane mode enabled on your phone. This can be toggled off in Settings > Airplane Mode.
- Make sure you are connected to the right WiFi network. This can be checked under Settings > WiFi. Make sure you recognize the network your iPhone is attempting to connect to.
- Toggle WiFi off, then back on again in Settings > WiFi > WiFi toggle switch.
- If you are using cellular data, make sure your calling plan has not run out of credit.
- On cellular, check you have data roaming switched on under Settings > Cellular Data > Cellular Data toggle switch.
- If you are not using WiFi, turn it off by going to Settings > WiFi > WiFi toggle switch.
Check the iCloud System Status
The iCloud system is managed via Apple servers located online. If there is a problem with the Apple servers it may prevent you from signing in.
It is a good idea to check if Apple is suffering from an outage or other problems with its infrastructure that may explain the error.
To check the status do the following:
- On a web browser, go to apple.com/support/systemstatus.
- Check the Apple ID and iCloud systems. If the status light is green, it means the service is OK.
- You can also contact support to report an issue by clicking the link that says:Â If you are experiencing an issue not listed here, contact support.
- If there is an outage, the status shows red. Wait for a few hours until it goes green, then check if the systems are back up again so you can update your Apple ID settings
Sign out of iCloud completely on the device
This is the solution that worked for me.
To clear the glitch you sign out of iCloud completely on your device, then sign back in again.
This will remove any cached data that may be causing the issue and start the sign-in process fresh.
Even after doing so, you still may be prompted for your Apple ID again. To stop being asked to provide your Apple account password simply reboot your device.
To do this process on an iPhone or iPad, do the following:
- On your device, tap Settings.
- Then tap [your name].
- Scroll all the way down, then tap Sign Out.
- When prompted, enter your Apple ID password.
- You will now be signed out of iCloud on your device. If you want to keep your data on your device merge your iCloud data.
- Go back to the Settings.
- At the top of the screen, tap Sign in to iCloud.
- When prompted, provide your Apple ID and password. Upon logging in you still may be prompted to Update Apple ID Settings. Ignore this notification for now.
- Reboot your device.
- Once your device is up again, tap Settings.
- The Update Apple ID Settings will be updated, and the notification will disappear.
Sign out of iCloud on all your Apple products
If you use multiple Apple devices with your iCloud account, and the previous fix did not work, you should sign out of them all.
This is particularly important if you have changed, recovered, or reset your Apple ID password recently.
Logging all of the devices out ensures that all of them start afresh and don’t confuse iCloud with different passwords on each product.
The full process would be as follows:
- On each Apple product, sign out of iCloud.
- Once you have signed out all of your devices take the first one and sign in again with your Apple ID.
- Upon logging in you still may be prompted to Update Apple ID Settings. Ignore this message for now.
- Reboot your device.
- Once your device is up and running again, tap Settings. The Update Apple ID Settings should no longer appear.
- Move on to your next Apple product and repeat steps 1-5.
- Repeat the process until you have logged in to all your devices using your Apple ID.
Reset your Apple ID password
A password mismatch between iCloud, your Apple ID, and your device may be the cause. To fix this, reset your Apple ID password.
The easiest way to perform the password reset is via a web browser using the following steps:
- Go to appleid.apple.com and click Sign in.
- Under the Sign in box, click Forgotten your Apple ID orÂ
- .Enter your Apple ID, then click Continue. If your Apple ID is locked, see How to unlock your Apple account.
- If prompted, confirm your phone number or other memorable information. A notification will be sent to your other Apple devices.
Once you have reset your password sign in on your device again with the new details. Then reboot your device to clear the Update Apple ID Settings notification.
For more information, see How to reset Apple ID password if you forget it. Also, see How to unlock a locked iCloud account.
How To Update Apple ID Settings
It is very easy to update your Apple ID settings if everything is working properly.
You only need to do the following:
- On an iPhone or iPad, Open Settings.
- Tap the Update Apple ID Settings notification. It will be highlighted with a red circle.
- When prompted, enter your Apple ID password.
If everything is operating as it should, the notification should disappear.
What does “Update Apple ID Settings” mean?
If you are notified to Update Apple ID Settings you need to confirm your Apple ID password for the account you are signed in with. This is a common occurrence on Apple devices to ensure your account is secure.
You may also be prompted to Update Apple ID Settings if you have recently signed out of iCloud on your device. The message may even persist after you log in again, meaning you have to sign in twice.
The confusing nature of this message means it may appear you are properly signed in. When you check on your device you will even see your name and other iCloud information. However, this is not the case and you need to confirm your password to allow full usage of the iCloud features.
Since your Apple ID links your device to iCloud you may not have full access to all of your synced data on your device. This means it is vital that you rectify this issue.
Why does your device ask you to “Update Apple ID Settings”?
The reason your device prompts you for your Apple ID password is to confirm your identity and continue to give you full usage of iCloud data and features.
Security and privacy are important to Apple and having this additional safeguard ensure your data is safe from hackers.
Being asked to Update Apple ID Settings can be annoying but personal data such as credit card numbers, contacts, messages, and photos falling into the wrong hands is far worse.
What is doubly annoying with this issue is when you sign in but it sticks leaving you in a never-ending cycle of entering your password.
