I lost my only Apple device about a week ago. I can still access iCloud, Find My, and the Developer portal, but account.apple.com won't send a verification code when I try to change my password. The trusted phone number is still active, and I successfully received a code for the Developer portal recently, so SMS delivery itself seems to work. I've also started receiving unexpected four-digit codes, which makes me worry someone is trying to access the account. I'm planning to buy another iPhone temporarily so I can transfer my WhatsApp chats before moving back to Android, but I'm concerned I'll run into the same verification problem. What should I do?
2 Answers
Apple two-factor authentication codes are normally six digits. Unexpected four-digit messages may be unrelated or could be someone entering your number while trying to sign in. Don’t share any codes, approve unfamiliar sign-in prompts, or click links in suspicious messages. Mark the lost phone as lost, contact your carrier to suspend or replace the SIM if necessary, and change the account password once you regain access.
Start Apple’s official account recovery process if the trusted device or number isn’t being offered correctly. It can take some time, but repeatedly guessing or resetting things could make the situation more complicated. When you set up another iPhone, use the same trusted number and follow the recovery prompts if the code doesn’t arrive.
That’s what I’m doing now. My main concern is being unable to verify the account on a replacement iPhone even though the same number and email still work.