I received a new iPhone and am trying to transfer everything from my old phone, but I can't sign in to my Apple account. I'm convinced I know the password, yet I run out of attempts before I can try the variations I remember. The account recovery process then asked for my phone's passcode, which was rejected even though that same passcode still unlocks the phone normally. I received a message saying I would get a call or text within a few days to start recovery, but nothing ever came through. I restarted the process and now the waiting period has begun again. Is there any other way to regain access? Can an Apple Store help, and would I be able to return the new phone if I can't complete the transfer?
3 Answers
Check whether you have an iPad or Mac that’s already signed in to the same account. On a trusted device, open your account settings, go to the sign-in and security section, and try changing the account password there. That may work without waiting for full account recovery.
Apple Support can explain the recovery process and help confirm that your request is active, but they generally can’t bypass the security waiting period or reset the account manually. Since starting over usually resets the timer, the best move now is to leave the current request alone and check its status regularly. It may finish earlier than the estimated date.
If you still have the old phone, make sure its passcode works there too. Also, the device passcode and your Apple account password are two separate credentials, so it’s possible for the phone passcode to unlock the device while being rejected during account recovery.
That explains the confusion. The passcode unlocks my old phone normally, but the recovery screen rejects it, so I must have been mixing up the device passcode with the Apple account password.