I used to work at an Apple Store. Almost nobody has their Apple ID password memorized. And they get very annoyed when you ask them to type it in.
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how many people actually know their iCloud password by heart in case the iPhone asks for it?
- Thread starter beerseagulls
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I've been fortunate in most cases to get a good genius when I go to our local Apple Stores. They do seem to appreciate that I do as much research as possible and describe not only the problem but all the troubleshooting steps I've already taken and the results. I imagine that makes their jobs much easier than me just coming in and saying "computer broken!" Not that you're doing that, of courseI got the battery on my 6s+ replaced at the Apple store in November 2021. It was one of the few times I got a really decent genius. He was surprised that (at that time) a six year old phone with no case (I don't use cases) was in such good condition. Having a home button also surprised him.
He did try to sell me on an iPad as a Mac substitute though, until I explained that my MacPro was driving six Cinema Displays.But it was nice being treated decently for once.
By the time I'm there, I know for sure that the problem is not solvable by my own efforts, or at least that only Apple can run the level of testing needed to even see what's wrong.
I’ve only gone to Apple stores for purchases, but when you go for a battery service, do they really try to upsell you?I got the battery on my 6s+ replaced at the Apple store in November 2021. It was one of the few times I got a really decent genius. He was surprised that (at that time) a six year old phone with no case (I don't use cases) was in such good condition. Having a home button also surprised him.
He did try to sell me on an iPad as a Mac substitute though, until I explained that my MacPro was driving six Cinema Displays.
The only comment I have when it comes to this is that I know exactly what I want when I go to buy something, so I just rattle off models and/or specs and that surprises them.
I was shocked when an Apple salesperson told me that… no, people don’t really know product features and what to buy. I’ve seen salespeople explaining iPad features and differences between the regular, Air and Pro to people who just made a purchase right there and 5 minutes before that they didn’t know anything about the products.
I don’t know, that’s not my style with anything. I’m not an audio expert and I’ve only purchased consumer electronics like your standard headphones and Bluetooth speakers… but you bet I knew every model available, their prices, and their specs. How do people decide otherwise???!!!
I guess this is just a facet of life where I just accept that decision-making is wholly individual.
I check available models and prices to buy even what I have absolutely no clue about.
Well, the last two times I was at the same store were both for battery replacements. One tried to upsell, the other didn't. And the one that didn't knew I wasn't buying so rather than waste time on me, he ended everything by saying he couldn't replace the battery. We both knew it was BS, but that particular store is always busy and he had metrics to meet. I wasn't contributing to that goal.
As a kid, I was often told 'no' for absolutely no justifiable reason, or simply to deny me something I wanted or was promised. My reaction to that was to always get as much info about something as I could, cover all my bases and go in prepared. I also try to solve my own problems through research before getting help. In this way, I minimize someone standing there and denying me. Or I understand why that is. 16 years with Sprint as my carrier also taught me that this should apply to business as well.
If you do things yourself, get things yourself, work around people and things that either try to block you or stop you then it's much harder for that stuff to be taken away or denied to you. So, I go in armed with info whenever I need to deal with a business. And that includes Apple.
But as you mention a lot of people don't. The argument I have found is that they don't have a lot of time. Which they imply to mean that they are too busy. But they aren't. What they really mean is that the thing they want done is not important enough to them to learn about, research and take action on. That's what salespeople, others, etc are for. But if it WAS important to them, they'd do all that. So, it's not about not having enough time - it's about that thing not being a priority, or even important.
Get with a group of average iPhone users and call all of them at the same time so all their phones are ringing at the same time. I'd make a bet that very few of them have actually bothered to change the default Apple ringtone. Why? It's not important to them. How many of them know how to change it? How many even know they can?! And that right there demonstrates the average Apple iDevice user.
We, here on this forum place a bit of importance and priority on Apple related things that are not remotely important to the average Apple user. It's why we are here. And why they are not.
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Yeah, I'm with you. I've absolutely done everything I can or am capable of before I go to an Apple store. If I were not so bad with small things, I'd replace the battery on my own iDevices myself. But, I've handled and broken larger parts so that sort of thing is likely to end with a non-functioning device for me.I've been fortunate in most cases to get a good genius when I go to our local Apple Stores. They do seem to appreciate that I do as much research as possible and describe not only the problem but all the troubleshooting steps I've already taken and the results. I imagine that makes their jobs much easier than me just coming in and saying "computer broken!" Not that you're doing that, of course
I have had Apple geniuses who do appreciate the work. And it often means I don't get treated like the typical Apple customer. But I am always prepared to deal with the few bad apples (ha!) I sometimes get.
There are absolutely tons of ways to get locked out of your iCloud account.
For one thing, you could fall victim to that shoulder-surfing PIN attack. Or maybe something like what happened to this guy. Or maybe this hack.
Or there's stuff like this: last year, I (and untold thousands of others) got booted out of iCloud on every device I own and had to reset my password. I got lucky and recovered within an hour, but some people commenting on these very forums were locked out for a week or more. Apple never acknowledged this at all, so for all we know it could happen tomorrow. I'm not keen on the idea of losing access to all my passwords for a day, much less a week, or forever, are you?
So, I keep all my passwords in 1Password, AND I back up all those passwords to a heavily encrypted disk image I keep on my Mac, all backups of my Mac, and which is uploaded to a couple cloud service. Paranoid? Maybe! But I'd rather spend 10 minutes a month knowing I have a plan B for all this stuff.
I knowhow many people actually know their iCloud password by heart in case the iPhone asks for it?
I've had two battery changes for two iPhones at two different Apple Store recently. They asked me to enter my iCloud password to unlock it before the battery change... not sure why that's even necessary, but I think they always ask for it anyway.
I took my spare phone out to look up my iCloud password. The Genus said something like "oh, how can you not remember it? anybody who uses iPhones ALWAYS know it by heart!"
Anyway, I got it from my other phone and entered it on the iPhone that was about to get a battery replacement. I just kept wondering if how many people actually know their iCloud password by heart in case the iPhone asks for it? Maybe I'm finally an old geezer who needs memory booster pills... or perhaps have the password tattooed to somewhere on my body, just in case?
I do. I use a pattern of numbers and symbols with a word in the middle of it, and change the word annually. That, conscientious device use, and 2FA should keep me safe enough.
I do, and I believe everyone should, however, I would say after administering all IT at my current company, maybe 5% of them know it by heart. 10% have it written down somewhere that may or may not be accessible, and if it is accessible, it’s probably amongst the 5 most recent other passwords they’ve used, and so it’s still a guessing game as to which one is actually current.
The other 90% have to do a password reset. Every. Single. Time.
The other 90% have to do a password reset. Every. Single. Time.
Yes, I know mine. I was thinking about allowing Apple to create a longer, more complex password for me. I wouldn’t be able to remember it then but my Apple device would. I don’t use it often. Right now, all of my passwords EXCEPT my Apple ID password are in Apple’s Passwords app. I hope that’s secure enough.
I know mine due to fiddling with extra Apple devices and adding/removing them often from my account and because of a bug a few months ago. My Apple Watch kept asking for it for every single download, and I was downloading a bunch of apps cause it was new at the time. That and the whole in store process of trying to figure out why engrained my password for good. I’m pretty confident it isn’t getting guessed because it is odd and long.
Wow, yeah, that’s not only super interesting, but I had also never thought about it in that way.
Nobody can minimise you if you know exactly what you want and what’s available.
It’s probably not interesting to them, but the economic aspect is also interesting. I doubt that the difference between the base iPad and the top-of-the-line Pro is irrelevant to all of them. To some, sure, but to all? I think that’s where the interest is most likely to be placed in.
The “that’s what salespeople are for” point is a little funny to me for the following (recent) reason: When I went to the Apple Store to buy the brand-new 11th-gen iPad (which had been released 6 days earlier), I asked the salesperson that was closest to the door so that I could be put in the queue. He told me “do you mean the 10th-gen?” And I said “no, the 11th-gen. It has the A16 processor and was released last week”. Everybody can make a mistake, it’s fine, and salespeople don’t have to be fans and can miss a detail like that, I don’t care, it was brand new, but this goes to show that if you know what you want, then small mistakes like those are quickly avoided.
I bought the iPad in about 30 seconds, they brought it to me two minutes later, I paid, and left. No issues, no hassle.
I also understand that some people close to me ask me for that information when it comes to what Apple devices to buy. Some people don’t have somebody that can help them. So they go to the Apple Store and ask salespeople. I’m pretty indecisive though, so I think I’m more surprised by their ability to think about that on the spot, pretty quickly. I wouldn’t be able to do that without the background information I already have.
I made my iPad decision quickly, but I already knew what models were available, and I knew what they had and what I was looking for. For me, making that decision without that information would be a far longer process.
I'm not indecisive myself. Deep down I know what I like and what I don't and it's those things that drive the products I buy. But figuring out what product to get based on those likes/dislikes can sometimes be a process.
However, whenever I go to buy, I already (like you) have the exact thing in mind that I will get. Which is why I research stuff, because thinking I'll get X and then being told 'NO', is not a great experience for me.
It's also why I tend to buy through channels of the least resistance. It's why I will ignore promos, deals, upgrades, etc. Because I want what I want and if there is no deal for that, then in getting what I want I will pay the full price. And I'm okay with that, because I am getting what I want.People probably ask you for your opinion/info because it's easier to just ask you then to find out themselves. Since you use this stuff, there's also the thought that you know what you're talking about. My wife does this to me. None of this stuff interests her at all, but if she does actually NEED to engage with it and it's something she hasn't grappled with before, she talks to me.
All that is a bit different then the people who claim they are 'too busy' and rely on salespeople or other 'experts'. Because that's their job right? They get paid to know this stuff? I've dealt with a few people like this and the voluntary ignorance because they are 'better' than everyone else (why else should they NOT have to learn this stuff) is astonishing some times.
I'm not saying every Apple customer, or customers in general are this way. Just there are quite a few that believe it's someone else's job to cater to them. And for that reason they do not have to be bothered to learn it.
This is all foreign to us here on MR. But, I've dealt with enough people in both my job and life to know that these people exist. Apple deals with many of these types every day. So, in some respects I have a little empathy for the geniuses. I just don't want them treating me the same way they would those types of customer.
https://www.yubico.com/products/yubikey-5-overview/
Get two and 3 is even better for back up in case one should go bad.
Learn how this all works deeply before getting and using them.
Hardware keys might be too much for some but once i learned and read all i can and it all started to make sense its easy peasy.
Major internet sites can use these keys.
I feel way better shopping online with them but feel naked without them.
Learn how they work first. I can`t emphasize that enough.
You can be forever locked out of an account possibly so study please.
Had some over 5 years now and still working great.
You dont have to use them on all sites either.
But shopping and banking you bet.
With Apple touchID and Touch or NFC on these and you are logged in and not a lot of typing to do.
Get two and 3 is even better for back up in case one should go bad.
Learn how this all works deeply before getting and using them.
Hardware keys might be too much for some but once i learned and read all i can and it all started to make sense its easy peasy.
Major internet sites can use these keys.
I feel way better shopping online with them but feel naked without them.
Learn how they work first. I can`t emphasize that enough.
You can be forever locked out of an account possibly so study please.
Had some over 5 years now and still working great.
You dont have to use them on all sites either.
But shopping and banking you bet.
With Apple touchID and Touch or NFC on these and you are logged in and not a lot of typing to do.