iPhone 8/Plus iOS does not recognize valid security code

[secretk]

Hello all!

Sorry if such thread already exists. I could not find similar thread.

Just 15 minutes ago I backed up my iPhone 8. Then I saw that there is new iOS update for install (iOS 13.1). I wanted to download and install it but it asked for a security code. I entered my security code and the phone could not recognize it. It is a valid security code but for some reason the phone refuses to recognize it.

I restarted the phone in attempt to solve this issue but now I cannot use the phone because it continues refusing to recognize it.

I am getting pissed. Stupid iOS. I cannot believe this. Not only it is buggy as hell (in the last few days I encounter bugs in Camera and Skype few times a day) but now I cannot even use the phone. It is complete BS.

I am glad that the company paid for this garbage and not me. However it is a company phone and I need it to work.

It is right after 6 PM though so I guess I will have to visit a store tomorrow. In the meantime do you have any ideas how I can fix this?

 

[I7guy]

Is the phone managed by an MDM? If it's your personal phone, did you try a DFU restore. Most agree the iphone 8 is nowhere near "garbage".

Is it possible you accidentally changed the passcode? If you have a computer, you can attempt a DFU restore, but the apple store will not be able to help you recover your passcode.

 

[secretk]

Is the phone managed by an MDM? If it's your personal phone, did you try a DFU restore. Most agree the iphone 8 is nowhere near "garbage".

The phone is managed by company MDM.

Sorry for me any phone that refuses to accept a code I have not changed is garbage. I understand that people like Apple and iOS but I call it as it is. For me it is garbage because I experience issues I should not experience. For this price it should work and it does not.

Is it possible you accidentally changed the passcode? If you have a computer, you can attempt a DFU restore, but the apple store will not be able to help you recover your passcode.

I am pretty sure that I have not changed the security code. I managed to log in my iCloud from my computer and I was able to access locked note using the same security code I am trying to enter on my phone. So it is not changed. It is the same.

This is pure iOS bug and it is a major one. If you are right and Apple store cannot fix this this means that this 600 $ phone is now completely useless. Unbelievable.

Sorry for the rant. It is definitely not your fault! I am just pissed.

What do you mean by DFU restore?
[doublepost=1558798038][/doublepost]I found this article about DFU restore - https://help.ifixit.com/article/108-dfu-restore. Can I rely on this or it's misleading?

 

[I7guy]

The phone is managed by company MDM.

Sorry for me any phone that refuses to accept a code I have not changed is garbage. I understand that people like Apple and iOS but I call it as it is. For me it is garbage because I experience issues I should not experience. For this price it should work and it does not.



I am pretty sure that I have not changed the security code. I managed to log in my iCloud from my computer and I was able to access locked note using the same security code I am trying to enter on my phone. So it is not changed. It is the same.

This is pure iOS bug and it is a major one. If you are right and Apple store cannot fix this this means that this 600 $ phone is now completely useless. Unbelievable.

Sorry for the rant. It is definitely not your fault! I am just pissed.

What do you mean by DFU restore?

DFU restore is a way of restoring a phone to out of the box software condition; there are many instructions in these forums regarding that. Doing a dfu restore will wipe out the company certificate and you will lose access to company assets.

Before you blame your phone, I would contact your IT dept and see if this is something they did on their end. It's not an ios bug.

 

[secretk]

DFU restore is a way of restoring a phone to out of the box software condition; there are many instructions in these forums regarding that. Doing a dfu restore will wipe out the company certificate and you will lose access to company assets.

Before you blame your phone, I would contact your IT dept and see if this is something they did on their end. It's not an ios bug.

Thanks! I will wait then until Monday to ask about this in the company. Why do you think that it might be something they did?

I am not sure that it is not iOS bug. I found cases like this in Internet and it was in fact iOS bug. I am prone to blame iOS because I encounter numerous bugs on it. iOS is nothing special. I have few bugs every day. Needless to say I am not impressed in a good way.

Nevertheless there is nothing I can do now so I will follow your advise and wait. I will still try to ask at the store tomorrow but if they can't help me. I will have to ask in the IT department in my company.

 

[I7guy]

Thanks! I will wait then until Monday to ask about this in the company. Why do you think that it might be something they did?

I am not sure that it is not iOS bug. I found cases like this in Internet and it was in fact iOS bug. I am prone to blame iOS because I encounter numerous bugs on it. iOS is nothing special. I have few bugs every day. Needless to say I am not impressed in a good way.

Nevertheless there is nothing I can do now so I will follow your advise and wait. I will still try to ask at the store tomorrow but if they can't help me. I will have to ask in the IT department in my company.

Not trying to say ios is bug free, and yes there are bugs in ios as every other software vendor has bugs, however, not once in the 6 years I have been on iphones and ipads have I ever been mysteriously locked out of my phone. This is not anything widespread as there would be some real hubris on the internet about it. However, most likely caused by the MDM.

 

[now i see it]

Company iPhones are often locked down and often track what you do. BTW, there's no iOS 13.1 yet. We're still on iOS 12.

 

[jagolden]

Company iPhones are often locked down and often track what you do. BTW, there's no iOS 13.1 yet. We're still on iOS 12.

Bingo! Validity of rant?

 

[Newtons Apple]

The OP must realize that if this were common you would be reading about it here.

I see few post where the user is all of a sudden locked out.

You IT people should be able to help.

 

[secretk]

Company iPhones are often locked down and often track what you do. BTW, there's no iOS 13.1 yet. We're still on iOS 12.

Sorry. This was typo. It is iOS 12.3.1. It seems to be rather new version. I think that it was out the last few days.
[doublepost=1558814927][/doublepost]

Not trying to say ios is bug free, and yes there are bugs in ios as every other software vendor has bugs, however, not once in the 6 years I have been on iphones and ipads have I ever been mysteriously locked out of my phone. This is not anything widespread as there would be some real hubris on the internet about it. However, most likely caused by the MDM.

I actually did read about stories like that in Internet. You are right that it is not something that happens to every other guy. Otherwise people will go ballistic on Apple. That being said it is something that could happen.

You are also right that sometimes it might be related to MDM. At least based on what I read in Internet. It seems to be some iOS glitch caused by MDM.

As for the rant well take it as you want it guys. People always claim that Apple are awesome and iOS is cool. I am not that impressed like I said.

I will check tomorrow in the store but the more I read the more I feel like there is no other way but to erase the iPhone basically and either start it as a new or recover from the last backup.

 

[jagolden]

I think the OP’s decision to wait until he can get with the IT folks at his company is for the best.
If the issue is caused by work lockdown settings or apps, they’ll be better equipped to deal with it since they are the ones who manage these particular phones.
There are great IT people on this forum but they can’t be familiar with the specifics of how his company handles their phones.

Please keep us informed of what happens. I think at this point most of us are very curious and we may learn something new to expand our collective knowledge base.

 

[secretk]

I think the OP’s decision to wait until he can get with the IT folks at his company is for the best.
If the issue is caused by work lockdown settings or apps, they’ll be better equipped to deal with it since they are the ones who manage these particular phones.
There are great IT people on this forum but they can’t be familiar with the specifics of how his company handles their phones.

Please keep us informed of what happens. I think at this point most of us are very curious and we may learn something new to expand our collective knowledge base.

Thanks! Yes the more I read about it, the more it seems that I should wait. I am back at work on Monday so I can check the earliest then. I hope that they will at least be able to say if it they locked it down or not.

Interestingly it seemed to work earlier in the day. I have one Note in the Notes app that is locked down. I use the pass code to unlock it and it seemed to work earlier in the day. It stopped working around 6 PM when I connected the phone to my laptop to charge it. I saw in iTunes that there is new iOS version and I first tried to download it via iTunes. I saw some message that some purchases are not transferred to iTunes and I might lose them so I stopped the download and decided to try via the phone directly. This is when I was asked to enter passcode and the phone did not recognize it.

Btw I still can use the passcode to unlock the Note via iCloud on my computer so I am sure that I enter the passcode correctly.

 

[now i see it]

Notes App encryption password can be anything you choose.
The iCloud password isnt usually the device passcode to get in to the phone past the lock screen.

 

[I7guy]

Sorry. This was typo. It is iOS 12.3.1. It seems to be rather new version. I think that it was out the last few days.
[doublepost=1558814927][/doublepost]

I actually did read about stories like that in Internet. You are right that it is not something that happens to every other guy. Otherwise people will go ballistic on Apple. That being said it is something that could happen.

You are also right that sometimes it might be related to MDM. At least based on what I read in Internet. It seems to be some iOS glitch caused by MDM.

As for the rant well take it as you want it guys. People always claim that Apple are awesome and iOS is cool. I am not that impressed like I said.

I will check tomorrow in the store but the more I read the more I feel like there is no other way but to erase the iPhone basically and either start it as a new or recover from the last backup.

I don't think you have an option, and I would hope there would be another way. But if you could hold off a day and discuss with your IT department, they might be able to force a password change on the phone.
[doublepost=1558831260][/doublepost]

Thanks! Yes the more I read about it, the more it seems that I should wait. I am back at work on Monday so I can check the earliest then. I hope that they will at least be able to say if it they locked it down or not.

Interestingly it seemed to work earlier in the day. I have one Note in the Notes app that is locked down. I use the pass code to unlock it and it seemed to work earlier in the day. It stopped working around 6 PM when I connected the phone to my laptop to charge it. I saw in iTunes that there is new iOS version and I first tried to download it via iTunes. I saw some message that some purchases are not transferred to iTunes and I might lose them so I stopped the download and decided to try via the phone directly. This is when I was asked to enter passcode and the phone did not recognize it.

Btw I still can use the passcode to unlock the Note via iCloud on my computer so I am sure that I enter the passcode correctly.

This sounds like this has something to do with the sequence of events, but I can't fathom what happened. It may depend on which MDM your company is using.

 

[secretk]

Hello as promised here is an update for the issue:

MDM actually requested security code change that it seems I have ignored. As a result it invalidated the existing security code. I worked it out with the administrators and was able to change it.

Also I got more insight on how the locking Notes functionality works in iOS. Basically you lock the Note and on your iPhone or iPad device you can unlock it either with Touch ID or pass code (if for some reason you cannot use the finger you registered).

If you try to access the Note from iCloud on your computer (at least for Windows laptops) you can use only the pass code to access the note.

If you change your pass code on your iPhone (in my case as requested by MDM though I am not sure if you can do it manually or not) this would not apply for your locked Notes. Your locked Notes would use the pass code that was valid at the time of locking the notes.

This explains why I was able to open the Note via iCloud despite of not being able to use the same code to access the iPhone.

In other words it seems that Apple stores key pair (Note, valid pass key at the time) information for every locked Note.

I assume this was not something most people know as most people do not change that often their pass code. At least I know that I don't do this for the iPad that I bought for personal usage.