Products · Product
Apple ID
Raised as a usability problem by 61 people on Hacker News over 16 years (2011–2026), in 61 threads.
No issue was raised by at least 3 people in 3 threads this year.
Every issue, all time, most people first
Repeated password typing where password managers don't workUnreviewed
20112026- Has to type in long password often, sometimes without password manager access2023-05-21
- Forces repeated password typing where password managers don't work, discouraging long passwords2018-05-02
- Password field rejects some characters, so long generated passwords cannot be typed2012-08-21
Two Apple accounts can't be merged, splitting purchasesUnreviewed
20112026- Two Apple accounts can't be merged, so purchases are split and must be managed separately2021-08-20
- Users with two separate Apple accounts must sign in to the right one for each purchase or service2020-06-30
- Two Apple IDs cause confusion over which to use for purchases and sync2020-06-30
Recovery steps reset to the start, leaving user locked outUnreviewed
20112026- Reset process has long waits and emails never arrive, leaving the user stuck without recovery2026-01-31
- Human support can't resolve the problem; automated recovery leaves users stuck2024-12-21
- Recovery steps reset to the start, so the user stays locked out2021-04-30
Account disabled with no reachable customer supportUnreviewed
20112026- Cannot find a way to contact support without logging in first, which is circular when locked out2026-01-30
- Account disabled with no reachable customer support to resolve it2025-05-18
- Recovery process is hostile and prolonged, with first-line support unable to resolve the disabled account2022-09-26
Unreviewed issues were grouped by machine: Claude Haiku labelled each comment as a usability complaint, named what it's about and summed up the problem in a line, and a small model grouped similar problems. Nobody has checked them by hand. Expect mistakes.
The newest 50 complaints
- Hidden dark-pattern path needed to avoid adding a phone number2026-10-15
- Verification email never sent and phone code yields an inscrutable error blocking account creation2026-05-10
- Reset process has long waits and emails never arrive, leaving the user stuck without recovery2026-01-31
- Cannot find a way to contact support without logging in first, which is circular when locked out2026-01-30
- 2FA codes never arrived and a five-digit code failed until a leading zero was added2026-01-23
- Error messages are useless and there is no good way to reach a human2025-12-13
- Account banned with no stated cause, and the device couldn't be logged out afterward2025-12-13
- Old iPhone can't sign into Apple ID because encrypted backups require a newer iOS2025-10-24
- Password manager can't autofill Apple ID prompt, forcing manual copy and paste within a short window2025-10-15
- Forms confusing for a new Swedish user; sync error message gave no useful explanation2025-10-03
- Account disabled with no reachable customer support to resolve it2025-05-18
- Failed payment gave no clear status; retry was hidden in an obscure settings corner2025-05-18
- Opting out and deleting account is full of dark patterns, harder than competitors2025-03-02
- Human support can't resolve the problem; automated recovery leaves users stuck2024-12-21
- Switching Apple IDs on an iOS device is ridiculously complicated2024-06-02
- Locked out of Apple ID with long mandatory waits and rejected proof of purchase2024-05-24
- Views sometimes render nothing, leaving the user without feedback2024-04-27
- Users without Apple devices can't set a recovery passphrase, forcing phone-number recovery2024-03-27
- Birthdate picker uses a randomized list, which discourages use and is a dark pattern2024-03-25
- Can't cleanly separate work and personal accounts, must jump through hoops2023-12-21
- Apple account services are tangled together so users can't tell what affects what2023-12-21
- Must sign into same Apple ID to use iPad as second monitor, which fails for separate personal and work accounts2023-08-26
- Logging in from work network logs out all devices and forces password reset2023-07-17
- Can't change account phone number without an old temporary number they no longer have2023-06-15
- Has to type in long password often, sometimes without password manager access2023-05-21
- Setup is hard to get right; a key can't be combined with password as true 2FA, and settings were wiped by an OS upgrade2023-01-24
- Password reset takes 15 days even after passing two-factor verification2022-10-25
- Recovery process is hostile and prolonged, with first-line support unable to resolve the disabled account2022-09-26
- Apple tricks users into giving a credit card to use services, per dark patterns2022-03-20
- Forced to answer old security questions every couple years, which are easy to forget2022-02-18
- Can't reconcile overlapping Apple accounts; reset codes keep invalidating before entry2021-12-05
- Banned Apple ID forces creating a new account; cannot keep the rest of the ID2021-12-04
- Password recovery loops through unusable options and gets the user kicked off the page2021-11-17
- Only SMS or trusted-device 2FA, so it fails without signal or when SMS is down2021-10-11
- Manage button spins for a minute then opens App Store home instead of subscriptions2021-09-13
- Families must constantly switch accounts to share photos and email from one account2021-08-22
- Using personal iCloud on work MacBook irreversibly merges data, easy to do by mistake2021-08-20
- Two Apple accounts can't be merged, so purchases are split and must be managed separately2021-08-20
- Repeated prompts to create an account, and dark patterns implying payment info is required2021-06-24
- Clicking off the modal erases signup progress, forcing repeated attempts and waits for codes2021-06-13
- Keeps prompting for password and can't use biometrics despite being logged into iCloud2021-05-06
- Recovery steps reset to the start, so the user stays locked out2021-04-30
- Confusing, inconsistent error messages gave no clue the wrong account was used2020-12-26
- Complex account settings look daunting, so people give up managing them2020-10-19
- Users with two separate Apple accounts must sign in to the right one for each purchase or service2020-06-30
- Two Apple IDs cause confusion over which to use for purchases and sync2020-06-30
- Locked out of Apple ID; devices stuck prompting for password with no recovery path2020-05-03
- Two separate Apple accounts with no way to merge; users get prompted with the wrong one2020-01-14
- Users with one device are defaulted to SMS with no option to turn it off2020-01-11
- No remind-later option, so the prompt keeps blocking work until opened2019-12-11