Two factor authentication driving me insane

Soldato
Joined
26 Aug 2003
Posts
24,280
I've got two issues with this at the moment and it's driving me insane!

First issue: My parent's Mac's drive failed. I've installed a new SSD, installed Lion from recovery (bootable USB refused to work with any OS I tried). I can't log them into their Apple ID because it won't send a code to my dad's phone. I find out dad's phone is on IOS7 (they're 100 miles away from where I live also), I get mum to update it, and now they can't get their Apple ID logged in on there either, because it wants to send a code to their Mac! So both devices are currently locked out of the Apple ID because of two factor authentication, and there doesn't appear to be any way out of this without going through account recovery with Apple.

Second issue: I had to use my Apple ID to get Sierra on their Mac, so I had to turn off two-factor. I don't have an iPhone any more and to use my iCloud email, I need to have two-factor and to get an app-specific password. Which is absurd in my opinion.

Anyway. I go to turn it back on after I've done this, and the code it texts to my phone doesn't work. It's 100% the right code - I had another one sent as well, same issue.

This exact same thing happened before their hard drive failed, on their account. The code came through, but would not register as the correct code. When I looked this up, it seems to be common and has been happening to people since 2016!

Two factor authentication is the biggest pain in the arse, security wise, I've ever had to deal with - I've been using Macs for something stupid like 14 years, exclusively for more than ten years, and in the last couple of years they just seem to be doing stupid, absurd things that don't benefit anyone.

Sorry about this incoherent rant, but I consider myself a die-hard Apple user, and I feel like I just can't be doing with them any more - they're losing the plot badly.

Can anyone actually advise me on what to do about either of these situations, or have I just got to have my parents phone Apple and recover the account?
 
Back
Top Bottom