severely limited if you have two-factor
authentication enabled.
The Recovery Key is one way
to get around this problem, but it
severely limits you in other ways –
you can’t reset your password unless
you have the trusted device and the
recovery key. With iOS 15 and macOS
Monterey, Apple is providing a simpler
solution to the ‘what if I get locked
out’ problem: Recovery Contacts.
WHAT IS A RECOVERY CONTACT?
A Recovery Contact is a trusted person
that you designate to get a one-time
recovery code if you’re locked out of
your account. That person will need
to talk to you on the phone (or in-
person) to tell you the code, which
you’ll then enter on your device to get
regain access. You’ll then be asked to
reset your password.
Naturally, your Recovery Contacts
(you can have several)
should be people you
know well and trust, like
close family members. It
should also be someone
you can easily get a hold
of if you’re locked out
of your account. They’ll
also need to have at
least one modern Apple
device on which to get
the code, and they have to be at least
13 years old.SET UP RECOVERY CONTACTS
Setting up a Recovery Contact is
straightforward. The hardest part is
making sure all your Apple devices
are up to date. You need to be
running iOS 15, iPad OS 15, or macOS
Monterey on all your iPhones, iPads,
or Macs. If you have iCloud software
on a Windows PC, that needs to be
up to date, too. If you have any old
devices attached to your account that
are running old software and can’t be
updated (they’re lost or destroyed or
whatever), you can open Settings >
Apple ID (the big tile at the top with
your name and image) to remove them
from your list of authorized devices.
Once you’re up to date, add
a Recovery Contact by following
these steps.