iPhone keeps asking for your Apple ID password? How to make it stop

A password box that pops up over and over, sometimes every few minutes, is one of the most annoying iPhone problems. It is rarely a sign of hacking. Something on the phone is trying to use your Apple Account and cannot finish, so it keeps asking, sometimes even right after you type the correct password. Dismissing it only delays the next one, so it pays to find the real cause once and deal with it. The trick is working out what that something is. Start by reading the pop-up carefully, then use the fixes below.

Read the pop-up: it tells you the cause

• “Sign in to iTunes Store” or “App Store”: purchases, app updates or payment. Check updates, payment method and apps from other accounts.
• “Apple Account Password” with a different email: apps or media bought with that other account are trying to update.
• “Sign in to iCloud” or “Apple Account Settings update”: iCloud needs you to re-enter the password or accept new terms. See why iCloud keeps signing you out.
• “Enter password for [email] in Mail”: not your Apple Account at all, but an email account such as Gmail or Outlook in the Mail app.

Why your iPhone keeps asking for the password

• An app update is waiting and needs your permission.
• Your payment card expired, so the App Store cannot verify your account.
• Some apps were downloaded with a different or old Apple ID.
• iCloud has new terms you have not accepted yet.
• You recently changed your password and one service has not caught up.

How to stop the Apple ID password pop-up

Subscriptions and billing problems

When a subscription renewal fails, for example because a card expired or was declined, the App Store keeps asking you to sign in and verify billing. Open Settings › [your name] › Subscriptions to see what is active, update your card in Payment & Shipping, and cancel anything you no longer use. See how to cancel subscriptions on iPhone. Once billing goes through, the prompts stop.

Family Sharing and Ask to Buy

In a Family Sharing group, apps a family member bought can appear on your phone through purchase sharing. If purchase sharing was turned off, or someone left the family, those apps may ask for the buyer’s password when they update. Either rejoin purchase sharing in Settings › Family, or delete and reinstall those apps with your own account. On a child’s iPhone, Ask to Buy sends requests to the parent instead of asking the child for a password; if the child sees repeated prompts, check that Ask to Buy is set up in the parent’s Family settings.

Mail keeps asking for a password

If the prompt comes from Mail and names a Gmail, Outlook, Yahoo or work address, the problem is that email account, not Apple. Its password changed, or the provider now needs a newer sign-in. Go to Settings › Apps › Mail › Mail Accounts, delete the account, and add it again using the provider’s own option, such as Google or Outlook.com, which uses a secure sign-in page. Your emails stay on the server and download again.

After restoring or setting up a new iPhone

A freshly restored iPhone downloads all your apps again, and each one is tied to the Apple Account that bought it. Prompts are normal for the first hours, especially if family members or an old account bought some apps, and they usually fade once every app has finished downloading and updating. Enter the password when asked and leave the phone on Wi-Fi and power until all the downloads finish. If prompts continue a day later, work through the fixes above.

iMessage and FaceTime asking for the password

If the prompt appears when you open Messages or FaceTime, they are trying to activate. Go to Settings › Apps › Messages, turn iMessage off, restart the iPhone, and turn it on again, then do the same for FaceTime. Make sure Date & Time is set automatically, since a wrong clock blocks activation. Activation can take up to a day, and the prompt often stops once it completes.

Fewer prompts for purchases and downloads

• Turn on Face ID or Touch ID for purchases in Settings › Face ID & Passcode, under Use Face ID For, iTunes & App Store.
• In Settings › [your name] › Media & Purchases › Password Settings, turn off Require Password for free downloads.
• Keep a valid payment method on file, since an expired card causes repeat verification requests.

On an iPad or Mac

The same causes apply. On iPad, use the same Settings paths. On a Mac, open System Settings › [your name] and look for a banner or warning, check Media & Purchases, and update apps in the App Store. Remember that changing your password on one device means every other device asks for the new one once, which can look like a loop if you have many devices.

Still asking? Last steps before Apple Support

Real prompt or scam?

Genuine prompts appear as a system pop-up in the middle of the screen, usually while you are in Settings or the App Store. Be suspicious of password requests inside a web page, a text message link or an email, even if they use the Apple logo. When in doubt, tap Cancel and enter your password in Settings instead, where only Apple can ask for it. Frequent prompts together with sign-in alerts from places you do not recognize are worth a closer look; see what to do when your Apple ID is locked.