Management of security questions in AppleID authentication
I have my AppleID, password and access to the email account registered to the ID. But I don't have the answers to the security questions. I have not used the account since it was set up in 2014 and I'm 99% certain that I didn't set up security questions at the time because if I had I would have used my password manager to create and store random strings as answers, and I have nothing saved. I can reset my password easily enough but I actually can't login. The option to reset security questions requires you to answer a security question!! Like doh, if I could do that I wouldn't need to reset them.I do think this is ridiculous. I got Apple support to phone me and the best they could suggest is change the password to a strong random one (it is anyway) and abandon the account! Anyone have any other ideas?
You can go to iforgot.apple.com and then enter your Apple ID email address and then the captcha code there. Then choose continue and reset security questions. Next you choose how you want to reset it (get an email with a link or enter the password). Then you can change the security questions.
Apple Support can reset the password for you. All you need to do is to get verified. You need to attempt to sign in to the Apple ID site. When it asks for your security questions there is an option there that says Get Support PIN. Apple Support needs that PIN as 1 way to verify you. Then all they need next is one of the following:
- At least 1 correct security question
- Text you a code to your iPhone or the phone number
- Enter in some of your credit card info that is on file.
After that they can reset the questions.
Best of luck.
If you have access to User ID, primary email, and password, you can regain access to your account if you have access to an Apple device. You didn't mention if you have access to your security backup email. If you go to iforgot.apple.com, you can tell them you forgot your security question answers, and they'll send a reset email to that backup email address. If you don't have access to that email address, you either need to guess the answers or have access to an Apple device. According to support, if you don't have a device, there's nothing else they can do. The options in the other answer are no longer available if they cannot confirm your identity via the backup email or a linked device.
If you do have a device, or can temporarily get access to one, you can completely reset your account, questions, etc., with just your login and password. If you reset the device (I haven't confirmed whether you can just add the appleid to an already setup device), you use just your appleid and password during setup. Under settings, attempting to access or change account information will bring up a prompt for the security questions. There will be an 'I forgot' link at the bottom. This will prompt for the identity check. Now that you have a device associated with the account, it will let you choose whether to email your backup address as above, or to push a notification to the device. Select the device option, and a popup will appear with a code. Enter that code in the other window, and you'll be prompted to create three new security questions. Once that is complete, it will likely prompt you to set up two-factor authentication. If you don't plan to keep the device active, you can decline this and just setup the security questions with answers you actually know. You can also now log in at appleid.apple.com, where you'll be challenged with your new questions, and can then update anything else including the backup email address. At this point you have full access to the account, even though you only had userid and password.
Considering that almost any throwaway device you can access will let you gain complete account access with just username and password, 2FA is a much more secure option. It also doesn't say much for apple's security model that lets their supposed 'for your security and privacy there's nothing more we can do' state be so easily bypassed.