old iPhone: Verification Failed. And unknown error occured.

[gadje]

I have an old iPhone 5 iOS 10.3.4 that I want to recycle and I want to sign out of iCloud.

WiFi/Internet works since I can test with Safari. When I go into settings, it keeps asing for the Apple ID password. I keep getting errors like "Verification Failed. An unknown error occured." or "Verification Failed. There was an error connecting to iCloud."

Just to make it perfectly clear here, the password is OK. I can log to iCloud in via Web. 2FA is disabled on this account (kid's account).

I found a bunch of suggestions, such as resetting network settngs, resetting all settings, none of them worked.

I cannot even erase the iPhone since it won't accept the password to sign out of iCloud.

There is one more step to try, to connect it to a Mac and try a restore via the USB, but I am hesitant to spend more time fighting with this iPhone. I think i will take a sledge hammer, break the screen and then drop it off at Apple for recycling. Unless someone here has a better suggetion.

while posting this, I tought I would ping it from my current iPhone. yes, I can see it and I can play sound. I tried to erase it, I entered the password, it did not display any error. Now my iPhone says erase peding... nothing is happeing.

I have the option to Cancel Erase and another option is to Remove This Device Both are listed in RED letters on my iPhone.

Any idea what to do before I break the screen on this thing?

[gadje]

I should also mention that if I enter a wrong password (on purpose), it tells me the password is incorrect, so the iPhone is clearly talking to the iCloud.

[hal]

I'm pretty sure you can sign into the cloud via a mac and tell the cloud to ignore that device.

https://www.macworld.com/article/235024/...evice.html

[Tiangou]

Are you getting the "allow" message with a confirmation code on a second device when you try to use the iCloud PW on the old phone?

[gadje]

Tiangou wrote:
Are you getting the "allow" message with a confirmation code on a second device when you try to use the iCloud PW on the old phone?

Not on my phone. I’ll check kid’s current phone later to see if there is a message on that one.

No message on his current phone

[gadje]

hal wrote:
I'm pretty sure you can sign into the cloud via a mac and tell the cloud to ignore that device.

https://www.macworld.com/article/235024/...evice.html

I don’t want to ignore it. I want to reset it and donate. If I can’t donate I can try to recycle it

[Tiangou]

In case one of your devices is popping up the "allow" message, old versions of iOS have the same problem as Yosemite with iCloud PW verification.

There's no prompt to do so, but you have to append the numeric code at the end of the password to have the PW accepted.

...

You can also try the "Remove this device" option that you observed in the iCloud web interface. (Do it from the web, not from the "Find My" app.) It should disable the "Find My" service on the device, which is what usually is responsible for blocking an erase. Make sure it's on a good WiFi network before trying this, to give it the best chance of working.

[gadje]

What numeric code? as I said, 2FA is disabled for the kid's account

[gadje]

Ok I give up. I removed it from his account via the Web interface.

When I go back to that iPhone, I try to erase it, it asks for the PW and I get the same error.

Something's wrong with this, I don't have time to call Apple to troubleshoot, the iPhone has no value for us, it cannot be updated and it's not able to load Apps, so screw it. Sledge hammer it.

[RgrF]

gadje wrote:
[quote=hal]
I'm pretty sure you can sign into the cloud via a mac and tell the cloud to ignore that device.

https://www.macworld.com/article/235024/...evice.html

I don’t want to ignore it. I want to reset it and donate. If I can’t donate I can try to recycle it
Not sure who you'd donate to. T-Mobile recently notified us they were dropping coverage for older G3 phones - that included an iPhone 5 that I'd forgotten we still had and - believe it or not - a Samsung flip phone that's probably the age my of oldest grandson, said gs is out on his own and been married for a few years now.

Maybe time to clean out my phone closet.