How to fix iCloud problems on Apple iPhone XR, unsupported Apple ID, authentication error [Troubleshooting Guide]

Cloud storage is now becoming a trend among smartphone users. Compared to traditional storage options like computer drives and external storage devices, cloud drives won’t get corrupted, more secure, and accessible anytime when needed for as long as the device has Internet access. For this reason, many are using cloud for storing important files from photos, videos and documents.

In iOS devices, iCloud storage does the same and offers the same benefits. But some people still end up facing some troubles with iCloud despite its credibility. Among the common concerns raised is on the iCloud account authentication error, in which the users are prompted with an unsupported Apple ID error when attempting to sign in and use iCloud services. This error can occur to any iOS devices even on the new iPhone XR handset. To give you some hints on how to deal with it, I’ve highlighted some helpful workarounds you can use to troubleshoot these iCloud errors on the iPhone XR. Read on for more detailed walkthroughs.

ALSO READ: How to change Apple ID on your iPhone or create one

Before going further, if you found this post because you were trying to find a solution to your problem, then try to visit our troubleshooting page as we’ve already addressed most of the commonly reported issues with the phone. We’ve already provided solutions to some of the problems reported by our readers so try to find issues that are similar with yours and use the solutions we suggested. If they don’t work for you and if you need further assistance, fill up our iPhone issues questionnaire and hit submit.

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How to troubleshoot iPhone XR with iCloud authentication error?

Given that the iPhone XR comes with iOS 12 as the pre-installed platform, outdated software shouldn’t be an issue. In that case, you can start by checking on your iPhone’s internet connection. To access and use iCloud services, your device must have stable Internet access. So check and ensure that you can connect to the Internet. Otherwise you will need to deal with Internet problems first to sign into iCloud without seeing such errors. Move on and troubleshoot your iPhone XR with the following workarounds if the error still pops up despite having stable Internet access on your phone.

First solution: Reboot your iPhone XR (soft reset).

This will help clear out minor software errors caused by random bugs and rogue apps. Performing a soft reset is likely what’s needed if this is the first time you encounter this error. And the only way to find out is to carry it out. Here’s how:

  1. Press and hold the Side/Power button and either Volume Up or Down buttons simultaneously and then release both buttons when the Slide to Power Off menu appears.
  2. Drag the power off slider to the right to turn off your iPhone completely.
  3. After 30 seconds, press and hold the Side/Power button again until the phone power cycles.

If the same error still pops up the next time you sign in, force restart your iPhone XR. As the name implies, it forces running apps to close and your iPhone to reboot. It works the same as the soft reset but carried out in a different way. And here’s how it’s done:

  1. Press and quickly release the Volume Up button.
  2. Then press and quickly release the Volume Down button.
  3. Finally, press and hold the Power button on the side of the phone and then release when the phone reboots.

Both a soft reset and force restart don’t affect saved data on the phone memory, so neither of them inflict data loss.

Second solution: Sign out of your iCloud account then sign in again.

Account-related errors are often resolved by signing out and back in to the account. The same notion applies to an iCloud account. You can sign in and out of your iCloud account on a computer through web browser or straight from your iPhone XR settings menu. To sign in and out of iCloud using a web browser on a computer, follow these steps:

  1. Navigate to iCloud.com and sign into your iCloud account by entering your Apple ID and password. A six-digit verification code will then be sent to your device.
  2. Enter the verification code to confirm iCloud sign in.
  3. Go back to iCloud page and follow the onscreen prompts to continue signing into your iCloud account.
  4. If you’ve already signed into your iCloud account, all you have to do is click on the iCloud Settings menu from the iCloud page and then select the option to Sign Out.

To sign out of iCloud through your iPhone XR settings, follow these steps:

  1. Navigate to Settings.
  2. Tap [your name].
  3. Then scroll down to and tap the Sign Out button.

Restart your iPhone after signing out completely and then sign in again with these steps:

  1. Tap on the option to Sign in to your [device].
  2. Enter the Apple ID and password associated with the iCloud account.
  3. If you’ve set a two-factor authentication, enter the six-digit verification code and complete the signing in process.

See if that fixes the problem. If not, then move on and try the next applicable solutions.

Third solution:  Reset the Apple ID password for your iCloud account.

To rule out invalid password from the underlying causes, you can try resetting the password for the Apple ID you used for iCloud. This is usually needed if you have multiple Apple IDs and aren’t sure if the correct password was entered. So here’s what you should do then:

  1. Open a browser app on your iPhone XR.
  2. Go to the appleidaccount.apple.com website.
  3. Enter your Apple ID username, if prompted.
  4. Tap on the link that says, Forget Apple ID or Password?
  5. Follow the onscreen instructions to reset the password that is associated with the Apple ID you entered.

After the password reset, sign in to your iCloud account using the updated Apple ID and password.

Fourth solution: Reset all settings on your iPhone XR.

Invalid settings on the phone can also trigger such errors to occur. If you happen to modify some settings on your device and then you suddenly bump into this iCloud error, then there’s a chance that the recent settings changes you’ve made somehow caused conflict. Try reverting the changes you’ve made back to their previous configuration. If that’s not possible, resetting all settings on your iPhone can be considered another option. This will clear all customized settings and then restores the original configuration or default values. Here’s how it’s done:

  1. Open the Settings app.
  2. Select General.
  3. Scroll to and tap Reset.
  4. Select Reset all settings from the menu options.
  5. When asked, enter your device passcode.
  6. Then tap the option to confirm all settings reset.

Reboot your iPhone when the settings reset is finished. Then enable necessary features and individual options accordingly. Reconnect to your Wi-Fi network and once connected, try to access iCloud services.

Fifth solution: Factory reset your iPhone XR (master reset).

Performing a master reset can be regarded among the last options if the iCloud error still occurs after exhausting all possible solutions and workarounds. This reset will wipe everything from your iPhone system including all data stored on the internal memory. In short, you’ll lose personal information by doing so. If you wish to continue, back up all your critical data to iTunes then follow these steps to factory reset through your iPhone XR settings menu:

  1. Tap Settings from the Home screen.
  2. Select General.
  3. Scroll down to and tap Reset.
  4. Select the option to Erase all content and settings.
  5. If prompted, enter your passcode to continue.
  6. Tap the option to confirm full system reset.

Alternatively, you can use iTunes to back up and reset your iPhone XR to its factory default settings on a computer.

Another last possible you can try on if the error persists after performing a master reset would be an iOS restore. If you wish to proceed, you may go for a recovery mode restore first. If that still failed to fix the error, try performing a DFU mode restore instead. Both these restore methods will require the use of iTunes on a computer. A recovery mode restore gives you an option to restore iOS with or without losing internal data while a DFU mode restore wipes everything. Hence creating backups is recommended beforehand.

If you’re still prompted with an unsupported Apple ID or authentication error on your iPhone XR when attempting to sign in to your iCloud account after performing all prior methods, contact your carrier to escalate the problem for further assistance and suggestions.

Connect with us

If you need more help with the use of certain functions and features of the Apple iPhone XR smartphone, feel free to visit our Tutorial Page. There you can find a list of how-to contents, step-by-step tutorials, as well as answers to FAQs regarding iPhone XR. If you have other concerns or encountered some troubles while using the phone, you can reach us through this form. Just be sure to tell us more details of the problem or device issue(s) you may have and we will be more than happy to assist you further.

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