What you need to know
- Author Rachel True has taken to Twitter after her iCloud was locked due to a coding error.
- It seems Apple's system mistook her last name for a coding prompt, and now she can't access the service.
Author Rachel True has taken to Twitter after her iCloud account was locked due to what seems to be a rather strange coding mishap.
It seems even the best cloud storage apps aren't infallible, as True found out in unfortunate fashion thanks to her last name:
Anyone else getting this error from Apple iCloud ? In past or now?
I’m 6 months deep freeze & looking for any help.
I rem dead coding languages like kobalt.. & this seems like an Apple coding issue — not hardware pic.twitter.com/05EJmG3d6YAnyone else getting this error from Apple iCloud ? In past or now?
I’m 6 months deep freeze & looking for any help.
I rem dead coding languages like kobalt.. & this seems like an Apple coding issue — not hardware pic.twitter.com/05EJmG3d6Y— Rachel True (@RachelTrue) February 27, 2021February 27, 2021
As True notes, the issue, which has been persisting for some six months, seems to be a coding issue. As she notes elsewhere, 'true' uncapitalized is a coding term, which is why most sites choose to automatically capitalize words or names to stop their systems from mistaking names like 'True' for coding prompts.
Unfortunately, that didn't seem to happen in this case, and True is now met with the following error message from Apple when using iCloud:
iCloud has stopped responding. An error has prevented this application from working properly. Help Apple improve its products by sending us diagnostic and usage information about iCloud.
According to True, numerous hours on the phone with Apple has not brought a fix to the problem, despite the fact she's still paying for iCloud:
3+ hours on phone today w/ customer service + the 2+ hours yesterday + the countless other times I spent 2+ hours on phone... make this my new part time unpaid job @AppleSupport Make that 4+ hours on phone today & the fun part is they won't stop charging me for the icloud storage I can't access...
One commenter in jest joked that the fastest solution for True would be to marry and take her spouse's name, but that "Mr/Mrs 'Null'" was not recommended.
The fastest solution may be for you to get married and take your spouses name. Mr/Mrs "Null" not recommended though.The fastest solution may be for you to get married and take your spouses name. Mr/Mrs "Null" not recommended though.— Daniel Brahneborg (@basic70) March 6, 2021March 6, 2021
It seems Apple is trying to work on a fix for the issue, but True despaired that the problem has been ongoing since September, and that it was her, rather than Apple's own team, that suggested the error was possibly related to her last name.
Stephen Warwick has written about Apple for five years at iMore and previously elsewhere. He covers all of iMore's latest breaking news regarding all of Apple's products and services, both hardware and software. Stephen has interviewed industry experts in a range of fields including finance, litigation, security, and more. He also specializes in curating and reviewing audio hardware and has experience beyond journalism in sound engineering, production, and design.
Before becoming a writer Stephen studied Ancient History at University and also worked at Apple for more than two years. Stephen is also a host on the iMore show, a weekly podcast recorded live that discusses the latest in breaking Apple news, as well as featuring fun trivia about all things Apple.
