There are several ways you may need to troubleshoot your Apple ID server connection.
Hollis Johnson/Business Insider
You might see an error when connecting to the Apple ID server, which lets you access Apple’s various online services.
These are essential steps for many online services, but you can restart your phone, check your internet, or reset your phone’s network settings.
Here are seven of the best ways to fix your iPhone when there’s an error connecting to the Apple ID server.
Whether you are trying to install an app, play Apple Music or log into iCloud, there are a lot of reasons why your iPhone needs to communicate with Apple’s servers. If you’ve ever encountered an error connecting to the server, you know that it can bring your day to a halt, because Apple needs to verify your Apple ID and password before proceeding with a lot of common tasks. While the problem may seem mysterious — and your iPhone gives you no reason or remedy — there are some quick and easy ways to troubleshoot the problem and get on with your day.
Wait and retry
There are a lot of ways to troubleshoot the problem when your iPhone can’t connect the Apple ID server, but often the simplest solution is the one that works. If you experienced an intermittent, momentary error while trying to log into your Apple account, just wait a few moments and try again. Often, logging in a second time will work just fine, especially if the problem was related to congestion at the Apple server or a finicky network connection between your phone and the internet.
Restart your iPhone
If you’ve ever had an IT technician ask you to turn your computer off and then back on again, you know the essence of this step — restarting computer hardware like a PC or your phone can flush out bad data, reset connections, and generally solve problems without deeper troubleshooting. Turn your iPhone off completely, wait a moment and then turn it back on again. After it restarts, try to log into your Apple service once again.
Check your internet connection
If you can’t log into the Apple ID server, the problem might be related to your internet connection. There are two ways Apple will try to log in: with a cellular connection or with WiFi. For starters, check to make sure that you have a good connection by checking the wireless status at the top of your phone screen. Public WiFi networks are notoriously unreliable, so if you’re using public WiFi, turn off your WiFi and try to log in just with your phone’s cellular network. Alternatively, you can reset your network connection and try to improve your connectivity by toggling Airplane mode. Swipe down from the top right to see the Control Center, then tap the Airplane mode button, wait a moment, then tap it again to restart the connection.
Toggle Airplane mode to refresh your wireless connection.
Dave Johnson
Install the latest updates
If your computer’s software is out of date, that can leave bugs and system incompatibilities on your phone that can interfere with your ability to connect to the Apple ID server. To check if your iPhone needs to be updated, start the Settings app and then tap General. Tap Software Update. If there’s an update available, you’ll be able to install it from here.
See if there’s an update waiting to be installed.
Dave Johnson
See if the Apple service is online
The problem isn’t always at your end, with your iPhone or network connection. It doesn’t happen often, but Apple’s services could be offline. Thankfully, Apple makes it easy to see if the service you are trying to reach is working as expected. Open Apple’s System Status page in a web browser and look for the one you were trying to access. If there’s a red dot next to the service, it’s offline and you simply need to wait before you can log in and access it.
If you’re still having trouble, it’s worth checking to see if Apple’s services are working properly.
Dave Johnson
Check your date and time
It’s also possible to run into an Apple ID connection problem — especially if you are trying to use the iCloud service — if your phone’s date and time are not accurate. By default, the date and time are set automatically using an online service on the internet, but if your phone’s settings were ever changed to set the time manually, this could be the culprit. To check, start the Settings app and then tap General. Tap Date & Time, then make sure Set Automatically is enabled by swiping the button to the right.
Make sure your date and time are being set automatically.
Dave Johnson
Perform a network settings reset
If you’ve tried all the other troubleshooting steps and you still can’t connect to the Apple ID server, you might need to reset your iPhone’s network settings. Save this for last, because this will erase all your network settings, including saved WiFi network passwords and paired Bluetooth devices. But if you’re ready to try this fix, it might get your phone up and running again.
1. Start the Settings app and tap General.
2. Tap Transfer or Reset iPhone.
3. Tap Reset.
4. In the pop-up menu, tap Reset Network Settings and then confirm this is what you want to do.