Several Apple users took to social media platforms on Tuesday and reported difficulty accessing their Apple ID and other related services. On an iPhone, almost all the system applications such as App Store, Photos, Music, iCloud are connected with an Apple ID. In other words, it would be impossible for Apple users to access their files, photos, and contacts stored on iCloud without verifying their Apple ID.
That being said, Apple ID also makes things easier. Users on Apple devices have to create only one Apple ID applicable for all the services they would access in a day. If a user is setting up a new Apple device and wants to transfer all the data from the old machine, logging in to the Apple ID on the new device will do it. However, the dependency of all the services on a single ID might make trouble for the user in an outage.
On Jan. 25, 2022, Apple servers faced some downtime, affecting services like iCloud Backup, iCloud Mail, iMessage, Game Center, Photos, iTunes, and more. The issue arose on social media platforms as users faced difficulty logging in to their Apple ID. During the early stage of the outage, users got the error message "Verification Failed. There was an error connecting to the Apple ID server," making them think that there was something wrong with their device, perhaps their device or Apple ID was hacked. However, as the issue started affecting more users, Apple acknowledged it as an outage on its System Status website.
Facing An Apple ID Error? Apple Servers Might Be Down
Upon facing the Apple ID error, the first thing that Apple users should do before trying all the fixes is to check the Apple System Status website for any recent outages or server issues. The System Status website shows the live status of all Apple services, including App Store, Arcade, Music and Apple ID. Locate Apple ID on the System Status page and check its status. If the page marks Apple ID to be facing an issue, there is nothing that a user can do about it. The only possible solution is to wait until Apple fixes the error and brings Apple ID back online. If it is available, then the issue might be locally located to the device or the network connection, and it can be solved by a hit and trial method.
Sometimes the Apple ID error might occur due to an unstable network connection. Upon facing the error, Apple users should check their internet connection by performing a speed test. If there is an issue in connectivity, switching over to a stable internet connection should fix the Apple ID error. Resetting Network Settings might fix the problem if the device cannot connect to the internet over a cellular or Wi-Fi connection. Users can do this in the Reset menu found in the General section of Settings. The Apple ID error might sometimes show up due to a system glitch in an iPhone or any other Apple device. While it is difficult to identify such a glitch, switching the device off and turning it back on might fix it. If you have tried all the methods and none of them seem to be working, contacting Apple Support shall be the best possible option.
Source: Apple