Apple Verification Code Not Received
An Apple verification code usually appears on a trusted device before it is ever sent by text. When you sign in on a new device, Apple shows a six-digit code on an iPhone, iPad or Mac that is already signed in to the same Apple Account (formerly Apple ID). A text message is the fallback. It goes only to a trusted phone number, and usually only after you ask for it. If no SMS arrives, check your other Apple devices before anything else.
Where does Apple send the code?
| Your situation | Where the code shows up | How to get it |
|---|---|---|
| Another trusted device is nearby and online | A sign-in alert on that device | Tap Allow, then read the six digits |
| A trusted device is available but offline | Nowhere, until you request it | Generate it on that device, as in step 2 below |
| No trusted device at hand | A text or call to a trusted phone number | Tap “Didn’t get a verification code?” on the sign-in screen |
| Signing in on the web | A trusted device first, then a trusted number | Same as the rows above |
The code is a six-digit one-time password. It stops working after a short time, so use the newest one straight away.
Why does the text not arrive?
- The number is not on your trusted list. Apple only texts trusted numbers. The sign-in screen shows the last two digits of the number it is using, so compare them with the phone in your hand.
- The trusted number is out of date. An old work phone or a number you gave up years ago still receives the codes if it is still listed.
- Too many codes were requested. Apple limits repeated requests and will tell you too many codes have been sent. Enter the last code you received, or wait before asking again.
- Your carrier or phone filtered it. Business texts can land in a filtered list or be blocked by the carrier, especially on prepaid plans or while roaming.
Fix it in this order
- Check every Apple device signed in to the account for a sign-in alert, and tap Allow.
- Generate a code on a trusted device. On iPhone or iPad, open Settings, tap your name, then Sign-In & Security, and choose Get Verification Code (on recent iOS versions it sits under Two-Factor Authentication). On a Mac, the same option is in System Settings under your name. This works with no internet connection.
- Ask for a text or a call. On the sign-in screen, tap “Didn’t get a verification code?” and pick a trusted number. A voice call uses a separate path and often gets through when texts do not.
- Look in filtered messages. On iPhone, open the Unknown Senders list in Messages, or Transactions where your region shows it.
- Stop and wait if Apple says too many codes were sent. More requests only extend the wait.
How a code can exist and still never reach your phone is explained in The SMS Code Did Not Arrive. What Now?
If you have no trusted device and no trusted number
Apple calls this account recovery. You start it from the sign-in screen, and it can take several days or longer. The wait is deliberate. Apple holds the request to protect the account from someone trying to take it over, and Apple Support cannot speed it up. A new phone number does not shorten it either, because recovery is confirming ownership of the account, which a phone number cannot prove.
If you still have a trusted number but lost the phone, ask your carrier for a replacement SIM on the same number. That restores the texts without starting recovery.
When a new number will not help
If you are locked out of an existing Apple Account, codes go only to the trusted devices and trusted numbers already on it. You cannot add a new number without signing in first, so a rented number cannot rescue a locked account.
When a rented number is the right fix
A new Apple Account needs a phone number for two-factor authentication, and a rented number can pass that first check. That helps when your own number is refused, or when you want a separate account for a test device or for keeping your personal number private, as explained in Why Protect Your Phone Number.
MarioSMS rents numbers from real mobile ranges for Apple verification, with the code in your dashboard, usually within a minute, and an automatic refund if none arrives.
Do one thing on the same day. Sign in on a device you own, or add a trusted number you will keep for years, and then remove the rented one. A rented number goes back to the pool when its window ends. If it were the only trusted number on the account, recovery would one day route through a number you no longer hold. Separate test and family accounts are fine under our acceptable use policy.