Tons of Complaints of iCloud Backup Issues After Updating to iOS 16.3

This comes as no surprise because Apple has been rolling out some buggy updates. The latest iOS isn't exempt from this, as the first update came with a fleet of problems. This drastically affected many users, especially the ones that installed the update on the first day of its release. As Apple rolled out versions 16.1 and  16.2, things got better, but the recent 16.3 iOS update came with its own set of problems. 

Based on information obtained from the Apple community and MacRumors forums: iOS 16.3 appears to have an impact on the iCloud backup feature for some people that did the upgrade. 

The Users Complaints 

iPhone users that are experiencing the problem tried to manually activate the iCloud back up, but the iOS 16.3 bug appears to be preventing the function of the settings properly. The impacted users see the automatic iCloud Backup being disabled when they attempt to turn on the auto backup feature. 

GBstoic, a MacRumors reader, had a complaint about the iCloud backup not working after he just installed the 16.3 version. After toggling off the backup, he says his devices automatically backed up even without the two-factor authentication (2FA) enabled. This revealed an underlying error. 

Some users sited that they fixed the problem by turning on the two-factor authentication. Some started speculating that Apple was trying to force people to use the 2FA feature, although I later found that this wasn’t the case. I later found that 2FA wasn't the issue, as some of the users that had activated it still found themselves in the same situation. 

Most of the complaints received are from iPhone users, although the problem also seems to affect the iPad as well, as long as the device is running on version 16.3. Multiple reports indicated that some devices backed up even with the error message but not particularly the case for other users, which leaves the iCloud as the possible source for these issues. 

The Remedy

There is no evidence that Apple is trying to force people to use 2FA despite the speculations. Based on previous experiences, Apple usually announces with a specific message followed by an explanation if they are implementing such changes.  

The affected users have been encouraged to back up to keep their data safe manually. Apple will address the iOS 16.3 bug in a future update. Apple is working on a 16.3.1 update for iOS that might include some fixes for the iCloud issues. Unfortunately, I haven't received any details on this. The only thing I have seen Apple do is to fix bugs fast and efficiently in the past. So this could be a thing of the past in no time.

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