How to add a recovery contact to your Apple Account

2 min read · 6 steps · Updated 2 October 2026

Short answer

Open Settings, tap your name, tap Sign-In & Security and tap Recovery Contacts. Tap Add Recovery Contact and choose a person you trust who has an iPhone, iPad or Mac. If you are ever locked out, they can read you a six-digit code that lets you reset your password.

Forgetting the Apple Account password is easy to do and slow to fix: Apple's account recovery can take days. A recovery contact shortens that. The person cannot see into your account. They only receive a code when you ask for it.

Menu names are from recent versions of iOS.

Step by step

  1. Check the requirements

    All your devices need iOS 15, iPadOS 15 or macOS Monterey or later. The other person needs an Apple device of their own with a current system and iMessage switched on. Both of you must be over 13. Two-factor authentication should be on: how to turn on two-factor authentication for your Apple Account on an iPhone.

  2. Open Settings and tap your name

    Then tap Sign-In & Security.

  3. Tap Recovery Contacts

    Tap Add Recovery Contact.

  4. Choose the person

    Pick one of the suggested contacts or tap Choose Someone Else. Members of your Family Sharing group are added at once. Other people receive a request in Messages and have to accept it.

  5. Wait for the confirmation

    You get a message when the person has been added. If they decline or later remove themselves, you are told and can choose someone else.

  6. How it works when you are locked out

    Start the password reset on your device. When asked, call your recovery contact. On their device, they open Settings, their name, Sign-In & Security, Recovery Contacts, tap your name and tap Get Recovery Code. They read the six-digit code to you, and you enter it.

Good to know

You can have up to five recovery contacts. Choose people you can reach by phone and who would recognise your voice.

Be suspicious if someone calls and asks for a recovery code "for" a friend. Give the code only when you are sure you are speaking to the person it belongs to.

With Advanced Data Protection switched on, a recovery contact or a recovery key is required, because Apple itself can no longer restore your data: how to turn on Advanced Data Protection on an iPhone.

If you still know the password and only want a new one: how to change your Apple Account password on an iPhone.

In short: Settings, your name, Sign-In & Security, Recovery Contacts, Add Recovery Contact, choose the person, they accept. Up to five.

Sources
  • Apple Support: Set up an account recovery contact

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