Apple Push Certificate Issue - cannot access Apple ID used to create

[SteveGB]

My Apple push notification cert is expiring in 7 days so I went to renew it.  I have the Apple ID and password used to create the cert but when I try to login to the APNS portal, it requires two factor authorization.  I do not have access to the trusted device for that Apple ID nor do we have a recovery key.  I realize this is probably an Apple issue but looking for help if someone has been down this path before.  Thank you!

Steve

[BlakeRichardson]

@SteveGB  Yes this is an Apple issue sorry.

One thing you could do is sim swap the number used to a different device and get in that way but if someone is using that device it might annoy them.

Once you get access I would recommend setting up more that one number for use with 2FA, in my org we have a minimum of 3 numbers for Apple accounts. 

[SteveGB]

Thanks @BlakeRichardson   I believe the cell number is tied to a personal phone of a former employee.  We have tried reaching out to him to get the PIN but no luck.

We are going to reach out to Apple but I am not very optimistic that they will help us.  

Assuming neither of those pan out, we have 80 iPads out in the field that will need to be re-registered.  These are all DEP devices so am I correct that these will need to be wiped and reloaded from scratch?  There is no way to manually re-register a DEP device, correct?

Thanks again

[BlakeRichardson]

@SteveGB  Yes if the push certificate lapses then you will need to wipe every device before you can manage them again using the new push certificate. 

Maybe a monetary incentive to the former employee might help. I realise thats really grapsing at straws but if 80 iPads need reconfiguring that is a good amount of someones time to do that. 

[SteveGB]

Ex employee came through and we successfully renewed the cert.  Thank you for all your help!

[jared_f]

Glad to hear. The certificates can be a real pain. 

[BlakeRichardson]

@SteveGB  did you update the 2FA number for the account at the same time?

[SteveGB]

@BlakeRichardson  Yes, sure did.  He created an Apple ID just for the push certificate and we did not have the Apple ID in our records anywhere.  There is a field on the Meraki Organization/MDM page for the AppleID used to create the certificate.  However, this field is simply notational and there is no validation behind it - it is just a reminder.  Furthermore, if you click update in this section, Chrome Autofill will try to write your user id into this field.   Thankfully this field is tracked in the Change Log and I was able to go back into the log and find the original AppleID that he had entered.  

[jared_f]

Hello All! Try reaching out to your local Apple store. They have been a great point of contact and very helpful for me.