Reset Password Failure: There was an error communicating with iCloud.

Help wanted, first time in years I’m thinking about going back to Windows…

At the beginning of this year, I took my AVP overseas so I could multi-task while away for a conference. Sitting in Thailand, suddenly my password no longer works. TL;DR: I get back to Australia, lose all files, some crypto, and a lot of faith in Apple after I’m told a full wipe is required. Even that didn’t fix it, and in the end I walked away with a replacement AVP which I don’t even use because I don’t trust it.

Fast forward to today: I just got back from another business trip (Europe, USA, Latin America, Indonesia). This time I only used my iPad Pro, Brought the MacBook Pro (M3) but didn’t use it. When I got home and tried to pull work across from the iPad to the MacBook and BOOM, password doesn’t work.

I go into Recovery, pass the Activation Lock screen with my iCloud login, run resetpassword in Terminal, enter my Apple ID, get the 6-digit code on my iPhone, and then BAM:

“Reset password failed — There was an error communicating with iCloud.”

Another device, years of data, and the “sophistication” of Apple software is letting me down again. I’ve tried:

• Running the reset multiple times.
• Disk Utility password reset.
• Adjusting time/date manually.
• Reinstalling macOS without wiping (blocked by FileVault).
• Calling Apple support, which honestly felt like Telstra tech support circa offshore days. Their only answer: wipe it.

Then I remember that I have another MacBook Air (M2) which I backed up to six months ago. Great, I think. Go straight into Recovery, try the reset, and… same iCloud error. I even try the written-down password for that device (stored in my safe). Fail.

Has anyone actually solved the ‘Reset password failed: error communicating with iCloud’ issue while FileVault is on? I thought about buying another MacBook for data transfer, but that won’t help if the iCloud reset itself is broken. And yes, I know about Time Machine and iCloud backups, but this reset process is meant to exist for exactly these situations, and right now it isn’t working.

[Edited by Moderator]