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    Cannot Connect to an iCloud Account

    April 16th, 2023

    The iCloud email address should have the @icloud.com, @me.com or @mac.com domain name. If you have a different email address, please use the tab of your email provider to log into Spark instead of the iCloud tab.

    Apple requires third-party apps (like Spark) to use app-specific passwords with iCloud accounts. An app-specific password is a single-use password you generate on the Apple ID webpage and paste into the password field to log into Spark.

    1. Enable the two-factor authentication

    To generate an app-specific password, make sure you have two-factor authentication enabled.

    Note: Some Apple IDs created in iOS 10.3 or macOS 10.12.4 and later versions are protected with two-factor authentication by default.
    Mac OSiOSAndroid
    1. Open System Settings on your Mac.
    2. Go to iCloud > Account Details.
    3. Click Security at the top.
    4. Make sure two-factor authentication is on. Otherwise, click Turn On Two-Factor Authentication.
    1. Open the Settings app.
    2. Tap your name at the top.
    3. Select Password & Security.
    4. Make sure two-factor authentication is on. Otherwise, select Turn On Two-Factor Authentication and then tap Continue.

    If you’re using iOS 10.2 or earlier:

    1. Go to Settings > iCloud.
    2. Tap your Apple ID > Password & Security.
    3. Select Turn On Two-Factor Authentication.
    4. Tap Continue.

    If you have an Apple device, please open either the iOS or Mac section in this article and follow the instructions to enable two-factor authentication.

    If you don’t have any Apple devices, you can turn on two-step verification instead. This security method will also allow you to generate an app-specific password and log into Spark.

    To enable two-step verification, click on the link below, sign into your Apple ID and follow the onscreen instructions.

    Set up two-step verification

    2. Add your iCloud account to Spark

    Please check the network connection on your device. If you use a VPN, we can’t guarantee Spark will work properly. The quality of the performance via VPN solely relies on the servers of the VPN network. For this reason, we recommend you turn the VPN off.

    Some organizations enable a firewall to prevent access to certain websites from their networks. Ask the administrator if the access to Spark (as the third-party email application) is allowed. Alternatively, you can try to connect to a different network.

    Please make sure you add your iCloud email address, not an iCloud alias. You can check your email address in Mail on iCloud.com (click on the Settings icon at the bottom right > Preferences > Accounts).

    Mac OSiOSAndroid
    1. Click Spark at the top left of your screen.
    2. Select Add Account > iCloud.
    3. Enter your iCloud email which ends with @icloud.com, @me.com or @mac.com.
    4. In the password field, you need to paste the app-specific password, not the standard password from your account. Click Generate an app-specific password.
    5. You will be directed to the Apple ID webpage. Sign in as usual.
    6. In the Security section, click Generate Password.
    7. Enter the password label, e.g. “Spark” and click Create.
    8. Copy this password.
    9. Return to Spark, paste the password you generated in the password field and click Add.

    If your iCloud account is the first one you try to add to Spark, launch the app and click Start Using Spark. Enter your iCloud email address, tick the checkbox to agree with Spark Terms of Use and the Privacy Policy and click Next.

    Then, generate and paste an app-specific password as described above.

    1. In Spark, tap the menu icon   at the top left.
    2. Open Settings > Email Accounts > Add Account > iCloud.
    3. Tap Generate an app-specific password.
    4. You will be directed to the Apple ID webpage. Sign in as usual.
    5. Tap Security.
    6. Under App-specific passwords, select Generate password.
    7. Enter the password label (e.g. Spark) and tap Create.
    8. Copy the password.
    9. Return to Spark and tap I have an app-specific password.
    10. Enter your email address which ends with either @icloud.com, @me.com or @mac.com.
    11. Paste the app-specific password you just created and tap Log in.
    12. On the next screen, tap Done. You can also enter the name and title for your account and choose the notifications preferences.

    If your iCloud account is the first one you try to add to Spark, launch the app and tap Skip or Got It on the welcome screen. Enter your email address, tick the checkbox to agree with the Spark Terms of Use and the Privacy Policy and tap Next.

    Then, generate and paste an app-specific password as described above.

    1. Tap the menu icon   at the top left.
    2. Open Settings > Mail Accounts > Add Account.
    3. Select iCloud.
    4. Enter your email address which ends with either @icloud.com, @me.com or @mac.com.
    5. In the password field, you need to paste the app-specific password, not the standard password from your account. Tap Generate an app-specific password.
    6. You will be directed to the Apple ID webpage. Sign in as usual.
    7. Tap Security.
    8. Under App-specific passwords, select Generate password.
    9. Enter the password label (e.g. Spark) and tap Create.
    10. Copy the password.
    11. Return to Spark, paste the password you generated in the password field and tap Sign In.

    If your iCloud account is the first one you try to add to Spark, launch the app and tap Skip or Got It on the welcome screen. Enter your email address, tick the checkbox to agree with the Spark Terms of Use and the Privacy Policy and tap Next.

    Then, generate and paste an app-specific password as described above.

    Note: App-specific passwords work only for the iCloud email address with the @icloud.com, @me.com, or @mac.com domain name. This address can differ from your Apple ID email address (e.g. your Apple ID may be linked to Gmail, Outlook, or other emails). You can see the iCloud email address you need in the “Reachable At”/“Contactable At” section on the Apple ID webpage.

    3. Contact our support team

    In case the suggestions above are not helping, try typing the app-specific password without the dashes in the format “asdasdasdasdasdasdasdasdasd” instead of the format Apple suggests.

    If you’re still experiencing issues adding your iCloud account, we are happy to help you personally.

    Mac OSiOSAndroid
    1. Launch Spark and click Help at the top left of your screen. Select Send Feedback.
    2. A new email window will appear. In the Subject: line, write “Cannot connect to iCloud account.” We need this email subject to provide you with a quick, personal reply.
    3. In your message, please write the email address you’re trying to log in and attach a screenshot with the error message appearing when you try to add an account.
    4. Send the email, and our support team will get in touch to solve your problem.
    1. In Spark, tap the menu icon   at the top left.
    2. Open Settings > Support > Diagnostics > Send Diagnostics Information.
    3. A new email window will appear. In the Subject: line, write “Cannot connect to iCloud account”. We need this email subject to provide you with a quick, personal reply.
    4. In your message, please write the email address you’re trying to log in and attach a screenshot with the error message appearing when you try to add an account.
    5. Send the email, and our support team will get in touch to solve your problem.
    Note: There is no possibility to access Spark and contact us if the email account you can’t connect to Spark is the first account you try to add.

    In this case, please add any other email account to Spark at first. Then, try to add your iCloud account. If it fails to connect, contact our support team as described below.

    1. Tap the menu icon   at the top left.
    2. Open Settings > Support > Diagnostics > Send Diagnostics Information.
    3. A new email window will appear. In the Subject: line, write “Cannot connect to iCloud account”. We need this email subject to provide you with a quick, personal reply.
    4. In your message, please write the email address you’re trying to log in and attach a screenshot with the error message appearing when you try to add an account.
    5. Send the email, and our support team will get in touch to solve your problem.
    Note: There is no possibility to access Spark and contact us if the email account you can’t connect to Spark is the first account you try to add.

    In this case, please add any other email account to Spark at first. Then, try to add your iCloud account. If it fails to connect, contact our support team as described above.

    Spark automatically attaches a .zip file with the application logs to your email. We need the logs for our investigation. This file may contain some sensitive personal data, and we assure you we’ll treat it as confidential information.

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