How to Fix iCloud Advanced Data Protection Setup Failures in macOS Sequoia 15.x
Symptom: Attempting to enable Advanced Data Protection (ADP) on Sequoia results in an "Internal Server Error" or "Verification Failed" message during the recovery key setup.
TL;DR fix
Start with Fix 1: Clear the IDS (Identity Services) Cache. If the issue persists after that, try Fix 2: Sign Out and In of iCloud. Full Terminal commands and step-by-step instructions are in each section below.
Why this happens
Sequoia requires all devices on the account to be on a minimum OS version, but sometimes cached "ghost" devices from the account prevent verification.
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Fix 1: Clear the IDS (Identity Services) Cache
- Open Terminal.
- Run the following to reset identity services:
sudo killall -9 identityservicesd
- Try the setup again.
Fix 2: Sign Out and In of iCloud
- Go to System Settings > [Your Name] > Sign Out.
- Choose to keep a copy of data if prompted.
- Sign back in and attempt to enable ADP again.