TikTok is making users give their iPhone passwords for unclear reasons

TikTok users are frightened and confused as to why the viral video app is supposedly demanding they input their iPhone password to view content.

Even more concerning, experts say the reasons why TikTok — which had reportedly been caught red-handed spying on journalists in the past — remains unclear.

“TikTok itself doesn’t explicitly state the exact cause,” according to an article from industry expert publication Dataconomy.

The highly worrisome issue was reportedly first observed in late November and saw several more users sound the alarm throughout December, according to Dexerto.

It was also around this timeframe that Apple released two urgent security updates for iPhone and other product users.

The more recent iOS update, which rolled out on Dec. 11, patched a bug that allowed access to sensitive user data.

In a comment to The Post, a spokesperson for TikTok indicated that the issue has been “resolved.”

“The iOS passcode prompt was a bug resulting from an update we’ve begun to introduce in the U.S. in partnership with our U.S. security partner,” explained the statement. “This issue impacted a small number of people, we’ve resolved it, and people won’t see the prompt going forward. The passcode is used by the iOS operating system to help verify user identity. Neither TikTok nor our U.S. security partner were able to collect or access people’s iOS passcodes.”

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Dataconomy had listed four potential causes as to why TikTok would insist on this personal security data — and one seemed to align with the company’s explanation.

The site said the passcode might have been a “temporary security measure requiring passcode entry to address certain vulnerabilities or privacy concerns.” It also suggested it might have been tied to an app update, glitch or enabling the content filter known as “restricted mode.”

“Restricted mode” might ask for a password as a censor for content, per Dataconomy.

How to work around TikTok asking for your iPhone password

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Experts warn it’s almost always a bad idea, especially under these circumstances, to share your password due to glaring security risks and easy exposure to phishing attempts.

However, in this case, it appears some have found suitable workarounds.

TikTok users prompted to give their passwords said on a Reddit thread that the issue ceased once they updated their app to version 32.5.0.

There appears to be another quick way to avoid this, too.

“Some users have reported bypassing the passcode prompt by selecting ‘cancel,’ indicating that this might indeed be a bug rather than an intentional feature,” according to Dataconomy.

It was also noted that shutting down restricted mode might work as well.

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This news comes shortly after its failure to protect the privacy of children.

In late 2022, Federal Bureau of Investigation Director Christopher Wray national security concerns” with the Chinese-owned TikTok.

“They include the possibility that the Chinese government could use it to control data collection on millions of users, or control the recommendation algorithm which could be used for influence operations if they so choose, or to control software on millions of devices.”