Why multiple passwords for locked notes?

Once you assign a password the only way to change it is to enter that password. You can lock different notes with different passwords, but that doesn’t change the password for previously locked notes. If you created passcode reminders when you created the passcode you can view them if you enter the wrong passcode. But if there was a way to reset a passcode you forgot there would be no point in having a passcode in the first place. If you can’t remember the password for a set of notes there is no way to recover those notes.

Touch ID for notes will reset when notes are transferred to a new device or restored from a backup, or the Touch ID settings are redone. Again, because if they didn’t someone could restore your phone to their phone, enabled their touch ID and access your supposedly locked notes.

Here’s the official word ➡️ How to lock notes on your iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch - Apple Support

Oh, and from that, this might be of use:

If you enable Face ID or Touch ID for your notes password, it adds the encryption keys used to encrypt your notes to your keychain, which can be accessed with your device passcode. This means that anyone with your device passcode can access your locked notes. For maximum security, you can opt to not enable Face ID or Touch ID for your notes password.

randomo Said:

"Why multiple passwords for locked notes?: For over an hour now, I’ve been trying to figure out a password for some notes I have locked. And I tried to reset the password, but I then saw that it didn’t do anything. And all I have to say, what in the actual heck is that. Why give the option to change it, if it can’t reset previously locked notes??? I’m genuinely confused and would actually like to know who made that choice. And I rather not have to delete my notes, I would like an option where I can reset the password and not stress what guesses I made for the password. And why is touch id turned off for it, it defeats the purpose of trying to recover the password :|."

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Provide Apple Feedback:

Do your Part. Seeing "I would like an option" is an example of a recomendation. So, inform Apple of this bug - Apple won't get back to you directly, but the more feedback they receive on this, the more they will know what bugs need to be fixed, and how to suit their customers needs.

How to Give Feedback:

1. Go Here: Feedback - iPhone - Apple
2. Select: "Feature Request" for "Feedback Type"
3. Inform Apple: of how it could be better, and how you've troubleshot it thus far.
4. Proceed from there as necessary

You can't change the password if you don't know the existing password.

It's called "security". If it were possible to re-set the password without knowing the existing password, the encryption would be completely worthless.

Then you lose the data.

Take responsibility for your own actions. I, for one, am absolutely Not willing to sacrifice the security of my data just because some people are too irresponsible to remember, or even make a note of their passwords somewhere.

randomo wrote:

I know that, but some type of recovery would be helpful.

Propose a type of recovery that would not render note encryption worthless.

There is, when you create a password you can add a password hint.

Beyond that anything that would allow recovery would also weaken the encryption.