Hey Howdy Hey Tappers!
We’ve previously written about the Verification Code requirement at login for TSTO here and here. When I first wrote those posts, I wrote them from a place of…EA realized they made a mistake with these and they’re going to fix it.
Unfortunately, that doesn’t seem to be the case. So, now I’m coming from a place of…these codes are the dumbest thing to hit our games since the Wizard Halloween Event, and here are some steps to work around the stupidity of it all. (I had harsher words there, but it’s Friday so I’ll be nice) So let’s get to it…
So first off, I’ve just got to say this. The Verification Code system is 100% pure crap. It’s stupid, pointless, and utterly ridiculous of EA to put this as their system after 9+ years of TSTO’s existence.
What’s wrong with just a damn password?! It worked pretty well for the last 9 years, seems pretty stupid to stop it now.
Not to mention, SOOO many players (myself included) have multiple games of TSTO that they play on. And they jump back and forth multiple times a day. Using a verification code instead of a password just makes their lives more difficult…and makes it less likely that they’ll continue playing (and/or spending money in the game).
This is, hands down, the dumbest thing EA’s ever done to this game and it should be reversed. It won’t be…but if they had half a brain it would be.
Now that that’s off my chest, let’s get into some things you can do to combat this stupidity…
First of all, and I’ve just got to say this as well, for those of you that don’t have access to the email you use to play TSTO…why?! If you have an issue with the game you NEED a working email address to deal with it. So the fact that you don’t have access to it seems so silly to me. Once you stopped using that email address, you should have changed it to a working one. Even if you don’t want it to be your main email (mine isn’t. In fact I barely log into the email I use for TSTO…), change it to one you use just for TSTO…and KEEP ACCESS TO IT! As good common sense all around, you should only use an email address that you still have access to for any account login/signup. You never know when you need to use it again. The fact that you no longer have access to it isn’t EA’s fault (as stupid as the verification code is), it’s yours for not updating it.
For those of you that no longer have access to your email, here’s some advice from debbie314001 over on ToUk on how to deal with EA and changing your E-mail address…
“As you may recall, the last Tapped Out update required a verification code which was sent to the email EA had on file for us. Well mine was 7 years old and over time I stopped using it and it was permanently closed. So I could not access the code and not log into the game. I called EA and they asked me several questions which if I got correct, they would change my email on file so I could be verified. The questions they asked are always the same.
1. IP address the game was played on. That was easy to find by typing “what is my IP address”
2. The last 4 numbers of my credit card I used to purchase something at EA
3. My date of birth
4. My billing address
5. My phone number
6. 2 EA games I play and have purchased.
I gave them the information that they asked and was told I was not correct. After many failed calls one person told me to log onto the EA account and see what I had posted. Some things like date of birth were half blocked (ex: XX/XX/XX01). But what I found was they did not have my address, credit card or phone number. So the correct answer they wanted me to say was NONE on file. Even though I gave them my correct address, phone and credit card, they didn’t have it on file so they could not verify me. The last call I made I said none an he was able to verify me and change my email to an active one. So the secret is to know what they have on file and give that information. They sent me several emails and I was able to set up a password for EA.”
Now what’s really important is, after you do all of those steps and get verified by EA…stay on the phone/chat with them while you log into your game and make sure you can get in. If you’re still having problems alert them immediately while you’re still on the phone.
For those that have access to their email but the codes just aren’t working…
Make sure your email is written in TSTO EXACTLY as it is. If it has a capital letter in the middle, make sure that the capital letter is there. If it’s all capital letters and one lower case letter random, make sure that the lower case is in the right spot. If you don’t, the codes will not get sent to your email.
And finally, here are some tips from Graham-S that he’s put together over reviewing various posts on the EA forums and other locations:
“There seems to be 3 main issues :
Dead emails – I know you’ve seen Debbie’s tips on that and it’s a big post so I’ll leave that out of this post
Invalid codes : –
Firstly it must be your game email you used to use with a password to log in, using another email not connected to your game account won’t work !!
the original suggestion is to type your email in all lower case
If the email contains a capital the code fails.
Turns out that doesn’t always work , this was posted on Answers -.
Type the email in ALL CAPITALS – it fails of course
Type the email in all lower case and request a new code
The new code works ( cool tip, I like break it to fix it tips !! )
Active email not getting codes : –
I noticed at least some affected players also can’t be sent PMs on the forum.
It seems posting this all over has given EA techs a clue as to the cause and they may be able to action “Account Updates” to solve it.
I also thought of this, but I’ve got no feedback yet on if it works –
Create a new EA account
Start a new game
When you can, register the new game and log in
If that gets codes grab the Mayhem ID, Origin ID and email for it etc.
Contact Help and ask if they can swap so your main game’s Data / Mayhem ID is on to the new account
Hopefully that will mean the game that gets codes contains your lost town”
And here’s a reminder from Graham for all players, even if you don’t think you’ll be impacted:
“Fair warning for everyone too . . .
Even if you’ve escaped this so far, only playing on one device and never logging out – it is a ticking time bomb !!
One of my 2 towns got logged out at random and I struggled to get back in
( I have a device per town, but that didn’t save me )
Make sure your EA account details and email are up to date
Make sure you set up a recovery email in case you need it sometime
Make sure you get a screenshot of your Mayhem ID
That way if or rather when you find you need a code you’ll have the info needed for Help if it doesn’t work !!”
Mayhem ID
For those that don’t know, you should keep your Mayhem ID handy in case you need it down the line to contact EA. Just good practice to keep a screenshot of it available. Here’s how you access it:
-In TSTO tap on the store, than the settings cog in the upright corner
-From there hit the view button next to info
-From there the view button next to About
-And below the version, it’ll give you a really long sequence of numbers. That’s your mayhem id. (Yes, I blacked out a large chunk of mine to protect my game id…)
Grab a screenshot and keep that screenshot somewhere safe where you can access it in case you need it down the road.
And that’s it my friends…a few tips to work around a really stupid implementation from EA. Hopefully, things work out for you!
Thoughts? Tips? Wanna share your irritation at EA over this? Feel free to share it all in the comments below…
This was the last straw with EA for me. I just quit. After playing since the 2nd THOH event, I quit. It’s just not worth the frustration and BS that inevitably pops up with EA. I really, really loved my Springfield but I’m done.
I never log out of my game ever as I use only 1 town and I’m beginning to be plagued by this problem too now. First time it happened I figured it was because I was in Seattle away from my iPad and tried to log in via my phone, but it happened again a day or two later also.
Looking at the phrasing in the code box, it’s a bug and definitely not some kind of 2 factor authentication setup. The code box saying it’s about “verifying” your email smells more like an initial account setup than anything.
I stopped playing once they introduced the broken verification codes. I got sent the verification codes and they kept failing despite typing the code exactly as given. The first time I could override it by closing the game but the second time the game was not playable without the code so I decided it was time to just quit. A fun game but I guess it is time to quit.
I just got an email from someone that said they had this same issue. However, when they logged into EA.com they had to reset their password. Once they did that the emails started coming through. Here’s the exact wording from the email:
“I’ve been trying to log in to my account for days now. My email is correct, I’d get the code, but it would say it’s invalid… until today! I went to the main EA website on my PC and tried logging in there with the password I had set in the game. When I tried, it prompted me to make a new password, saying my current one was expired. I made a new password, went back to the game, and requested a new code. It worked!!!! Maybe get the word out that if people are having issues with invalid codes with the correct email they need to update their password with EA. Hope this helps others! I almost gave up on this game, so happy I found this!”
Hey all. I’ve been locked out of tsto for a few days now. I’d almost given up on the game when I figured I’d try to login to the main ea page. When I tried logging in with my normal password it said it was expired. After getting the password reset email and setting a new password, I went back to the game and requested a new code. IT WORKED!!! For those whose email is correct but the code they send you doesn’t work, trying resetting your password on the main ea website. Worked for me!
Good news, I tried again to get the game emails changed and got a completely different way to do it.
I can now get back into one of the games I was logged out of. Still struggling with getting verification code on the other one that was changed.
I also got the other family games changed to a working email at the same time so shouldn’t loose them now.
It was a long but worthwhile chat with the very helpful Devika U.
Very happy now, just working on the last game to get the verification code working now.
Hope that the other people who are having difficulty getting back in can do it too.
Kudos to every Tapper letting us know you’ll probably need to
_clear the Game App cache
_reboot your device
_then login (after your Profile has acknowledged the verification code)
If you’re filled with 🤬 towards EA? Join the Club (or I should jokingly say join everyone on YouTube letting EA know how they feel during 2021 E3’s Livestream!) I almost get the impression that EA does not want you to have an A Game B Game C Game (they just want Tappers to have 1 Springfield and they don’t care about a Land Expansion, or bringing back the Golden Goose Reality for noobs who don’t have it!) 🤷🏼♂️
https://youtu.be/IPkoSNAA2Sc
Just in case EA reads this, please move the login button away from link. I have fat fingered it so many times. Also has any figured out how to get the email address supplied by iPad to automatically fill in. For those that don’t have an iPad, there is a password suggestion with email (never could get the password to work).
“BLEEEP The fingers you used to type the login are too fat. Please mash your entire palm against the screen to order a pointy stick”. Unfortunately nobody at EA reads wordpress blogs about 1 of their small phone games. The money they want to take, but help customers? NAH. Computer says no. COUGH
You would be surprised
I deleted the game, disabled the icloud back for apps the waited about a week. Then I installed the game and after getting the code the game seemed to work fine. At the same time running the game on multiple devices seems like a problematic way to play.
My experience is that… I do not get any code in my game-mailbox. When in contact with EA helpdesk. I sometimes get a verification code for the helpdesk. I believe they tried to send the game verifcation code. It failed. However the helpdesk is able to send mails and I am able to receive them.
When using the game-mailbox I get nothing like waiting for snow in the Sahara…
When I use the (via the helpdesk set up) secondary mailbox… the game says ‘mailbox unknown, try again’ (at least some feedback).
I seem to have the impression that personal domains are giving them troubles vs public domains like yahoo and outlook and such.
And finaly the nice guy from EA said… just wait for another update, don’t thingk about playing this episode and hope for the best with as soon as there is an update.
Hi,
Thanks for everything.
Juste a question : if & when EA fix this bug, will we be able to connect with are original ID/password whithout having to use the verification code ?
thx
🤷♀️
I’ve been playing Tapped Out for a long time (officially created an account in 2015).
This is, by far, the worst move EA could have made.
I admit some of it is my fault, as I am one of those people who used an old account, one made when I was a teenager, to log in. Over time, I stopped accessing that account and now it is completely defunct.
I have tried changing my email with EA multiple times but they keep telling me they can’t verify. I believe the wrong birthdate was entered into the file, so of course I can’t remember it (especially since my EA account only shows the year – which is wrong…).
I understand EA is concerned about security, but there are so many better ways to manage it.
I have enjoyed playing Tapped Out however have noticed a drop in quality as well as the sheer grind of playing, since there isn’t really much that is new anymore. Honestly, it feels like a bit of a chore these days. Anyone else miss crafting?
I will probably keep trying to reset my email with EA, but I may be locked out long before any resolution. If that happens, I could start from scratch (which sounds like a bit of a pain) or I may decide to delete the game completely.
Anyway, thanks to the TSTO crew for your advice over all this time.
Mine keeps saying “an error occured with this login. Please retry.” And it won’t let me retry
I always assumed that making in game purchases would supply EA with enough money to hire competent programmers. Clearly this was naive.
I receive codes by emails. Yet, I am unable to log into the game. I logged in to my EA account from a PC, filled out the form, and requested a call. I received a prompt call back and explained the problem. They requested information from my app to uniquely identify my instance. No fix yet
Simpsons: Tapped Out version 4.50.0, iPhone 12 Pro, software version 14.6
Here’s my exact experiences:
Broken Login Attempt A
———————————
(1) Fire up the app, attempt to login
(2) Enter email address – all lower case (this is the exact EA account email), click “Log In”
(3) Get “Account Management” screen stating “Verify your email by entering the code received below.”
(4) Receive code email, enter code in “Enter Code” box, click “Verify”
(5) Get “Log in To EA” screen stating: “An error occurred processing the login. Please retry.
(6) Clicking “Continue”, redisplays the “Log In To EA” screen
(7) This is a dead end – exit the app
Seeing the “fix” above by typing in the email in all caps, I tried it:
Broken Login Attempt B
——————————–
(1) Fire up the app, attempt to login
(2) Enter email address – ALL UPPER CASE, click “Log In”
(3) Get “Account Management” screen stating “Verify your email by entering the code received below.”
(4) Receive code email, enter code in “Enter Code” box, click “Verify”
(5) The “Account Management” screen remains. The message (in yellow): “Incorrect code. Please try again” appears under the box marked “Enter Code”
(6) Click “Edit Email”
(7) Get the “Log In To EA” screen, Enter all lower case email address (this is the exact EA account email), click “Log In”
(8) Get “Account Management” screen stating “Verify your email by entering the code received below.”
(9) Receive new code email, enter new code in “Enter Code” box, click “Verify”
(10) Get “Log in To EA” screen stating: “An error occurred processing the login. Please retry.
(11) Clicking “Continue” redisplays the “Log In To EA” screen
(12) This is a dead end – exit the app
Assuming that maybe a variation on the all caps email address fix was a possibility, I tried this:
Broken Login Attempt C
——————————–
(1) Fire up the app, attempt to login
(2) Enter email address – ALL UPPER CASE, click “Log In”
(3) Get “Account Management” screen stating “Verify your email by entering the code received below.”
(4) Receive code email, enter code in “Enter Code” box, click “Verify”
(5) The “Account Management” screen remains. The message (in yellow): “Incorrect code. Please try again” appears under the box marked “Enter Code”
(6) Renter code in “Enter Code” box, click “Verify”
(7) Same result as (5) above
(8) Click “Resend Code”, Yellow message “Code sent” appears under “Enter Code” box
(9) Receive another code email with the same code, enter code in “Enter Code” box, click “Verify”
(10) Same result as (5) above
(11) Click “Edit Email”
(12) Get the “Log In To EA” screen, Enter all lower case email address (this is the exact EA account email), click “Log In”
(13) Get “Account Management” screen stating “Verify your email by entering the code received below.”
(14) Enter same code in “Enter Code” box, click “Verify”
(15) Same result as (5) above
(16) Click “Resend Code”, Yellow message “Code sent” appears under “Enter Code” box
(17) Receive new code email, enter new code in “Enter Code” box, click “Verify”
(18) Get “Log in To EA” screen stating: “An error occurred processing the login. Please retry.
(19) Clicking “Continue” redisplays the “Log In To EA” screen
(20) This is a dead end – exit the app
Using any variation of the caps “fix” did not work. I’ve now tried to login in dozens and dozens of times using every variation that I can. I’ve been playing the game since the very beginning. I’m totally disgusted with EA. This problem has been around for many weeks – but I don’t expect a repair soon since it is now approaching the weekend and, well, it’s hard to imagine EA working to fix a bug on the weekend when it’s been around for this long… I’d buy more donuts to give them an incentive – but that would require me to log in…
Lol stuck
That sounds like the codes worked but the app to server/account connection failed and there’s a few things worth trying –
Force close the app and clear cache then reboot your device and try again.
On my Android tablet that usually ends up with Bart to start so heading to recent apps to swipe it off and relaunch before trying to log in might also help.
( basically if I clear cache I have to start it, stop it and restart it often enough it’s become habit on my tablet, and yet my phone is usually trouble free ?!? )
Start the game loading and then kill all internet access ( turn off mobile data first, then WiFi ) and tap to bring the game back up so it says it’s your fault it can’t connect, and then turn WiFi back on – if you can do that from the swipe down menu it’s better – and tap retry and . . retry !!
Uninstall and reinstall so it has to find a connection for that massive data file. I’ve seen advice elsewhere not to attempt to play until that finishes.
Maybe that’s an iOS thing, as an Android user I always signed in as soon as I could so when the download was over my town was ready to load but it’d be a shame to have to go reinstall again so best be safe
Good luck
Thank you for the comments and suggestions. Although I haven’t received anything more from EA about this problem, I am back!
I completely uninstalled the game and rebooted the phone, reinstalled from the App Store, downloaded the 800+ updates, and then attempted to login. Got the verification code and for the first time in over 50 attempts, it worked! So, it looks like the problem might have been something in the game cache.
I had rebooted before and that didn’t work – and I had reinstalled before and that didn’t work – but maybe not in exactly the same way as described above.
I hope this one successful solution helps others. Now I’ve got some lotus flowers to collect…
I have encountered the login processing error before (or at least something like it), and that was well before this whole situation with verification codes. What I do when I encounter this error is I close out the game from the background, and then I reopen the game. This usually works for me to bypass the error, and get back into the game.
I don’t like EA requiring these one-time-use codes everytime I have to re-login to the game, and I hope that they either change things back to way they were regarding logging in to the game; or fix it so that the code is only needed once (in addition to the password) in order to login to TSTO on unrecognized devices, with a checkbox for remembering devices so that codes are not required if the box is checked.
That is basically how I set up 2-step verification for my Gmail email account.
Yeah when they first talked about the codes, this is what I thought was happening – that they were forcing 2fv on folks. That’s fine, but the ‘you need a one-off code *every* time you log in, and oh yeah your password is useless’ makes absolutely zero sense.
It seems like it was the perfect time to quit tapped out
I sort off had this problem at the beginning, I played anonymous for about a year until I got in to deep and wanted my game to save, I already had an ea account but it wouldn’t let me log in even after multiply password changed ect, frustrated I set up another outlook email address on top of my normal address which I have had forever, this outlook address is only used for tsto, strange but true.
When the verification code became, I was able to log on using my phone and tab, 2 devices and haven’t had any problems so far.
I can’t figure it out why ea decided to go this way other than to frustrate the users and so eliminate the game? Just my thinking.
At the beginning the game was consuming, hard and addictive now it’s easy, a 4 week event could take me a week.
That been said I love this game, I don’t know exactly how long I have been playing, I remember about a year in playing maybe, coming across the addicts site and the more I got involved in this site the more i played, without this site I think I might have giving up by now ❤️, if only I could find my first post in 2014/15
Anyway I agree that the codes are unfair, I hope the long term players find a way.
This is probably my longest post I have done on the addicts site 😁 😎🤣😂 but something’s just gave to be said. X to all
Feb 2013 is when I started with TSTO (2014 is probably when I joined TSTO Addicts – Bunny was still here) ….. ‘Verification Code’ isn’t very Tapper friendly if you have more than one Springfield (I’m guessing too many Origin and Mayhem Accounts are getting hacked – especially by those who quit but never took their Origin / Mayhem Accounts down).
I used both Gmail and Outlook (I like you can create separate email accounts and sync them), I can only imagine all the various ‘free email accounts tied to an isp’ that are no longer relevant now (I hope tappers learn from this and use your email current email account – create a separate email and sync it!)
Yes we have lost Tappers (plenty of reasons), but this Mobile Game App has lasted longer then most. Happy Friday! 👍🏻
If only I knew who liked my comments??
Keith that would be found in your WordPress Account (if you have one) 👍🏻
Don’t have one now although I was sure I created one but my email address not excepted, sounds familiar lol
Logged into your WordPress but avatar doesn’t work
I have not received such a verification code. Should I be worried?
No. It just means you haven’t logged out or been logged out of your game. Just make sure your email is one you still have access to and you’ll be fine
I’ve played this game since 2014, have probably spent a couple of thousand dollars over the years, and try as I might I can’t pass the test EA will never see another dime from me I hate them. You’d think I could at least buy a picture of my Springfield to remember all the hours I spent on it. I’ll never play another EA game ever.
Yep! I just noticed it this morning when I switched my game over to a new phone. It wasn’t a big deal as I just slid down my notification screen and put in the code… However, I have lost access to my second account which really isn’t a big deal because I only play premium mode on my main account. Also, I have took notice that EA automatically made me an account when they switched over from Origin. They have my birthdate off by one year and I can’t change that or my avatar. Looks like I’ll be contacting support. I can understand EA switching to this new verification thing for security purposes but at least get with the time’s and offer multiple emails and secret questions. That’s just bad customer service on their part. I would be totally pissed if I lost my thousands of real money over the years on this game! Anyway. Thanks for the tips and good looking out for us “neighboreenos”!
I for one like the move to one-time codes, they are probably significantly more secure than whatever password many users might have on their EA accounts and are not at risk with every other leak of personal data.
Still, all the best to the Tappers just now waking up to the fact that their account is connected to an old email address, and I hope you can regain control of your account.
A five digit number is a lot less secure than a well chosen password.
When passwords are properly stored they are encrypted first, and it is almost impossible to reverse that to see what they are. You’d probably have more chance at winning every draw on every lottery all around the world for a decade, not impossible, but . . . !!
What then happens when you log in is your entered password goes through the same encryption process and it checks if the result is the same as the one stored. You can’t just put the encrypted version in either, that comes out as something else again when it passes back through the process.
I appreciate what you’re saying (hence the reference to “many users” in my original post), but the code, if implemented correctly, is not comparable to a password as it verifies the clients access to the email address of record and only allows logging in from the device that send the original code request.
These are IMHO significant advantages simply not replicable with the use of a password, in addition to removing the chance of cross-site password re-use or data leaks from EA themselves leading to compromised accounts.
If a hacker got in and accessed all that EA data they could change the email a lot easier than getting a password, and then just tap away merrily on their own devices, wrecking your town and wasting all your donuts . . .
I’m sure they’ll all be gathering as I type, working out how they want to mess up my Springfield 😲🤪😊
I just got done reading that EA was hacked, Graham , I wonder if enough people realized this just happened? 🤔
https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-57431987
Yeah CJ, I read that a day or two back.
EA response – Hackers saw the programming for how our games work so let’s make it next to impossible for our customers to play !?!
Your silly little game can’t do EA any particular harm and the hackers aren’t interested – except the cheats after free stuff and they have already worked out how to get round this nonsense i believe !!
Being able to access account details doesn’t necessarily mean being able to edit them.
And again, if properly implemented, the code will/would only authorize the specific device that had sent the original request, and the person trying to log in would have to have control over the email associated with the account, too.
Basically, this reduces EA’s attack surface to zero, as there is no password to steal or brute force, while your email account is not in their curfew.
Sadly if they can gain access to the information held on a server database to read it they can also edit it or even delete it as they wish – you need a system password to even search a database and that grants control too !!
That’s simply not true. Most databases know different levels of access privileges and it’s perfectly conceivable that someone would gain access to an account, tool, or API that only has read access to customer data.
I’ll add – while database access is ( usually ) very well protected hacks like the recent one often target files and resources stored in folders that you can’t generally access to see what they contain, or to copy from.
I’m a fairly novice coder and even I know a few tricks so a typical user can only see what I want them to see.
I also don’t put anything I wouldn’t want a hacker to see on the server I use though, not that daft !!
Logging in is endlessly frustrating.
Several times I have tried restarting passwords thinking I am at fault, only to realise it is a server issue preventing logging in, but the error messages are so limited it can’t properly explain this.
I once managed to successfully change the password on the EA website, only to be told in the game that I have used special characters that cannot be accepted.
Would an auto-conplete option for logging in, or fingerprint login be too much to ask? If it is secure enough for my bank account it must be secure enough for a game?
My MIL has a strange situation… she took over my son’s Simpsons game (with his EA account) years ago… which is tied directly to HIS email. So EVERY time she gets the code issue, she has to email my husband to log in my son’s home email and get the code. (My son’s home email is for accounts like iTunes, Google, etc, he has own Gmail for regular). Anyway, it’s a royal PITA EVERY time she gets locks out for the access code. Before she could log in with age verification and his Simpsons log on, and done. Now she has to wait. We also live in different states, so this is very frustrating. So this is similar to the ‘no access to email’ for EA account issue… even though email technically IS available. Not sure how to solve this. Wish they would go back to regular log on from the Origin screen.
You can change the email linked to that account. If you go to EA.com log in via your son’s TSTO account, you’ll see the option to update the email address. You will need to do the verification code to update it, but once you do that you should be able to change it to an email your MIL has access to. Hope that helps!
Thanks Alissa… but then won’t that effect my son’s other EA games? He plays Star Wars and anything for that would go back to gramma? Or not? I didn’t think it could be THAT simple. Simpsons is the only game that EA requires logging directly in.. I don’t know how his other EA games would be effected.
Honestly, I’m not sure. I don’t really play any other EA games (or any games for that matter), that I don’t know how the log in systems work on the others.
As I have said before EA are not accepting mayhem codes as proof of ownership of a game, so I am locked out of 2 games now.
When I set the games up the email was valid and worked, it was only ever used to log in to the game.
Maybe I was unwise not to update it, but to be honest it never crossed my mind that EA would change the whole log in method without any prior warning.
EA IT IS UNFAIR TO CHANGE THINGS WITHOUT WARNING!
EA PLEASE GIVE PEOPLE A CHANCE TO CHANGE EMAIL LOGINS, RESET ORIGIN SO THAT DETAILS CAN BE CHANGED.
Same here… ;-(
SinceEA just reported that they were hacked – how good is their security that they weren’t able to protect their own codes??? I saw I had no neighbors last week so I had to uninstall and reinstall the game, Now no neighbors again. The curse of the verification code strikes again. If not for the fact that I really have loved playing this game for probably 8 years, I’d say bye bye to Springfield for all of the problems that have occurred over that time. I know that Tapped Out fans are some of the most loyal gamers, but if you can’t keep your own company safe from hackers that stole all of YOUR codes….. Thanks for all of the great info I’ve received from you and Safi over the years. Greatly appreciated!
I just got done reading that EA was hacked , too Nancy
https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-57431987
I feel really fortunate that I’ve not had to deal with this issue. I feel for everyone affected by this. What a pain in the bum
Has any tried changing the password by logging in the EA support? It still requires a password. From there you could change the email (at least before the verification code).
It’s not the password, it’s the email address. And you can change your email address on EA’s website, but they require a verification code (that they email you) to do so.
yet again EA are doing what they can to kill this game, i would be more than happy to pay monthly just to get this game away from EA.
Could be worse…Jam City (Tiny Co) could own it.
Oh Alissa …. Jam City is a H3LL NO 😅 (EA truly needs to read everyone’s frustration on the official TSTO Facebook Page, or on their EA Help Twitter account)
Thank You for addressing the Verification Code Problem, Alissa
It is Dumb (I assume Verification Code was put in place by EA because too many Origin Accounts are getting hacked!)
It is Double Dumb for anyone to have an Account Online anywhere that’s not up to date (email, password, name, etc – it’s not that hard to create a cheat sheet to print it out – or securely save in cloud storage!)
It is Epic Dumb if you are still using that non-secured email from Yahoo aka yeah that Yahoo Verizon just sold to Apollo Global Management (Google’s Gmail, Microsoft’s Outlook – choose either and you can create an email account just for TSTO, then sync with whichever is your primary email account!)
It’s kind of Dumb on EA’s end for still using Origin Accounts, but then I have to ask Tappers … If TSTO was apart of EA Play / EA Play Pro …. would you pay that monthly $5 / yearly $29 fee and have a better Game App (which could be played on a laptop or desktop or console or tablet or phone) experience without using a 3rd Party App? 🤔
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/EA_Play
Absolutely crap big thumbs down to EA there’s Absolutely no need for this what are they trying to do ? Its already cost my wife 8 years of tapping now she’s had to start all over again all because she couldn’t remember the email address she used 8 years ago
Very very disappointed 😞 🤬🤬🤬
So, you’re not a fan of these codes then ?!? 🤪🙄
Have to say I’m in agreement, and it has made our games less secure. The point of 2 stage verification is it needs 2 stages. You should need an email and a password to request a code instead of relying on a five digit number that’s easier to guess or hack.
If they were ever going to go back to the way that actually worked they would have done that within days of realising how badly flawed it was. Most sensible businesses would have sorted that in a matter of hours, but days is more likely.
I play 2 towns, but I have a device per town and never log out, and even that didn’t save me from this fiasco !!
I understand that we should use a working email, but my elderly mom had done jyst that but seems to change email providers often (not sure why). Anyway, she was upset with the verification because now the town she’s spent years building, is no longer accessible! I’ve tried doing live chat with EA, but that went nowhere (discovered later the wrong birth YEAR had been placed in the file!) and chat seems completely unavailable ever since that evening I tried. She is scared and doesn’t want to call… how can I get her back if?
You, unfortunately, have to contact EA. If you have all that info you can call and pretend you’re her for verification purposes. (not that I’m advocating that or anything… lol)
Another tip which may or may not help with this… I only have one town and I never intentionally log out. However, occasionally (like this morning, for example), I’ll start the game and it will have forgotten who I am. I’ll get the screen asking for my age or whatever. When that happens, I find it best to ignore that and hard close the game and start it again. The second time I restarted, it had me at level 1, but, after hard closing and restarting a third time, it remembered who I was (and my proper 939 level), without my ever having re-logged in. I’m hoping that maybe (????) using this approach of just closing and restarting until it remembers me properly will help me avoid the dreaded issue that this post is about? 🤞🤞 And I’m really hoping I haven’t just jinxed myself by saying any of this!!
Who knows, maybe !! 😊 Keep lucky 🤞
When I got hit it was early on, no tips etc and the only advice seemed to be keep trying until it works and check email on another device.
I got logged out, thought oh joy ( or something I can’t post here ) and got my laptop set up for the game email.
I got the code through in seconds and entered it, and it was invalid ?!?
Try again. Five goes, five emails, five identical invalid codes.!!
in between I’m mixing quit, clear cache, force close and reboot and always the same useless code got sent. Brilliant !!
Here’s where our experiences collide, kinda.
I got hit with the Bart screen on attempt number six and once I’d used my set of tricks to get past that I somehow found I’d been logged in and was back tapping. Woohoo !! 😊