Xbox 360 players say they’re having problems connecting online

by Pelican Press
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Xbox 360 players say they’re having problems connecting online

A number of Xbox 360 players say they’re unable to connect to Xbox Live.

Specifically, players are saying the ‘app password’ feature is currently not working, effectively locking them out of any online features.

When Microsoft added the ability to add two-factor authentication to Microsoft Account logins, this initially provided an issue for the Xbox 360 console, which didn’t support it.

The solution has been app passwords, which require the player to sign into their Microsoft Account on another device and request a randomly generated password.

By entering this as their password instead when signing into the Xbox 360, this counts as a separate form of two-factor identification and the user is logged in.

This method has been relatively problem-free since it was initially introduced, but players started reporting last month that it no longer worked, and the issue appears to have returned again.

Now, when attempting to log in with an app password, players are instead given an 8015D000 or 8015D086 error code. VGC has attempted this and can verify the same is happening on our retail Xbox 360 console, leaving us unable to connect to Xbox Live.

The Xbox 360 Marketplace closed back in July, but this only affected the ability to buy new digital Xbox 360 games and DLC. Players have still been able to connect to Xbox Live, but as long as this issue remains they won’t be able to connect to games online, or access and re-download their previous digital purchases.

A number of threads on the Xbox Support Reddit page refer to this issue, including one posted a month ago – when the issue initially appeared – which now has over 400 replies.

Xbox 360 players say they’re having problems connecting online
VGC set up our Xbox 360 this morning to capture footage for an upcoming feature but were unable to log on.

“I’ve been experiencing this issue since the evening of October 4,” one user wrote at the time. “I’ve never had issues with app passwords and Xbox 360 before. I believe this could be a Microsoft issue they need to address.

“I’ve tried every troubleshooting option in this thread so far and haven’t been able to login. Worst part is, when I try to contact Microsoft support chat, they say they no longer support Xbox 360 issues.”

While it appeared the issue had been resolved, new posts in the same thread confirm it has returned.

“Having this issue as well,” said one user a few days ago. “Dug my 360 out of the closet and cannot log into Xbox Live. So glad I found this thread. Will check back regularly in hopes of a solution.”

“Still having this issue too,” added another. “I factory reset the console as was suggested online and I cannot download my profile. Most of my 360 games are digital too.”

One user posted a screenshot of a DM from from Xbox Support on X, informing them that “it appears that this is a known issue” and “our team is actively working on a resolution”.