macOS Sonoma 14.4 updated FileVault recovery key, say some users

I am seeing many reports from macOS users, who recently installed the Sonoma 14.4 update, saying the latest update ended up changing their FileVault key. As this is a bit unusual, so understandably, those who encountered this change are confused and concerned as to why this happened. Here are a couple of reports in users’ own words:

Hi, is it normal that the File Vault recovery key gets updated with a macOS update? (14.3.1 to 14.4). I’m relatively new to macOS and I got a new key after the update which I had to write down again. Is that normal?

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Anyone else FileVault Key get update after updating to 14.4? Apple support saying this should not have happened?

Following is the prompt affected users saw after installing the macOS Sonoma 14.4 update:

FileVault Disk Encryption: Your FileVault recovery key has been updated. FileVault secures information on your Mac by encrypting the data and requiring a system password to unlock the disk. Write down the FileVault Recovery Key and keep it in a safe place so you don’t lose access to your data.

The reports (1,2,3,4,5,6,7) I came across so far are from across the countries. The following screenshot should give you a good idea about it:

However, in the same breath, it’s worth mentioning that the development doesn’t seem to be widespread, as I have come across only a handful of such reports so far. Some of the users who faced this unusual scenario did get in touch with Apple Support, but were left confused as the support reps gave conflicting statements on the matter.

I researched a bit more on this, and stumbled upon an article from Howard Oakley, who writes on macOS on his website eclecticlight.co. He touched upon this scenario happening with some users with the following explanation:

Those who have changed their iCloud settings and have FileVault enabled may well be invited to renew their iCloud recovery, or obtain a new Recovery Key if they prefer that instead. That screen may be displayed when the system automatically logs them in again after completing the update.

He also responded in detail in the comments section of the article:

He is also actively responding on Twitter:

For what it’s worth, I haven’t faced this issue on my end. Also, I can’t really vouch for the reason Howard is giving (although it does make sense considering it’s inline with the fact that this forced recovery key change doesn’t seem widespread). We’ll have to wait for Apple to comment on this (if they deem it worthy of that).

That’s it from my side on the matter. In case the article helped you in any way, do like it. Also, if you have any other information to share on this topic, please do not hesitate to leave a comment below. Thanks in advance.