# Misleading Error Messages

**URL:** <https://community.auth0.com/t/misleading-error-messages/75550>\
**Category:** Get Help\
**Created:** [December 28, 2021, 4:30pm UTC](https://community.auth0.com/t/misleading-error-messages/75550 "2021-12-28T16:30:36Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![tanner1](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/auth0/user_avatar/community.auth0.com/tanner1/32/29840_2.png) [@tanner1](https://community.auth0.com/u/tanner1)\
**Post date:** [December 28, 2021, 4:30pm UTC](https://community.auth0.com/t/misleading-error-messages/75550/1 "2021-12-28T16:30:36Z")

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![Screen Shot 2021-12-28 at 9.15.09 AM](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/auth0/original/3X/9/b/9ba4df0c4537cb2e7d3968181d48e3c22af53b2e.png)

I am running into this again. I get the misleading error message when I attempt to update the email address a user has an sms identity and not an email identity. You can check this user for yourself. This request fails as it should, but the error message does not make sense. It says the connection does not exist when really the identity does not exist. See the screenshot.

The connection exists, we use it all the time. I can provide a link to the user if needed.

Here is the link to the original thread.[Updating a users email - #3 by rueben.tiow](https://community.auth0.com/t/updating-a-users-email/74010/3)

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**Author:** ![rueben.tiow](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/auth0/user_avatar/community.auth0.com/rueben.tiow/32/11646_2.png) [@rueben.tiow](https://community.auth0.com/u/rueben.tiow)\
**Post date:** [December 30, 2021, 5:00pm UTC](https://community.auth0.com/t/misleading-error-messages/75550/3 "2021-12-30T17:00:18Z")

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Hi @tanner1,

Thanks for reaching out to the Auth0 Community!

Having looked closely at your screenshot, I noticed that your user is of the Passwordless type, specifically, using _sms_. This can be seen from the user\_id prepended with `sms`.

Whereas the `Username-Password-Authentication` connection is a database connection for password users. To clarify, your users should be only of one type and not both at the same time.

I can agree that the error is vague and misleading. I will have to look deeper to find the exact code for why this error occurs for this condition.

Now, to update your Passwordless users, you will want to specify the connection as `"sms"` and remove the email property since that is irrelevant and will throw an error. See below.

 ![image](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/auth0/original/3X/e/9/e908ea1d42d8036350f62cd917c5833ffc50b63e.jpeg)

Please let me know how this works for you.

Thank you.

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**Author:** ![system](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/auth0/original/3X/b/5/b560f266932fcce5d57f09a6595bd50518cae3f3.jpeg) [@system](https://community.auth0.com/u/system)\
**Post date:** [January 14, 2022, 5:00pm UTC](https://community.auth0.com/t/misleading-error-messages/75550/4 "2022-01-14T17:00:31Z")

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