what to know
- Go to Settings > Apple ID > Sign-in & Security > Turn on two-factor authentication > Continue .
- Add a trusted device: Sign in to your secondary device and enter the two-factor verification code on your iPhone.
- Add a number: Trusted Phone Numbers > Edit > Add Trusted Phone Number .
This article explains how to protect your iPhone using two-factor authentication (2FA) (if it's not already enabled), making it harder for hackers to break into your iPhone and access your data.
Devices running iOS 13.4 and later automatically use two-factor authentication.
Turning on two-factor authentication on iPhone will protect the security of your Apple ID and the iPhone features that use your Apple ID. If the feature is not activated, follow these steps to set it up:
Launch the Settings app.
Tap your Apple ID (name) at the top of the screen.
Click Login and Security .
You may also see this option as Password & Security .
Click Turn on two-factor authentication > Continue . You may be prompted to answer Apple ID security questions.
As part of the setup process, you will receive a verification code via text message or phone call. Enter your phone number to receive the code.
Click Next .
Enter the code. Two-factor authentication for your Apple ID and iPhone is now turned on.
Your Apple ID isn't the only account you can protect with two-factor authentication. Use this feature to enhance the security of many accounts, including Facebook, Gmail, Fortnite, and Yahoo Mail.
As an extra layer of security, you can choose to use two-factor authentication to log in to your Apple ID only on trusted devices.
Even if a hacker gets your Apple ID username and password and one-time code, they would need physical access to one of your devices to get into your account. Quite safe!
To add a trusted device to your account, sign in to a second device using your Apple ID and enter the six-digit code that appears on your iPhone or other trusted device.
If you have trouble displaying your verification code, you can select a trusted phone number to receive your verification code.
You can also choose to add a trusted phone number to your Apple ID. Here's how to do it on your iPhone.
Click Settings .
Choose your Apple ID .
Select Login & Security .
Click on Two-factor authentication .
Click " Edit from a trusted phone number ."
Select Add trusted phone number .
You may be prompted to add a password or use Face ID to unlock the area.
Enter the phone number of your trusted device and choose whether you want to verify via text message or phone call.
Enter the verification code sent to your trusted device. The number will be added to your list of trusted phone numbers.
To remove a trusted number, go back to Apple ID > Sign-in & Security > Two-Factor Authentication > Trust Phone Numbers > Edit > Delete (red minus sign) next to the phone number.
If you want to remove a device that you trusted in the past, you'll need to remove it from the list of trusted devices. If you don't do this, the next owner of the device may be able to access your account.
To remove a device from the trusted devices list:
Go to your iPhone's Settings app and tap Apple ID .
Scroll to the bottom of the screen to see a list of trusted devices.
To delete one, select it and click Remove from Account .
Click Delete to confirm.
Interested in turning off 2FA? you can not.
Once you set up two-factor authentication on your iPhone (or any other Apple device), you can't turn it off. This may sound strange, but it's actually another security measure.
Turning off two-factor authentication makes your device and Apple ID less secure, and Apple doesn't allow it.
If you have detailed questions about how 2FA works or what to do in certain complex scenarios, you can learn more from Apple's two-factor authentication support page.
Two-factor authentication (2FA) is a security system that requires you to have two pieces of information to access your account. The first piece of information or factor is the username and password combination. The second factor is usually a randomly generated numeric code.
This is how Apple's 2FA system works. It uses your Apple ID username and password as the first factor, then randomly generates a code when you try to log into your account.
Since each code can only be used once, the system is harder to hack. Two-factor authentication is built into iOS, macOS, iPadOS, tvOS, and Apple websites.
