Apple has enabled two-step verification for its FaceTime and iMessage services, The Guardian reported on Thursday. The move will force users who have the authentication system enabled to input an app-specific password when logging into either of the two services.
For those unfamiliar with the term, two-step verification is an opt-in system that adds an additional layer of security to Apple ID accounts. It requires users to input authentication codes when logging into iCloud on new devices, the web, and now iMessage and FaceTime.
Apple first enabled two-step verification for its Apple ID accounts in early 2013, and last fall it expanded it to cover web iCloud logins. Today’s move comes a few days after a Medium post criticizing the limitations of Apple’s two-step implementation went viral among techies.
Following the major nude celebrity photo leak last fall, Tim Cook said that Apple would be doubling down on iCloud security. He pledged that Apple would roll out new security measures, and that it’d do a much better job of educating users about two-factor authentication.
We highly recommend that all users enable this extra layer of security, and if you’re not sure how, we have a guide right here.
Source: The Guardian