Apple intends to help consumers keep their personal information safe, announcing Thursday the addition of the two-step verification process to instant messenger service iMessage and audio-video service FaceTime.
The feature helps users prevent hackers from accessing their Apple ID accounts by requiring them to create a more complicated password and having a device provide a PIN code, according to Tech Times.
"Your Apple ID is the key to many things you do with Apple. It's important that only you have the ability to access your account details, update your password, access the data you store and keep up to date with iCloud, or make iTunes and App Store purchases with your account," the tech giant said in its explanation of the security mechanism.
The move follows shortly after a report claimed Apple's services were experiencing security issues, with the recent hacking of celebrity users' iCloud accounts resulting in the leak of embarrassing private photos.
The Cupertino, Calif.-based company provided simple instructions for how to use two-step verification, Mac Rumors reported. Users must first sign into My Apple ID by clicking Manage your Apple ID before clicking Password and Security and then Get Started.
Users must then set up a "trusted" device, or a device that can receive a four-digit verification code, which can be sent via SMS or Find My iPhone.
Apple's instructional also requires that you enter both your password and the 4-digit code to verify your identity whenever you "sign in to manage your Apple ID at My Apple ID, sign in to iCloud, or make an iTunes, iBooks, or App Store purchase from a new device," Tech Times reported.
FaceTime and iMessage are the latest Apple services to receive the two-factor security authentication approach, following iCloud, which the company added the feature to last September.
Apple gives users a 14-character Recovery Key to protect their data in case they forget their verification codes, Tech Times reported. The company recommends that users print the Recovery Key and keep it in a place where they know it will be safe.
