I recently wrote a post on how to enable Apple’s new two-factor authentication feature for iCloud account, which will make your account much more secure. Plus, even if you have 2-factor authentication enabled, 2-factor authentication is even more secure.
Usually, when you sign in to iCloud on a new device, such as an iPhone or iPad, a message appears on your trusted devices asking if you want to allow sign in. If you grant access, you will receive a verification code that must be entered on the new device.
This all works great when you get the verification code automatically, but sometimes you need to generate the code yourself. I discovered this myself when I was trying to sign in to my iTunes Store account with a third generation Apple TV.
Instead of giving me a dialog where I could enter the verification code separately, it asked me to enter my password followed by the verification code. Unfortunately, I have not seen the pop-up messages on any of the trusted devices.
Then I found that I had to generate the code manually from one of my trusted devices. In this post, I will show you how to generate a verification code using iOS. Obviously, the device must be signed in to the same iCloud account as you are trying to sign in elsewhere.
Create a verification code in iOS
As with almost all settings you can change in iOS, you first need to open the Settings app. Scroll down a little until you see iCloud and click on it.
At the top, you’ll see your name along with other iCloud data like family members, storage usage, and more. You want to click on your name.
At this point, you may need to enter your iCloud password to proceed. On the next screen, you only have a few options, such as viewing contact information, your devices, and payment methods. We want to click on “Password and Security”.
Finally, we get to the screen where we can generate the code! Personally, I think the function should be in a more obvious place to make it easier for users to find.
Clicking on “Get Verification Code” will instantly display a six-digit code that you can enter on the Apple device you are trying to sign in to.
According to Apple’s website, you won’t need to re-enter this verification code on that specific device unless you sign out, delete your device data, or change your password. Until I had to enter the code again a month later with 2FA enabled.
If you sign in from a website using iCloud.com, you will need to check the Trust this browser box so you don’t have to enter a code before signing in.
Again, you probably won’t have to use this feature unless you have Apple devices with older software. It’s best to keep all of your Apple devices up to date so that they can all enjoy the latest security features. If you have a question, please leave a comment. Enjoy!
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