Apple today expanded its two-step verification feature for Apple IDs to 48 additional countries, bringing the total number of countries able to access two-step authentication to 59.

Initially noticed by 9to5Mac new countries receiving the feature include China, France, India, Japan, Korea, South Africa, Thailand, Switzerland, and many more across Asia, South America, and Europe.

twostepverification
First launched in March of 2013, two-step verification is designed to provide Apple users with an extra layer of protection through the use of a trusted device and a security code for their Apple IDs. Two-step verification was initially limited to users in the United States, United Kingdom, Australia, Ireland, and New Zealand, and expanded to several additional countries later in 2013.

Two-step verification may also be applied to iCloud.com in the future, in addition to Apple IDs. Apple's two-step verification support page has a full list of countries that are able to access the feature.

Top Rated Comments

androiphone Avatar
137 months ago
Why don't they also support the Authenticator Apps like Google, Microsoft, Dropbox, Facebook, and a multitude of other sites support.

Only sending the code via SMS seems incredibly backwards and only ends up limiting it's effectiveness, you can't receive it when outside mobile coverage for example, and most importantly having the option of using the Authenticator App does not prevent them from using the SMS method at all.

Basically they should just plain straight up copy the Google 2 step verification system, get it into the hands of whoever wants it with no barrier to entry, with a robust offline generator.

This is for security it shouldn't be artificially handicapped.
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
bushido Avatar
137 months ago
oh dear dont let my family find this option. they have enough problems with remembering logins as it is ^^ "for example:

whats an apple id?" MY PASSWORD DOESNT WORK!!! - did u enter your gmail email login again? YES WHY NOT
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Oletros Avatar
137 months ago
Please, Apple, use an standard system not tied to SMS on compatible carriers


I don't need or want two step verification. This is mainly because people are too damn forgetful, and don't keep records of this information. My account has never been hacked and never will be because I don't keep payment info on my account. The people that fall foul of these "phishing" scams deserve to be swindled.
Still talking nonsense?
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Black Magic Avatar
137 months ago
And it's so easy to use. I am amazed how many people say it's an inconvenient to them.
I hope iCloud.com gets this soon too as well.

Agreed. If it's set up right, you won't notice it's there unless your account is hacked or you log into a new system that isn't one of your trusted devices.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Primejimbo Avatar
137 months ago
Two Step Verification is for your Apple ID which in turn is linked to your digital purchases and credit card if you have one associated.

I suggest you actually use it before making uninformed narrow minded opinions about something you clearly don't understand. GMAIL, Outlook.com, and Yahoo all have two step verification as well.

Why someone would bitch about a FREE security feature that makes it really hard to hack your account is beyond me? Me personally, I want it standard across all accounts on all platforms and services.
And it's so easy to use. I am amazed how many people say it's an inconvenient to them.
I hope iCloud.com gets this soon too as well.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Black Magic Avatar
137 months ago


Well if people are crazy enough leave their credit card details locked to their account on the hope its not compromised, that is their stupidity. Digital purchases are linked to you Apple ID email address, not the credit card itself.
Two Step Verification is for your Apple ID which in turn is linked to your digital purchases and credit card if you have one associated.

I suggest you actually use it before making uninformed narrow minded opinions about something you clearly don't understand. GMAIL, Outlook.com, and Yahoo all have two step verification as well.

Why someone would bitch about a FREE security feature that makes it really hard to hack your account is beyond me? Me personally, I want it standard across all accounts on all platforms and services.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Popular Stories

iOS 18

Apple Expected to Release iOS 18.3 Next Week With These New Features

Thursday January 23, 2025 6:41 am PST by
iOS 18.3 should be released to the public next week, following beta testing since mid-December. While the software update is a relatively minor one, it still includes a handful of new features, changes, and bug fixes for iPhones. Below, we recap everything new in iOS 18.3. Notification Summary Changes Examples of inaccurate Apple Intelligence notification summaries Apple Intelligence...
iOS 18

5 New Things Your iPhone Can Do in iOS 18.3

Friday January 24, 2025 1:55 am PST by
Apple is set to release iOS 18.3 next week, bringing further refinements to Apple Intelligence features, a couple of neat new capabilities to iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 16 devices, and bug fixes. While not quite as packed with new features as Apple's preceding iOS 18 point releases, iOS 18.3 still introduces capabilities that aim to make your iPhone smarter and more intuitive. Below, we've...
Generic iOS 18

iOS 18.4 Beta Coming Soon With These New Features for Your iPhone

Friday January 24, 2025 8:16 am PST by
iOS 18.3 is expected to be widely released next week, and that means the first iOS 18.4 beta for iPhones should be just around the corner. Apple has previously implied that iOS 18.4 will be released in April, as that is when it promised to make Apple Intelligence available in even more languages. Below, we outline what to expect from iOS 18.4 so far. Apple Intelligence for Siri Siri ...
Apple Pay Walmart Feature

Walmart Stands Firm on Why It Doesn't Accept Apple Pay in the U.S.

Thursday January 23, 2025 7:32 am PST by
Walmart still does not accept Apple Pay or other NFC payments at its more than 4,600 stores across the U.S., and it stood firm on its reasoning for that today. A spokesperson for Walmart today informed MacRumors that its position on contactless payments has not changed since we last reached out about the matter in 2022. The big-box retailer said it remains focused on its own convenient...
apple tv 4k new orange

New Apple TV Launching This Year With These New Features

Wednesday January 22, 2025 6:01 pm PST by
A new Apple TV is expected to be released later this year. In this article, we recap rumored features and changes for the device. The next Apple TV will be equipped with Apple's own combined Wi-Fi and Bluetooth chip, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. He said the chip supports Wi-Fi 6E, which would be an upgrade over the current Apple TV's standard Wi-Fi 6 support. Wi-Fi 6E extends the...
iOS 18

Here Are Apple's Full Release Notes for iOS 18.3

Tuesday January 21, 2025 4:31 pm PST by
Apple provided developers and public beta testers with the release candidate version of iOS 18.3 today, and with it comes release notes confirming what's new. While we knew about several of the features that are in the update, there are some lesser known tweaks and bug fixes. The update adds new Visual Intelligence features for iPhone 16 models, it tweaks Notification summaries on all...
iPhone 17 Pro Dual Tone Horizontal Single Feature

Kuo: iPhone 17 Models Won't Have Smaller Dynamic Island

Friday January 24, 2025 9:09 am PST by
The upcoming iPhone 17 models that Apple plans to release this year will not feature a smaller Dynamic Island, Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo said today. On social media, he said that he is expecting the size of the Dynamic Island to remain "largely unchanged" across the iPhone 17 lineup. His statement is contrary to prior rumors that we've heard about planned changes for the iPhone 17 models. ...
iPhone 16 Apple Store Levels

Gurman: Apple Stores Receiving 'Merchandise' Updates Next Week

Saturday January 25, 2025 5:07 pm PST by
Apple's retail stores will be rolling out "merchandise/floor marketing updates" next week, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. Gurman did not explicitly say if the store updates are related to any upcoming product announcements, but he did mention that next week is around the time that Apple rolls out its annual Black Unity watch band for the Apple Watch. In each of the past four years, ...
apple power beats pro 2

Apple's First Product Announcement of 2025 is Imminent

Thursday January 23, 2025 2:48 pm PST by
It's also time for Apple's first product announcement of the year. Last year, Apple said it would be launching Powerbeats Pro 2 in 2025, and the wireless earbuds are expected to launch very soon. Powerbeats Pro 2 images found in iOS 18 code In his Power On newsletter last weekend, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said the Powerbeats Pro 2 are "due imminently." In addition to Apple filing the...