Canada: Time to Enable Two-Step Verification for your Apple ID [Tutorial]

Last May Apple prematurely enabled its two-step verification for Apple ID accounts in various countries, including Canada. Eventually the option to enable it disappeared shortly after the story was published.

A German blog Caschys spotted the feature being enabled today in the country and according to 9to5Mac it’s also now live in France, Japan, Italy, Spain and of course—Canada, as you probably heard by now.

Two-step verification secures your Apple ID by sending a unique 4-digit code to one of your trusted and verified devices, required when you sign in to manage your account or make a purchase on a new device.

If you want to secure your Apple ID, taking the time to setup two-step verification is worth it. Here’s a quick walkthrough tutorial on how the process works, in case you’re wondering:

Sign into My Apple ID and click on Password and Security. You’ll need to answer your security questions.

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Navigate to Two-Step Verification and click Get Started.

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Apple spells out what the process will entail:

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…and again…

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Next you’ll need to verify your trusted devices.

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Apple will send a 4-digit code to your device and also get you to confirm your phone number too.

Why? This means there are two ways to receive a verification code from Apple, either when your iOS device is connected to the internet and if hooked up to a cellular network. There are situations when you may only have one or the other, which can be very helpful in this case.

 

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Once you’ve correctly verified the devices and your SMS number, Apple wants you to make sure before you continue:

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Next, you’ll need to write down and print your Recovery Key.

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Here is a brilliant step by Apple—getting you to confirm your Recovery Key in case you accidentally clicked ‘Continue’. You have the option to go back if you forgot it or wrote it down incorrectly.

Our tip? Save it within a password manager like our favourite, 1Password, currently part of this hot Parallels for Mac bundle deal.

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Once you’ve finished this, two-step verification has been enabled. Well done—now you can sleep easier at night.

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The process to setup two-step verification by Apple is an easy one and the company makes it explicit what you’re getting into.

If you have two-step authentication enabled for your Gmail account (and it’s your Apple ID recovery email address) as well, it can be the ultimate security combination.

Are you going to enable two-step verification for your Apple ID?

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