Apple’s 2-Step Verification Comes To Canada, Argentina, Pakistan, Russia & More

Back in March, Apple introduced 2-step verification for Apple ID and iCloud users in U.S., UK, Australia, Ireland, and New Zealand only. Today, the feature has been rolled out to Canada as well as Argentina, Pakistan, Russia, Mexico, Holland, Austria, Brazil, Belgium, & Poland, as highlighted by 9to5Mac.

Apple’s FAQ section for 2-step verification has not yet been updated to reflect the roll out, though it notes that additional countries will be added and that users will notice the option “automatically appear in the Password and Security section of Manage My Apple ID when you sign in to My Apple ID.“

What is two-step verification for Apple ID?

Two-step verification is an optional security feature for your Apple ID. It requires you to verify your identity using one of your devices

How does it work?

When you set up two-step verification, you register one or more trusted devices. A trusted device is a device you control that can receive 4-digit verification codes using either Find My iPhone notifications or SMS to verify your identity.

Then, any time you sign in to manage your Apple ID at My Apple ID or make an iTunes, App Store, or iBookstore purchase from a new device, you will need to enter both your password and a 4-digit verification code as shown above.

Here’s how to setup 2-step verification: 

Set up two-step verification at My Apple ID (appleid.apple.com):

1. Select “Manage your Apple ID” and sign in.
2. Select “Password and Security.”
3. Under Two-Step Verification, select Get Started and follow the onscreen instructions.

As of now, Apple is still only supporting SMS-based verification codes for the initial launch countries, meaning that means users in Canada and newly supported countries will need to verify one of their iOS devices as a “trusted device” in order to receive a verification code through the Find My iPhone app and access their Apple ID.