How to turn off two authentication

See the following from Two-factor authentication for Apple ID - Apple Support

If you already use two-factor authentication, you can no longer turn it off. Certain features in the latest versions of iOS and macOS require this extra level of security, which is designed to protect your information. If you recently updated your account, you can unenroll within two weeks of enrollment. Just open your enrollment confirmation email and click the link to return to your previous security settings. Keep in mind, this makes your account less secure and means that you can't use features that require higher security.

You have not mentioned from which primary device the 2FA is turned on Mac or iPhone .

If you click on link received in mail app , the 2FA account is disabled and account is less secured .

See the article Use two-factor authentication for security on your Mac, iOS devices, and iPadOS devices - Apple Support

If you are using Apple ID created with secondary authentication and in your Mac you enter in the location system preferences , click on iCloud it will prompt to enter Apple ID and password , under security section you turn on 2FA .

An immediate mail will be received in your IMAP account , and you disable the 2FA within the time period of 14 days or immediately .

Again in system preferences - iCloud under keychain an error will be shown waiting for approval from other device having an exclamation mark .

And if you want to remove this error and again set up the iCloud Keychain and then plan to use your old secondary authentication Apple ID , see these steps .

( a ) Use an I phone and sign in with same Apple ID and password that is used in your Mac .

( b ) In your I phone go to settings - iCloud - open keychain - click on advanced two options will be shown .

Reset code and reset iCloud Keychain , so click on reset iCloud Keychain .

( c ) A verification code will appear on your mobile number through sms and it will prompt to generate a code , you have to think any desired number and fill up in the field , so keychain will set up in iPhone write down this code in a safe place .

( d ) Now come to your Mac and open system preferences , click on iCloud the box of keychain is unchecked , so tap the keychain box , it will show waiting for approval click on option button it will prompt to register with passcode enter the passcode that you generated in your iPhone and click on confirm .

( e ) Again in your iPhone device a pop up will appear showing approve or deny for your name and your Mac name say Mac book air or what ever Mac you are using and stating allow to approve for keychain , so click on allow .

( f ) So the waiting for approval from other device will be vanished .

( g ) In your Mac again click on option button in front of keychain , it will prompt to enter your trusted number an sms will come to your mobile having a verification code in it , so enter it your trusted mobile will be saved and visible .

Now , your iCloud keychain is set up from the server end and the Apple ID you are using is set with secondary authentication ( in which questions and answers for Apple ID are created ) and your 2FA is turned off .

Note : Suppose you have not followed this method for removing an error waiting for approval from other device and you think that erasing the hard drive and reinstalling the os or performing an archive installation , it will not help as this is the issue of iCloud Keychain from server end and not from your hardware of Mac , when a new device is set up initially secondary authentication is set up in which three answers for security questions , date of birth , rescue mail address and its password are added , the account is not set up directly with 2FA .

The post I referred to explains the very limited circumstances in which it's possible to turn it off. Unless you started with a phone which didn't have it turned on and turned it on yourself less than two weeks ago you can't turn it off at all. New phones come with it already turned on and on these it can't be turned off either. I'm afraid you're stuck with it: it is there for your protection (there are plenty of miscreants around trying to get into people's Apple IDs).

Note that it protects the Apple ID, not the device. You can nominate the device as 'trusted' so that you don't have to keep getting the code I(hough you will occasionally as a check), but you should protect the actual device with a passcode, which you must not forget, in case anyone gets unauthorised access to it. 2FA prevent people from accessing your ID from their own devices, even if they guess the password.

Roger Wilmut1 wrote:

New phones come with it already turned on and on these it can't be turned off either.

Hi Roger, is the bolded statement above true? If new iPhones come with it turned on I would have hoped that it could be turned off during the two week grace period. Is that not the case?

I re-read the link FoxFifth provided above and checked the web but I could not find a definitive answer.

I’m gonna take a slightly different tack here …

… can you describe the technical difficulty(ies) you’re having w/ 2FA so that we might assist you ?

By design it’s about as unobtrusive as any authentication scheme might be; if it’s not that way for you, we’d all like to help determine why.

elcpu wrote:

Roger Wilmut1 wrote:

New phones come with it already turned on and on these it can't be turned off either.

Hi Roger, is the bolded statement above true? If new iPhones come with it turned on I would have hoped that it could be turned off during the two week grace period. Is that not the case?

I re-read the link FoxFifth provided above and checked the web but I could not find a definitive answer.

Roger's statement is actually quite inaccurate

Two Factor Authentication has nothing to do with devices. It is meant as a way to protect Apple IDs. As such new iPhones neither come with it turned on nor do they have anything to do with the ability to turn it off.

Two Factor authentication can be turned on on Apple IDs on any iPhone new or old. Apple IDs created on devices running iOS 10.3 or later will have it turned on by default and it cannot be turned off.

Old Apple IDs created on devices running iOS versions before 10.3 can choose to turn it on, and will have 14 days to turn it off if they don't like it.

The new device has nothing to do with it. New devices neither come with it turned on, nor do they force you to turn it on. You can buy a new iPhone and still use your Apple ID without Two Factor Authentication turned on. It will just have some feature limitations that rely on it being on, such as, but not limited to iCloud Keychain, certain Wallet features, and Side Car on iPads.

New devices have no special limitation or bearing on Two Factor authentication.

As mentioned Two Factor Authentication is transparent in every day use. unless you are doing something strange, you should not really encounter it at all. The only times you should get a request for a code, is when logging in to a new or restored device to your Apple ID, or when accessing Apple online services such as iCloud.com or tv.apple.com from a web browser that has not previously been used to access them. Once you access the service it will prompt you to trust the browser and it should not require a code again unless cookies and data are deleted or if you chose not ti trust the device.

Phil0124 wrote:

Two Factor Authentication has nothing to do with devices. It is meant as a way to protect Apple IDs. As such new iPhones neither come with it turned on nor do they have anything to do with the ability to turn it off.

Thanks Phil. That makes sense to me. What I would anticipate with a new iPhone is when signing into my Apple ID it will have 2FA ticked ON by default and I [as an old ID user] would have the option of turning it off at that time.

elcpu wrote:

Phil0124 wrote:

Two Factor Authentication has nothing to do with devices. It is meant as a way to protect Apple IDs. As such new iPhones neither come with it turned on nor do they have anything to do with the ability to turn it off.

Thanks Phil. That makes sense to me. What I would anticipate with a new iPhone is when signing into my Apple ID it will have 2FA ticked ON by default and I [as an old ID user] would have the option of turning it off at that time.

No. Two Factor Authentication will not be automatically turned on. When setting up the iPhone and logging in to the Apple ID, it will suggest you turn it on during setup, but you can totally ignore that and not turn it on.

Two Factor Authentication is entirely Opt In.

Here is what happens each and every time over and over after each iOS and macOS update on each and all of my devices.

After an update Apple prompts me to sign in to my iCloud account - on my MBP it has 2FA ticked ON by default on a very small box below the sign in which would be easy to miss - I then untick 2FA and enter my Apple ID and then it asks me again if I am sure I don't want 2FA - I then decline. The same basically happens on all my iDevices over and over. And after the ID I am presented with the iCloud Drive screen on each and all devices and I have to decline that as well as I don't use it and then not being satisfied with my reply I am asked on the next screen if I am sure I don't want iCloud Drive and my answer is the same. I have to do this on all devices after each update and did so on Monday after the latest batch; in fact I have to do so when signing in to the ASC, decline on two screens as one decline is not enough. Seems like Apple would learn from my replies, at least for a while before prompting me again.

It should just suggest turning it on, but should not actually turn it on. It takes several steps to actually turn it on.

With that said, I can say, turning it on will not change anything in how you use your devices. Its completely transparent in every day use.

Apple will continue to push the need to turn it on as more and more things require it.

If you don't wish to turn it on, then you can continue to decline, but I'm guessing eventually will be 100% required.

Any specific reason you do not want to turn it on? It really is very transparent.

Phil0124 wrote:

It should just suggest turning it on, but should not actually turn it on. It takes several steps to actually turn it on.

Phil, you use 2FA, I don't, and as such I am more familiar with the process to decline it than you. Believe me, it is not "entirely Opt In", it is entirely Opt out. If I don't untick the 2FA small box which is turned ON by default after each macOS update it will proceed to 2FA. On iOS after each system update on each device if I enter my Apple ID/PW and click on "continue" which is highlighted by default instead of "other options" it will do the same. If I click on "other options" it pesters me again; it is not satisfied with one decline; the same on the Mac. You can believe as you wish but that is what happens.

And FWIW I post on another forum where a large number of high level loungers also post and there are many of us that don't want it for different reasons. And yes Apple may force everyone at some point, their choice.

Odd, before I turned it on, I remember it pestering me about turning it on, but it never actually had it turned on, I had to agree to turn it on.

There's quite a few steps that need to be completed before its actually turned on. Just having a checkbox marked does not turn it on, it just starts the process.

I waited quite a while before agreeing to turn it on. Only did so so I could access Side Car earlier this year when I got my M1 MBA. I had been avoiding it for several years. And never once was it activated by default. It was requested many times to be turned on, but I could always decline.

Phil0124 wrote:

It was requested many times to be turned on, but I could always decline.

Yes I can always decline, that's what I said several times, did I not... by the process I outlined in detail above which repeats after each system update as Apple is very insistent to put it mildly. And iCloud Drive does the same, yes it can be declined but only after repeated pesterings and after each update on each and all devices, geesh. But so be it, it is what it is, and I will leave it to you now.

If you can decline before it's turned on, then it's Opt In not Out.

It will not be turned on, unless you go ahead with the process.

But as has been said previously, its transparent in every day use. I find there's no real reason to not want to turn it on now that I have it on. I thought it would be annoying or difficult to use, but it isn't. Its quite unobtrusive and allows certain features including SideCar, iCloud Keychain and the Home App that I find very very useful.

But to each their own.

i have this question too