I WANT TO TURN OFF TWO FACTOR VERIFICATION!!!!! It is a total pain in the butt and I want the option to turn it off. Help!!!!! How can apple not allow us to turn this time-suck feature off? I want to register my frustration.

You can receive codes to any SMS or voice capable telephone number you’ve registered in your AppleID profile. I use a Google voice number as my ultimate backup for 2FA codes. See https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT204915

”Trusted phone numbers

A trusted phone number is a number that can be used to receive verification codes by text message or automated phone call. You must verify at least one trusted phone number to enroll in two-factor authentication.

You should also consider verifying an additional phone number you can access, such as a home phone, or a number used by a family member or close friend. You can use this number if you temporarily can't access your primary number or your own devices.”

I use my Lenovo Windows machine too for these forums. And just like on my Mac, my iPhone and my iPad I simply click on "trust this browser". I then only get prompted for a 2FA code once in a while at most. And since my iPhone is my only phone so always nearby, I just get the code on it.

You're hardly the only one to use multiple devices. I have two iPhones, three iPads, two Macs, and two Windows laptops. Never found 2FA to be overly annoying using Apple online services with any of them.

[Edited by Host]

I have zero important data, none. I would like to be able to open my device and use it without jumping through hoops.

What hoops do you have to jump through? I haven't had to use 2FA on my iPhone since I set up the iPhone. If you have to interact with it regularly, something is amiss. If you explain the circumstances under which you're being asked on your iPhone, to enter a 2FA code, perhaps someone can help you figure things out.

If you have to interact with it regularly, something is amiss. If you explain the circumstances under which you're being asked on your iPhone, to enter a 2FA code, perhaps someone can help you figure things out.

The only time you regularly have to put in a Verification Code is when you sign into your Apple Account. That will ask you for a Verification Code every time. Otherwise, unless you sign out of things completely, you are right, Idris, you are not asked to type it in....

GB

Are you choosing “trust device” after entering the code? If so, you should not be prompted for a code the next time you login to www.icloud.com unless it has been a lengthy period of time since you last longed in. On a work computer, there may be profiles or restrictions that make that fail, but normally you would not be entering a 2FA code every time you login to www.icloud.com.

Wrong. Apple doesn't support Android devices. This is the biggest hassle for me. I have to go search around for my old iPad any time I want to do anything with my account. Plus it repeats the authentication process over and over as you navigate within your account on the apple web site. So I'm constantly regrabbing the iPad, typing the 4 digit unlock in order to read the 6 digit verification. I agree with the other frustrated customers. It's poorly integrated and one should be able to opt out.

Wrong.

if you add the phone number of your Android device as a trusted phone number, you can get verification codes directly to your Android device as an SMS text.

No need to rely on your Apple device at all.

Oh I hadn't thought of that. I use Google Fi but it works. Here is how I stumbled on a work around to by-pass the iPad verification.

As usual when I attempted to log into this community site, I needed a verification code. It was sent to my iPad as it always has been but I fat fingered the number. Then this site displayed a way to request the code to be sent again, but it gave me the option of getting it sent to my iPad or a text to my phone number. I selected the text, which worked. So if you just type nonsense into the 6 digit field and retry, you get the option to receive a text. Too bad I didn't stubble on this sooner by mistyping the code.

Maybe next time it will go to the phone first. I'll let you know.

There is no enrollment email they send when you create a new ID to turn it off..it's just on by default immediately after creating where there seems to be no option during the account creation that I'm turning it on..

Going to appleid.apple.com on the brand new created accounts into the Security page, there is no Edit button to turn it off either..

Michael Black wrote:

Apple’s older 2 step verification used 4-digit codes sent to your trusted SMS telephone number. The newer 2 factor authentication system uses Apple’s iCloud Push Notification service to send 6 digit codes. In both cases the codes are good for only about 10 minutes or so, and then expire. With 2FA, you can register a trusted alternate SMS and voice telephone number(s) to receive codes with when you don’t have an Apple device available for the default push notification codes.

With 2FA, the default is to use iCloud push notification. That notification shows up simultaneously on all your trusted devices. It disappears as soon as you tap okay but it will stay in the screen until you dismiss it so you can memorize it to enter in the box as needed for login to your AppleID or service asking for it.

I use my Google Voice number as my backup (although I also have more than one Apple trusted device anyway) and have only tested getting a code by SMS to that, so cannot speak to how the voice system works. But bear in mind, the SMS or voice code is intended as a backup mechanism, not the default or normal means of getting codes.

While logging into your AppleID management site (https://appleid.apple.com/) will always require a 2FA code to edit or alter anything with your AppleID itself, codes for things like these forums are only occasional. You can chose to trust the browser so you’d then only require a code if you’ve cleared cookies and history, not logged in for a number of days or some other time out period or browser clearing (e.g. a browser update may trigger a need for a code again).

That means I will have to use it all the time and that is NOT acceptable. I don't need Apple trying to dictate to me how to have good security on my two desktop Windows 8 Pro and 10 Pro computers. Default is NO Cookies ever accepted and this has been the case for the past 20 years. If I must accept cookies at a specific site to peruse the site (and the site is one I absolutely need to visit) then first party ONLY cookies are allowed and local DOM storage for that site is very reluctantly allowed and then ALL is cleared when I close the browser at bedtime. I do keep browser history but that only shows that I visited this site on such and such a date and time. Between most browsers updating every month (my default browser updated twice this month) and Windows 10 driving one insane wanting to upgrade to an even worse version than the current one the code will be needed repeatedly.

I read the entire 11 pages of this thread and I was struck by the fact that was obvious to me, but not to some respondents, that most who had problems with 2 step verification or the newer 2 factor authentication (because of very frequently needing a code) were WINDOWS users who chose to get an iPhone because Android phones cannot be used by anyone concerned about their privacy. Plus, I suspect most of them also do NOT use Chrome browser (if they did they would have an Android phone) and block Google anything in any and every way they possibly can (including having nothing to do with gmail and blocking anyone who uses it).

iCloud is a mostly useless mess on Windows because it is hard coded to IE browser. Microsoft says to not use IE at all on Windows 10 and Edge appears to have to been created by a three year old and both invade one's privacy (just as Firefox will soon be doing by bypassing the user's Host file) so Windows users who care about privacy are reduced to using non mainstream browsers and iCloud doesn't work with them. iTunes is an even worse mess on Windows. I will be forced to upgrade my version of Windows 10 in November and I will then be able to completely remove IE forever and that is what icloud is hard coded to by Apple...not Edge but IE. Edge will soon be worthless for anyone concerned about privacy because Microsoft inexplicably decided to marry Google so Edge will become a much worse breaker of one's privacy than it currently is and will be avoided by those who care about privacy.

icloud seems to be needed only for a lost/stolen iPhone as there are other ways to get iPhone photos onto a Windows computer. I would prefer nothing stored in the cloud anyway.

Yes they have.

Support has told me repeatedly, phone and chat.

Reality is once you buy an apple product, you have to travel with 2 devices or be at risk of being locked out, which is beyond stupid. If someone wants this security it should be a choice.

MyFeedback wrote:

My issue and reason for not enabling 2FA is that I want to be able to access my iCloud account online in an emergency situation (say when travelling) when I don’t have any of my devices.

You can access Find My iPhone from any computer without a 2FA code. If you want full access to iCloud and you're based in the U.S., get a Google Voice number and set that up as a trusted number. You can access the SMS to that from pretty much any internet-connected device.

I totally feel your frustration. I am locked out of my account(that I've had for 3 years) because a tech person at my job added my work phone number, which removed my home number, on my account. I didn't know until a week ago because I had to log out and noticed the verification code kept being sent to another number. Sadly I don't have that work number anymore and only used it for a few days(so I don't even remember what it was).

I called Apple and because of the two factor verification, I will never be able to get into that account again and Apple is not able to "unlock it" for me either. They are also not able to close the account, which will continue to have all my personal information(credit card, address dob and etc).

I am BEYOND ****** about this and I really don't think it's acceptable for them to not have anything on their end to help us recover our accounts OR that we don't have the option to choose anymore. Things happen and my case a really bad thing happened and now I can't do anything.

Apple needs to figure this out and change it because I really am not ok with continuing to use their phones if they don't even give their clients the option to choose.

For this reason, I prefer to turn it off, and I think everyone should have that choice.

Feedback for Apple goes here >>> http://www.apple.com/feedback/

Feedback for Apple goes here >>> http://www.apple.com/feedback/

Feedback for Apple goes here >>> http://www.apple.com/feedback/

That is what all the outrage in this thread is about.

Nobody here is either stupid or denies you have the right to express your opinions... just do that as Apple asks.

And has been pointed out numerous times... this is NOT the place to express that outrage.

What the volunteers do here is answer answerable questions and provide solutions to solvable issues.

nt9404 wrote:

Seems like this goes against the common advice I've been reading here, which is to enter in a friend or family member's phone number as an alternate trusted device.

If you do that, they will only have the second factor. Without your Apple ID or passcode, they won't have access to your account. There's no security breach.