How to turn off two factor authentication?
If your Mac has El Capitan or later and is signed in to your iCloud account it is a trusted device once you have trusted it once using your iPhone or iPad. The setup and details are covered in this FAQ-->Two-factor authentication for Apple ID - Apple Support.
R.W.R wrote:
how do you set it up to receive on you mac, that would be great to know and very helpful. could you please direct me to the appropriate instructions
If your Mac has El Capitan or later, there's nothing to set up (other than enabling 2FA on your Apple ID, which sounds like has already been done for you). As long as the Mac is signed into the same ID that you're accessing (and thus waiting for the 2FA code) then the prompt to approve should just pop up on the Mac's screen.
If your Mac is pre-El Capitan, then my understanding is that you would not get the 2FA code to your Mac and would have to rely on a phone call or text (since you don't have any iOS devices).
Availability of two-factor authentication for Apple ID - Apple Support
Magillacudy wrote:
Being stolen is NOT a problem. Hackers would have to get through the VPN, firewall, and other malware safety guards and then I cannot understand how to get what should be a simple thing done!
2FA is not intended to protect your device. Its purpose is to protect your Apple ID.
I just spent four count 'em four hours in one of your Apple Stores working through downloads of new OS for two MacBook Air's, two iPhone's and an old Passport hard Drive.
No, they are not my Apple Stores. This is a user-to-user forum. Apple's participation here is minimal.
What devices other than your iPhone are trusted devices? You should be getting the code on one of them.
Two-factor authentication for Apple ID - Apple Support
What has happened to the Apple that was user friendly
Forgive the observation, but 100s of millions Apple users manage to use 2FA successfully each and every day.
I am behind a firewall, VPN,
Are your issues the same when you are not? A fight between your firewall, your VPN and Apple's security mechanism could be part of your troubles.
This will most certainly create more requests for a verification code than not. Looking like a different end user who is trying to hide their identity is authentication catnip to a system designed to detect just that.
This whole thing is becoming more convoluted than a mainframe.
Not really.
Apple: "are you who you say you are?
You: "yes, let me prove it. send me a code to a device I have proven I have control over"
Apple: "ok... here you go"
You: "entering that code now"
Apple: "it is you. welcome back"
*You: "thanks for keeping my account secure"
*doesn't always happen
Meanwhile, feedback for Apple goes here >>> http://www.apple.com/feedback/
pauli96 wrote:
What a joke! I will be saying good bye to apple! Life long supporter no more...
You should do whatever works best for you. And it probably doesn't matter what that is to anyone here.
If you want Apple to know, use the feedback page:
Pall wrote:
Apple 2FA is a solution that is designed to work within the eco system, not outside. No one in apple ever thought a person may misplace or loose an iPhone may need to sign on to their Apple Account to use find my phone to find their phone. Sending 2FA code to the lost iPhone is indeed a great answer.
You do not need a 2FA code to sign into Find My iPhone from a computer in order to find your missing phone. So, yes, Apple did consider that scenario.
Why not allow the user to select their email registered with the apple account at minimum. Yes, this is not perfect. Better solution is to let the user enter an email where they are able to receive the 2FA.
The reason is that email is not terribly secure. You do, however, have the option of using any mobile number as a trusted number on which you can the code either by SMS or an automated voice call or any landline number on which you can get the automated voice call. I've used the latter and it works very well.
Before you get upset about problems that Apple has already provided solutions for, I suggest you read this article:
So, what is the true end game here for Apple?
To prevent compromised accounts. To greatly reduce the number of Apple users who need to report compromised credit/debit cards.
Apple should allow someone to cancel out of 2FA if they want
But they don't.
Feedback for Apple goes here >>> http://www.apple.com/feedback/
I am finding it to be more of a pain in the rear than a benefit.
Why? Exactly why?
ddickens69 wrote:
You are chasing all of us loyal customers away and making us go back to androids. At least they give me the option of protecting my account or not.
No, we're not. We're users just like you. Apple isn't participating here.
It's MY account. I'll take the blame for losing my devices.
2FA protects your account, not your devices.
Apple doesn't choose which devices to send the code to; you do. You can manage which devices get the code. See here:
what well i do when i lost both my iphone and my laptop ???!!! how can i get the authentication code??????!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1
If you did not add an additional trusted phone number, you will need to apply for account recovery.
If you have no trusted devices or numbers, you may have to go through account recovery. But start here:
Get a verification code and sign in with two-factor authentication - Apple Support
Going forward, it's a good idea to have a trusted number in addition to trusted devices. I use my office landline as a trusted number. If you're in the U.S., a Google Voice number is also a good option as you can get access to that from almost any internet connected device.
Facts matter.
you can a code while offline.
Get a code from Settings on your trusted device
If you can’t receive a verification code on your trusted devices automatically, you can get one from Settings, even if your device is offline.
We need to be able to turn two factor authentication OFF.
Feedback for Apple goes here >>> http://www.apple.com/feedback/
unless I have them all in the same room.
It only takes one device to affectively manage 2FA.
The-wolf wrote:
Still got issues with 2fa it’s a complete waste of time totally intrusive and serves no useful purpose whilst I agree with security 2fa simply doesn’t work it’s just another way to pre obsolete products for their profit
I agree with LACAllen. It works fine for me. The first thing to remember is that it is not intended to secure your device. It is there to prevent your Apple ID from being compromised. Once you get your head wrapped around that, it's a lot easier to understand.
If you have it set up properly, it should not be at all intrusive. If I have to interact with it more than two or three times a month, that's unusual.
Start by reading this article, paying special attention to setting up your trusted devices:
Apple have no right to force it upon us.
Yeah, they do.
no consultation with it’s loyal customers.
How exactly does one get identified as a loyal customer, wanting to participate in new procedures out of a billion users?
Be a beta tester and provide feedback? Done.
See >>> https://beta.apple.com/sp/betaprogram/
customer base which is starting to fall over issues like 2fa
And you can prove this of course.
but I don’t believe that the request for additional levels or avenues of Apple Service or Support is unreasonable
Never said that.
Reality is, this is not the place to achieve those goals. Why is this most basic concept so hard to grasp?
Apple does NOT directly provide support here. They clearly state that in the terms everyone agreed to.
"Apple may respond to questions but does not formally provide technical support on the Site."
https://support.apple.com/contact is THE method for obtaining support. If Apple support fails to meet your needs, this community does not become the place to complain.
Others are entitled to their thoughts and opinions
Absolutely. But not their own facts.
Apple has explicitly stated they don't want opinions and thoughts expressed here. Not my rule.
"Post constructive comments and questions. Unless otherwise noted, your Submission should either be a technical support question or a technical support answer. Constructive feedback about product features is also welcome."
This 76 page discussion has moved away from being technical.
How to turn off two factor authentication?
