Your iPhone Has a New Security Feature — Here's How to Use It - Gear Patrol

Apple conscionable rolled retired a caller bundle update — iOS 16.3 — to your iPhone. It fixes a fewer bugs, but besides delivers a fewer features, specified arsenic enactment for newest HomePod (2nd-generation) and a new iPhone wallpaper to observe Black History month. Maybe astir interestingly is the information that iOS 16.3 brings a beauteous chill caller information diagnostic to your iPhone.

Specifically, iOS 16.3 allows you to usage third-party hardware information keys arsenic an alternate to two-factor authentication for verifying your Apple ID (which you request for downloading apps, logging into caller devices and making purchases). According to Apple's enactment page, these information keys are "designed for radical who privation other extortion from targeted attacks, specified arsenic phishing oregon societal engineering scams."

A hardware information cardinal — specified arsenic the YubiKey 5 NFC oregon Google Titan — is simply a carnal cardinal (which looks similar a small thumb drive) that's based connected the FIDO information protocol. It tin beryllium plugged into your instrumentality via USB-A oregon USB-C, oregon it tin usage NFC (which is however it connects to an iPhone), and it past confirms that "you are you." So alternatively of mounting up a PIN oregon passcode arsenic your two-factor authentication, you'll beryllium capable to simply property the information cardinal connected the apical of your iPhone. It's much unafraid and conscionable arsenic quick.

Once your iPhone is moving iOS 16.3, mounting up a hardware information cardinal is really beauteous easy. It does, however, necessitate you to person 2 hardware keys — 1 that you transportation connected your idiosyncratic astatine each times, and 1 arsenic a back-up successful lawsuit you suffer the different — which brings astir an other cost. Most hardware information keys outgo betwixt $25 and $50 a pop. According to Apple's enactment page, immoderate hardware information cardinal that's "FIDO certified" should work.

How to Set Up a Security Key connected Your iPhone

Gear Patrol Staff

1. Unlock your iPhone.
2. Open the Settings app.
3. Click your sanction (located astatine the apical of the screen).
4. Select Password & Security.
5. Select Add Security Key.

From here, you'll conscionable person to travel the on-screen instructions to acceptable up some of your hardware information keys. If astatine immoderate constituent you privation to region your hardware information keys and spell backmost to integer two-factor authentication, you tin bash truthful easy by pursuing the supra steps and selecting "Remove All Security Keys."

LEARN MORE