Help Desk

HOW TO BYPASS APPLE’S MULTI-DEVICE TWO-FACTOR SYSTEM WITH MESSAGES AUTO-FILL

Apple has increasingly required that Apple ID accounts (used for iCloud, purchases, and other purposes) are protected by two-factor authentication (2FA). This two-part system has you enter a password and then enter a code that’s available from all devices associated with the same iCloud account.

You know the drill. A pop-up appears on all devices showing a rough map of where Apple believes the request originated. Tap or click Allow on any device and that pop-up disappears from all the others. On the device from which you approved the map, a six-digit code now appears in a special dialog box. Enter that code as your device, service or browser second factor.

But there’s an easier way. Apple lets you set up both trusted devices, linked via iCloud,