You can now protect iMessage and FaceTime with two-factor authentication

We live in the age of internet services and it’s incredibly important to make sure all our accounts and data is secure, especially in the wake of things like last year’s iCloud hack. One thing you can do is set up two-factor authentication, and Apple has just added that feature to its iMessage and FaceTime services.

Noticed by The Guardian last night, the inclusion of two factor adds a little bit more security to both of Apple’s services. It means if you log out of your account on iMessage or Facetime, or you attempt to log in on a different device, you’ll have to enter an additional security code to verify that you are the correct owner of the account.

Once two-factor is set up, every time you log in Apple will send a code to a trusted device — usually by text message. It sounds like a hassle and it’s certainly not a completely foolproof system, but the fact that any would-be hacker needs an extra verification code to access an account make its harder for them to break in. It’s certainly makes things lot more secure if you tend to use the same password for multiple accounts.

You can find out more about Apple’s two-factor authentication systems, including how to set it up for yourself, on this dedicated FAQ page on the Apple website.