I had to go through this process, and I want to note that it didn't quite work properly (which is not the YubiKey's fault). Older devices won't support Security Keys at all. Before you can add a Security Key, you need to sign out of all inactive devices, which includes devices that you have not used in the last 90 days.

On an iOS device or Mac, Security Keys can be enabled through the Password and Security section of the Settings app.

You're going to want to store the Security Keys in two separate locations. The reason for this is because if you lose your physical security key, if you don't have another in a safe place, you're going to lose access to your ‌Apple ID‌. Apple requires dual security keys for redundancy purposes, and Yubico recommends a pair as well.

Note that whatever security key product you pick, you have to have two, not just one. Security Keys can be set up on the ‌iPhone‌, ‌iPad‌, or Mac. With Apple eliminating the Lightning port in the iPhone this year and because I don't own any devices without NFC, I opted for the YubiKey 5C NFC for futureproofing, but if you plan to have an ‌iPhone‌ or an iPad with a Lightning port for an extended period of time, the 5Ci might be the better option if you're interested in using Security Keys. The YubiKey 5Ci has a USB-C connector and a Lightning connector so that it can be plugged into iPhones, iPads, Macs, and other devices that use these connectors, while the YubiKey 5C NFC has a USB-C connector and the ability to interface with NFC-enabled devices. Yubico sent me a pair of its security keys so that I could try them out with Apple's Security Key function. You can use any FIDO Certified security key to activate the feature, and Apple recommends the YubiKey 5C NFC and the YubiKey 5Ci, two devices sold by Yubico. Instead of using a code generated by a secondary Apple device for authentication, when you log into your ‌Apple ID‌ on another device after setting up Security Keys, you need to authenticate through a physical key that's actually plugged in to your device.

With the launch of iOS 16.3 and macOS 13.2 Ventura, Apple added Security Keys for the Apple ID, offering a more robust way to protect your Apple account and everything associated with your Apple account.Ī Security Key is a physical device that works with two-factor authentication.

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