Best two-factor authentication apps for iOS 16 in 2023

Article Hero Image AppleInsider may earn an affiliate commission on purchases made through links on our site. Two-factor Authentication requires you to use a

personal device that isn't the device you're using when you log in to enhance security. Here are the best ones for iOS 16. Given the wide range of security threats and breaches

on the internet, it's more important than ever for you to protect your accounts and data online. Two-factor Authentication (2FA) is a way to insure that only you have access to

your accounts by means of a second way of verifying who you are when you login. In 2FA, typically you log in with a password as usual, but then the online system you are

logging in to contacts you back to ask you to verify yourself. This is usually accomplished via an email, or a special one-time code (OTC) that is sent to you via email, text,

phone call. Once you have the OTC in hand, you use it to essentially confirm to the system that you are who you say you are. Once you enter the code that was sent to you,

authentication is completed and you are authorized to use the system. Most banks and online payment services such as PayPal and auction sites such as eBay and others now use

2FA when you log in. One of the reasons 2FA is more secure than plain passwords is you must have the device the secret code is sent to in your possession in order to complete

login: if someone else tries to log in claiming to be you, they will be denied by the system since they don't have your phone, tablet, or access to your email account. 2FA

makes login more secure by requiring an extra step in the login process sent in real-time by the system you are logging into itself. It's not foolproof, but it's much more secure

than merely a single password. Two-factor authentication apps and QR codes To take the 2FA idea a step further, there are now a host of apps you can install on your

personal device, each if which receives and stores a secret code for each system you want to log into in the future. The codes usually expire quickly so they can't be stolen and

used by others. The first time you log in to each online system, it may ask you to scan on your mobile device a QR code it presents on your computer, or it may send you a 2FA

code for future use. Each code gets stored in the app for later use. The 2FA app knows which codes belong to which systems so you don't have to remember them. Most of the set

up is automatic on the backend. The idea behind 2FA apps is that the app acts as a storehouse for all your secret codes. The next time you want to log in to a given system, you