Google has announced that it now supports iPhones to be used as a security key for securing Google accounts. Which means that you can now use your iPhone as a 2FA device instead of having to buy another hardware-based solution like Google’s own Titan Security Key to do that for you.
Last year, Google brought this capability on Android, and it is now available for the iPhone too.
When your iPhone is set up (step-to-step tutorial) as the security key for your Google Account, you will have to turn on your Bluetooth so that the login can be verified after you’ve entered the usual credentials needed – username and password.
There are some caveats, though; you must install Google’s Smart Lock app, which can be found on the App Store, and your iPhone must be running iOS 10 or newer, according to Google.
This is part of Google’s Advanced Protection Program(APP), which was bettered in 2019 when the company axed the need to buy hardware-based solutions to help with that.
The Advanced Protection Program was mainly launched as part of the company’s measures to help privacy-conscious individuals and those who face higher security risks to secure their Google accounts well.
The Advanced Protection Program provides an extra layer of security on top of the usual mandatory password requirement.
