Apple has released iOS 16.3 which includes a huge security feature that is set to change the way we keep our entire lives online.
iCloud is home to some of our most trusted memories, secrets, and more, and the thought of a hacker intercepting our data in the cloud strikes fear into most Apple ID users.
To help protect this, iOS 16.3 and related updates to iPadOS 16.3 and macOS 13.2 introduced support for security keys to further enhance Apple ID protection.
iOS 16.3 security keys
“Security Keys for Apple ID allow users to bolster the security of their account by requiring a physical security key to sign in,” an excerpt from Apple’s release notes reads.
Apple has long offered two-factor authentication (2FA) on its accounts, however this type of protection is still easy for scammers to circumvent via phishing emails and other types of hacks.
Users who want to go a step further in protecting their account can now choose an option physical security keythat only they have access to, to prevent prying eyes from gaining unwanted access.
While this may be welcome news for many, be careful with less tech-savvy customers. It’s because You they are now the holder of your encryption key, so if you lost it you’d be locked out for good – Apple won’t keep a backup.
In the last round of updates, advanced data protection has also been extended. It is now able to end-to-end encrypt 23 iCloud categories, including Photos, which Apple says “[protect] Your information even in the event of a cloud data breachâ for users around the world after initial deployment in the US only.
Other updates include bug fixes, an Emergency SOS improvement that should reduce accidental phone calls, and second-generation HomePod support.