Use iPhone as Physical Security Key to Protect Your Google Accounts

Great news for iOS users!

You can now use your iPhone or iPad, running iOS 10 or later, as a physical security key for securely logging into your Google account as part of the Advanced Protection Program for two-factor authentication.

Android users have had this feature on their smartphones since last year, but now Apple product owners can also use this advanced, phishing-resistant form of authentication as an alternative to a physical security key.

Adding extra security later of two-step authentication is one of the more essential steps you can take to secure your online accounts, which makes it harder for attackers to log in to your account, especially when they steal your password.

“According to a study we [Google] released last year, people who exclusively used security keys to sign into their accounts never fell victim to targeted phishing attacks,” said Shuvo Chatterjee, Product Manager at Google’s Advanced Protection Program.

Google recently updated its ‘Google Smart Lock’ app for iPhones that can now turn your iOS device into a physical security key—a tiny device that cryptographically generates tokens to confirm your identity to a website instead of requiring you to…