I've heard nothing but the same from everyone I talk to about it. A real P.I.T.A. I can't for the life of me figure out why they don't just force TouchID integration with 3rd party apps and be done with it. Last thing I need is to keep track of dozens of more passwords.
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Third-Party Apps Will Need App-Specific Passwords for iCloud Access From June 15
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I've heard nothing but the same from everyone I talk to about it. A real P.I.T.A. I can't for the life of me figure out why they don't just force TouchID integration with 3rd party apps and be done with it. Last thing I need is to keep track of dozens of more passwords.
Maybe the title of the article is a bit misleading, but in this case "Third-Party Apps" does not refer to apps not made by Apple, but apps that do not use native iOS, macOS and watchOS CloudKit APIs or other "proper" frameworks (e.g. web apps, windows apps, multiplatform apps that could not be bothered to implement iOS APIs). Apps that use native iCloud frameworks will NOT be required to use app-specific passwords.
So touchid would not help here since the affected apps would not generally support native iOS APIs, hence they won't be expected to support touchid.
Also note that you generally do not need to store or remember app-specific passwords, they are "throw-away" passwords that you enter in a non-native app so that they can access iCloud data without having to disclose your personal iCloud password to them.
It works the same way on Outlook. You still need an app specific password on Outlook to use your iCloud email. And it's tied to a single app. Google doesn't use app specific passwords for Gmail.
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What I said was true, otherwise LAST YEAR I wouldn't have had to use these things to access iCloud email on my Android devices or through Outlook on my iMac. It was mandated for that use LAST YEAR. Trust me when I ****ing speak for I know what I am talking about.
This is true and it's frustrating. I think the only app I've seen so far that uses iCloud Keychain is Amazon. This is a great feature that makes it a million times easier to use your phone on a daily basis. Why aren't app developers taking advantage of it?
My concern regarding 2 factor authentication comes into play when traveling internationally and I obtain a prepaid SIM card for the country I'm visiting to replace, temporarily, my home SIM card. This results of course with my phone getting assigned a new phone number native to the country I'm visiting. This *can* cause trouble if the 2 factor authentication solely depends on sending you a text to your old, "home SIM" phone number which one of course will not receive because they have a different phone number with the new SIM in place. Perhaps in this scenario one can still authenticate using another method [other than texting] with iCloud, but I've experienced challenges with other services that depended on texting for their 2 factor authentication.
iCloud 2FA does not use text messages. It uses a private communications protocol. As long as you are using the same device and have network connection to iCloud, the code should come through.
Note that this is different from Google's 2FA, which does use text messages. But Google provides additional mechanisms to deal with the problem, including a code-generating authentication app and pre-printed single-use emergency codes (which you can print and carry with you for those times when nothing else is available).
This I totally agree with on, it was and is a nightmare on "One infinite loop" when I tried both the original two-factor authentication, then the updated two-factor authentication. Why not use a real authenticator type app, like Google or Microsoft something that really works, Apple is always so app happy anyway. I liked it when I could directly send Steve Jobs an e-mail and get these things fixed.
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Yes, been here down that too, I totally agree, and I have used Macintosh OS since 1986!!
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And BusyCal I use both and my Apple e-mail on my PC.
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So tell PAYPAL amongst others!
I've just been asked to set up yet another app specific password to use Spark (email) after having to 2FA my login to iCloud on my main iMac again. This will no doubt mean that I will have to set up another password for my iPhone again because I've just changed the app specific password, again, just so I can collect my email. It's getting crazy.
Firstly, I'm not trying to log in on a new device (iMac) which is actually screwed to the wall in my office, and there's nothing new about it. Every now and then I will be randomly asked by my email client to set up an app specific password. This has already been done. About 10 times.
So, this is what has happened.
I've started looking into using Google services. That's right - closing down iCloud. It turns out that iCloud is my main problem.
I can use gmail, calendars, MS Office, One drive with TB of data across users, unlimited full resolution photo storage, notes, reminders, and on and on. It works out cheaper than using Apple's nickel and dime services, and I can buy the google pixel instead of iPhones for my business. I can properly utilise family sharing with Office 365 and google photos.
The only service I have to/want to keep with Apple is Apple Music which runs on android anyway.
I've been an Apple user since whenever, and I'll probably continue to use MACOS, but I didn't think it would be something as obtuse as iCloud that would make me think again about that.
Basically, my modern computing needs are more about services and cloud storage and software etc than they are about hardware and OS. Microsoft and Google are killing it with software, machine learning and integration of services and even hardware. Apple aren't competing any more for me. They have nice shiny things, but without iCloud connecting everything together properly they're pretty much redundant. It's easy to fix iCloud, which makes me think that Apple just doesn't want to.
Apple has shown over and over and over that they don't know their ass from a hole in the ground about any sort of ID management. No way in hell I'm risking getting locked out of my own devices because Apple's convoluted B.S. doesn't work as easily/smoothly as it should.
I suspect 90% of people who own an iPhone/iPad/Mac combo will also not use 2FA unless it is forced upon us at the moment of first setup.
I suspect 90% of people who own an iPhone/iPad/Mac combo will also not use 2FA unless it is forced upon us at the moment of first setup.
It’s funny - I actually got an email about this a week or so ago, but I thought it was fraudulent, particularly because it had a return address of noreply@insideicloud.icloud.com, which looked fishy to me. Also, it mentioned Thunderbird, which isn’t in the App Store.
If TouchID can be used to successfully make payments using ApplePay, it must be possible to use that same technology to eradicate the need for passwords altogether. The answer might be to encourage more websites to create app's that can use TouchID.
Why does everyone feel they have to make an announcement instead of just doing it?
TouchID alone is meaningless. You need to have some actual data to protect before it can help you.
ApplePay works because you go through a registration step, where you provide your account information and the bank generates a device-specific account number. Touch ID allows access to that account number, and nothing else.
You could use that for an e-mail app, but you would first need to register the app with the server in order to get some kinds of secure login information that Touch ID can protect. Sort of like, I don't know, an application-specific password?
Guys and Gals!
Please help me out here.
I am going crazy with two-step authentification after learning that Apple is going to force it in the next week.
I have to write down passwords. My mail is not syncing correctly even though I use the same password, yada...yada...yada.
So I came to this forum to bitch a little.
Then I read some of your posts.
Am I correct in now assuming that this is not about any app that syncs with iCloud? I thought that Apple was forcing any app that syncs with iCloud to have two-step authentification.
It seems I may be wrong and I can go back to just normal security measures.
Please confirm as the original article is not very clear to me.
Thanks everyone!
Please help me out here.
I am going crazy with two-step authentification after learning that Apple is going to force it in the next week.
I have to write down passwords. My mail is not syncing correctly even though I use the same password, yada...yada...yada.
So I came to this forum to bitch a little.
Then I read some of your posts.
Am I correct in now assuming that this is not about any app that syncs with iCloud? I thought that Apple was forcing any app that syncs with iCloud to have two-step authentification.
It seems I may be wrong and I can go back to just normal security measures.
Please confirm as the original article is not very clear to me.
Thanks everyone!
Apple is not forcing 2FA unless you want to use third party apps for your mail, calendar and contacts (e.g. Airmail, BusyCal, BusyContacts) To continue using those after June15th you need to generate an ASP (one will do for all) which is easy and a one time operation.
If you don't want to use 2FA you will have to use the Apple apps for mail, contacts and calendar.
Mike,
GREATLY appreciate you providing a better understanding of the situation.
Unfortunately, I fall into the latter category. I use Airmail, BusyContacts, BusyCalendar.
Airmail is not syncing correctly since doing two-step authentification. I am using the same generated password on the desktop and iOS app, but the iMap syncing is screwed up to the point what gets deleted on one side does not on the other.
I am really annoyed Apple is forcing this down our throats.
You said you have "two step verification". This is not the same as "two factor authorisation".
As far as I know ASPs can only be generated by 2FA (here https://appleid.apple.com/#!&page=signin) so you perhaps meant 2FA?
I have set up my iCloud mail in Airmail3 (and BusyCal and BusyContacts) with an ASP without any problems.
Mike,
I used that page to create 2-step authentification.
Are we both on the same page as far as what needed to be done?
The problem I have with Airmail 3 is that deleted messages don't sync across devices now that I am using the 2-step authentification password instead of my iCloud password.
I used that page to create 2-step authentification.
Are we both on the same page as far as what needed to be done?
The problem I have with Airmail 3 is that deleted messages don't sync across devices now that I am using the 2-step authentification password instead of my iCloud password.