How to disable two-factor authentication on an iPhone – Easy Steps

Apple added two-factor authentication to Apple IDs a while ago. Since then, Apple has been aggressively pushing users to set up two-factor authentication. If you sign in with an Apple ID on an iPhone and the ID doesn’t have two-factor authentication set up, iOS isn’t clear on how you can bypass the setup. Most people end up enabling two-factor authentication when they don’t mean to.

Turn off two-factor authentication – iPhone

Apple has removed the option on the device to disable two-factor authentication. If you want to turn it off, you will have to call and ask them to turn it off. This applies to the Apple ID and is not device specific.

1. Visit the Apple Contact Support Page.
2. Find the region you are in.
3. Call the phone number (don’t worry if the automated messages say you’re calling AT&T and you don’t have an AT&T connection).
4. Select option 6 from the menu that is played.
5. Wait for a representative to respond and they will help you disable two-factor authentication.

An alternative

If you are changing your trusted phone number, you do not need to disable two-factor authentication to do so. You can change the number without first turning off the feature.

1. Open the Settings app on your iPhone
2. Tap your profile / Apple ID at the top.
3. Tap Password & security
4. Under Trusted phone number, tap Edit.
5. Tap Add a trusted phone number.
6. Add the new number.
7. Once the new number has been added, you can delete the old one.

Note: A trusted number can be completely removed, but doing so will not disable two-factor authentication. Two-factor authentication is tied to a trusted device and not necessarily a phone number. You can use the phone number to authenticate your login, but you can also authenticate with other trusted Apple devices that you have signed in to.

conclusion

Until iOS 14, users could disable two-factor authentication from their iPhone. iOS 15 has removed this option. If you have an iPhone running an older version of iOS, you can try disabling two-factor authentication on it. It may work or you may get an error. Apple was slow to add two-factor authentication as a feature, but now it’s aggressively pushing it to users. Unfortunately, most users end up enabling it when they log in because Apple presents it as a security update option without telling the user that the security update is two-factor authentication.