Apple Two-Step Verification Security Feature Expands To 59 Countries

Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) expanded the availability of its two-step verification feature to 48 more countries on Thursday.

The Cupertino, California, tech titan’s security service for user Apple ID accounts was originally only available for 11 countries including the United States, Japan, France, Canada, Spain and Germany. The expansion of the two-step verification program to 48 countries, including Brazil, China and the Philippines brings the total number of countries protected by Apple ID two-step verification to 59.

The two-step verification feature allows Apple ID users to optionally additional barrier of access to their account.

The feature uses a “trusted” device to verify a user’s identity in addition to a password. When logging into certain Apple services, Apple sends a 4-digit PIN to that trusted device. Users then enter the PIN into the Apple service in order to continue to the login process.

In May, the feature proved to be effective in blocking hacks in Australia and New Zealand, where hackers demanded money to unlock phones locked using the remote lock security feature of Find My iPhone.

Apple has continued to tighten the security measures surrounding its Apple ID accounts and iOS devices as hackers continue to look for ways to exploit the growing user base of its devices.

Apple users looking to add two-step verification to their account can do so by signing into “My Apple ID” and enabling the feature through the settings page.