Unable to turn on two-step verification

I thought that I had turned on two-step verification but when I check System Preferences > iCloud > Account Details > Security I see "Two-Step Verification: Off"
So I go to My Apple ID > Password and Security but don't see any Two-Step Verification like I'm told to select at the Support site.
I wonder if two-step verification actually is turned on but System Preferences > iCloud > Account Details > Security is wrong when it says it is off. Any ideas?
All my SW is up to date.

On mine it correctly shows as being on at System Preferences > iCloud > Account Details etc (didn't even know I could see that there until I saw your post).
Yu can try going to https://appleid.apple.com/ and click the "Manage your Apple ID" button. If 2 step is working it will ask for your password and then when you click the "Sign in" button it will ask you to choose a trusted device (for the code to be sent to allow you to complete the sign in).

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Trying to turn off two step verification but just stuck in an infinite loop

So, I try to turn two step verification off, I go to manage my ID, to Security and choose Turn off Two Step...so far so good
I am told that I have to choose three security questions, enter my DOB and provide a recovery email, then press Continue...still good
A window pops up asking whether I am sure I want to turn it off, it warns me that I have to choose three questions and I am presented with two buttons, Cancel or Turn Off (That turn off button looks very tempting...so I click it)
...so...I am asked to provide three new questions, my DOB and a recovery email address....
And repeat....and repeat...
I have tried on different browsers...I have tried on two different Macs and on a Windows pc....
Any help?

eh?

Unable to set up two-step verification in Nepal

Why apple did not include Nepal in their list of two-step verification available countries? All other does provide two-step verification but why not Apple?

I have an SMS-capable iPhone number, but I'm outside the US (in Costa Rica, Central America).
I had been able to receive international SMS messages with validation codes for WhatsApp, Viber and Wickr, but I'm not receiving the SMS validation code from Apple when I try to activate the two-step authentication on my AppleID, though the website says it's available in Costa Rica AND on my specific carrier as well.
I also checked with my carrier and they confirm there is no restriction on my service for receiving or sending SMS messages; I even have USA-roaming active!
I suspect it's an Apple issue, but how do I escalate it?

Two Step Verification not working in Safari 8.0

I'm using a 13-inch Macbook Pro Retina Late 2013 2.6 GHz i5 16GB RAM. Yosemite 10.10 - Safari 8.0
I tried to turn on Two-Step Verification for my Apple ID using the new Safari with Yosemite, and everything worked fine until I was required to enter my Recovery ID that had been printed out (Step 3 of 4). Every time I clicked 'Confirm', it would download a 'confirm' file to my Downloads Folder. My only option was to use the 'Go Back' button to cancel.
However, if I used the Chrome browser, the Verification process worked without issue.
Nate

Hi Nate...
Might be Safari cookies, cache, or extensions.
From your Safari menu bar click Safari > Preferences then select the Privacy tab.
Click: Remove All Website Data
No open a Finder window. From the Finder menu bar click Go > Go to Folder
Type or copy paste the following
~/Library/Caches/com.apple.Safari/Cache.db
Click Go then move the Cache.db file to the Trash.
Quit and relaunch Safari to test.
If that didn't help, try troubleshooting extensions.
From the Safari menu bar click Safari > Preferences then select the Extensions tab. Turn that OFF, quit and relaunch Safari to test.
If that helped, turn one extension on then quit and relaunch Safari to test until you find the incompatible extension then click uninstall.

Two step verification broke mail app

I just activated two step verification and it appears to not be working for mail. I'm over prompted by the mail program for a two step verification, is simply and repeatedly asks for my password. It was unclear from the two step verification welcome email if I needed to make a configuration change to my email settings manually. There appears to be no settings in the mail program to use anything other than a password. Should I make an app specific password for mail? Why didn't mail say to do this or the sign up email or the two step verification set up website? The only apps specifically called out as needed an app-specific password are Microsoft Outlook, Mozilla Thunderbird, and BusyCal.
I unfortunately had to turn off two step verification as it rendered email unusable.
Andrew

It would help if you told us what your operating system is. Please always do this as in many cases the answer varies depending on the system.
If you have set Mail up on Snow Leopard or earlier to access iCloud Mail, and if you have also enabled 2-step verification on your Apple ID, you will find your usual Apple ID password doesn't work. Apple are now requiring app-specific password for third-party applications to access iCloud if you have set up two-step verification (if you haven't set this up you won't be affected).
Since Mail on Snow Leopard and earlier was not intended to access iCloud you will have to generate a password for it. Go to http://appleid.apple.com; click 'Manage your Apple ID' and sign in (you will be prompted for an access code sent to your trusted device).
Select 'Password and Security'; click 'Generate an App-Specific Password' and follow the instructions. Once you have the password, copy it and paste it into the password field in the Account settings. You should also keep a note of it (though you can generate a new one if required).

HT5577 Devices and Recovery ID stolen. Unable to access account with two-step verification. Apple does not care. What can I do?

Last year, my backpack containing my laptop and phone were stolen. My Recovery Key was saved as a screenshot on the laptop and on the phone and I have no other copy. I remotely wiped both devices. I had no insurance for such circumstances and replaced them at my own expense but I cannot access my AppleID account because Two-Step Verification is active and my old telephone number was replaced and I no longer have access to it. I can live with losing the devices as a result of my own stupidity, but Apple claims they are unable to restore my access to my old account in spite of the special circumstances. Apple can confirm my identity via my bank details and my email address but they do not seem to care. I've lost access to my music, software, calendars etc. I have a new AppleID - I had no other option but to set one up - but it irks me that Apple is unwilling to transfer purchases made on my old AppleID to my new one. I am considering taking legal action to regain my purchases and wonder if anybody else has found themselves in a similar situation.

If apple tracked deviced they sold they would be violating a great number of privicy laws and would face class action and criminal lawsuits in most of the western countries

Unable to login to iTunes (from appleTV) after apple ID two step verification enabled

I recently enabled two step verification for appleID. Now when I attempt to use that appleID with my appleTV, I am unable to login to iTunes. Should I not have enabled two step verification ? Do I need to revert back to user name / password only for my appleID, which I use in conjunction with my appleTV ?
help
brianb

dis-regard this problem. I was able to regain normal operation, once I reset my appleTV, and re-configured it using my current appleID. It is rather odd though that I need to re-set my appleTV each time I change my appleID.

Locked out of Apple ID AND lost Recovery Key for two-step verification

Hey guys,
Firstly, as the title implies, this is a double-whammy of a problem, and obviously, it is very much my fault. The reason I'm bothering to post this, however, is to find out if anyone else has had this issue and where they are at with it.
The story:
I set up two-step verification on my Apple ID about a year ago as I thought it was a good idea. I wrote the Recovery Key down as it told you to, and put it in a folder full of other important documents. In a epic mental lapse, however, I now remember later throwing out that folder, forgetting about my Recovery Key. Ya, that is my fault, I'm and idiot. Anyways...
Fast forward to a few days ago, and I all of a sudden received messages on all my devices saying that my Apple ID had been disabled for security reasons, and that I had to reset the account in order to regain access to it. Scary, but no problem, right? Well, after entering my Apple ID into iForgot.com, the first thing it asked me for was my Recovery Key. This is around the time I was banging my head against the wall in realization that I had thrown it away, but I was relieved to see the "Lost your Recovery Key?" option at the bottom of the screen. I was even more relieved to discover that I had what I needed to reset it: my current password and a trusted Apple device. The catch was that to reset it, I needed to log into my Apple ID to initiate it, which of course I couldn't do because it had been disabled, and the only way for me to disable it is, again, to enter in my Recovery Key. This effectively put me in and endless loop, without any apparent way of gaining accesses to my account. I did contact Apple about it, and I was ultimately told that the lock on my account was so tight, that not even Apple could gain access to it.
I understand that this level of security is probably the whole reason for the two-step verification in the first place, and I again concede that it was extremely foolish of me for forgetting about and discarding my Recovery Key, but a few things still don't make sense...
1. Why would they put a "Lost your Recovery Key?" link on the password recovery page when a password is needed to reset the Recovery Key itself?
2. As far as I can remember, Apple, in their briefing of how two-step verification works, did not bring up this scenario, which is probably relatively common. They DO mention that they can't help when you don't have access to two of the three necessary things for recovery, but they never brought up the apparent exception of if the account is disabled, in which case having two of the three things needed is not enough. I don't understand how they couldn't have mentioned this scenario.
3. Given the above thought, how could Apple not have some sort of special contingency for this type of situation? I profess my ignorance of how these types of systems are set up, but I would feel that there should be a special method for recovery in place if the account has been locked, and the owner is able to verify that they have the password and trusted devices.
I didn't mean to make it sound like a rant. I ADORE Apple, but this system seems like it's less than perfect.
Has anyone else ran into this issue? If so, is your situation similar to mine?
Thanks for any response!

Hey everyone.
It's been awhile, but I wanted to share with anyone who is interested some general knowledge about this issue that I have learned while communicating with Apple support. Unsurprisingly, the issue is still unresolved, and I am under the impression that it will remain that way, but I'm still trying to get in touch with one of the senior representatives I spoke with a while ago who seemed to think that there might be a solution, so I suppose there is still a chance that things could turn out for the better.
Here's the rundown:
Anytime you are unable to sign in to or access your account because of "security reasons", your account is under what is called a "DS Lockout".
A DS Lockout on an Apple ID can be triggered for a few reasons, such as when too many failed logins to the Apple ID (using an incorrect password) are attempted, or when a purchase is made that Apple believes to be fraudulent.
Under normal circumstances, a DS Lockout only lasts for 8 hours, after which the lock is lifted and access to the account by inputting the correct password is re-enabled.
This is where the catch for anybody who set up two-step verification is.
According to one of Apple's security representatives, IF you have two-step verification enabled upon being inflicted with a DS Lockout, the 8-hour lockout period is extended indefinitely as an additional security measure (a feature, I suppose). Therefore, the only way to regain access to the account is by resetting the password, as waiting for the lockout to expire is no longer an option. And of course, resetting your password, as stated by Apple, is one of the situations in which you need your Recovery Key. EVEN IF YOU KNOW WHAT THE ACCOUNT'S CURRENT PASSWORD IS, the lockout prevents you from being able to input it as a means of authentication. You MUST reset your password in order to regain access, and you MUST input your recovery key in order to reset your password.
So, that seems to be the gist of it. It does make sense, but here's my problem:
Upon setting up two-step verification, Apple does warn you of many things, but they do not make any mention of this specific scenario. Indeed, it is very much my fault for loosing my verification key, but the thing is, I’m human, I make mistakes, and I know that I will continue to do so. One of the reasons I chose to take the risk of setting up two-step verification is because Apple explicitly stated that as long as I had access to two of the three required "keys" -- my Recovery Key, my password, and at least one of my trusted Apple devices -- I would always be able to gain access to my account. In other words, as long as I didn’t screw up so bad as to loose access to two of my keys, I’d be okay. Obviously, there is a huge exception to this case that, again, is not mentioned anywhere, hence all the confusion. Had I know that it was possible that it could come down to me needing a single, specific key to regain access to my account, I probably would have opted out of two-step verification, recognizing that as a busy college student who's constantly reorganizing and dealing with tons of forms, worksheets, and other various documents, it's not as easy to hold on to a slip of paper as it might be for others. I'm hoping that at some point, Apple adds a big, red warning to the setup process which reads something like:
"In the event that your Apple ID is locked due to a detected security risk, your Recovery key will be necessary to regaining access to your account; knowing your password and/or having access to any of your trusted devices will no longer be enough."
I really do appreciate how seriously Apple takes its security, but I think that there is still room for improvement. This should start with more clearly and fully stating the conditions of its security measures, as well as having its customer support be more educated on these conditions (they themselves stated that they had never been trained on issues revolving around two-step verification). Protecting someone's private information is important, but so too is making every possible effort to ensure that customers can't easily loose access to all the content and services that they have spent much time and money building up and using.
As stated above, I'm still trying to get a hold of the Apple representative who initially assisted me, so if I have any additional updates, I'll be sure to reply to this thread. I hope that anyone who is going through the same issue, or is simply curious, finds this information to be useful.

Since installing Microsoft two step verification for my Outlook account via my PC I can no longer send emails on this account on my iPad. How can I rectify this?

Since installing Microsoft two step verification on my Outlook Account via my PC (Acer) I am unable to send emails on my iPad. I can neither remove two step verification or find a way to solve this. I would prefer to keep this email account as my prime one.

You will probably need to create an app password for the Outlook account for use on the iPad...
http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/two-step-verification-faq
http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/app-passwords-two-step-verification

HT204152 Apple ID Disabled & Lost Recovery Key (Two-Step Verification)

If you use Two-Step Verification:
If your Apple ID is disabled "for security reasons" AND you lost your Recovery Key ALL HOPE IS NOT LOST! Speaking from a recent, nearly devastating experience, I hopefully will provide some relief to others in the same boat...
After speaking to several customer service representatives who basically told me that without the recovery key, there was no way to access my account and everything would be lost forever, I finally spoke with a senior customer service representative that actually understood my issue (most thought I just forgot my password).
As it turns out, my account was locked due to too many incorrect PW attempts (not exactly sure how that happened). I was prompted to go to appleid.apple.com and when trying to log in, prompted to enter my Recovery Key. I couldn't get further than that. What I didn't realize and the other reps didn't tell me was after 8 hours, the account is unlocked. I was then able to log in at applied.apple.com and verify my account using a trusted device. I was then able to create a new recovery key (and print it out and put copies everywhere so this wouldn't happen again!).
Lessons Learned: 1. Don't lose the Recovery Key again! 2. When talking to Apple Customer Service, ask to speak with a senior customer service representative. 3. Wait 8 hours without trying to log in and your Apple ID is unlocked again.

we all have had unsatisfactory results with entry level CS techs. Your advice to be assertive about speaking with a Senior Tech is sound and where I have ALWAYS found satsifaction. Methinks the proprietary Customer Service Knowledge Base may be running the same software as our forums - Terrible searching is a rule here. - the other two suggestions are very good as well - ÇÇÇ

Two step verification code entry keeps looping in Safari

I've recently upgraded to a 5S, however when I try to purchase from the app store, it askes me to verify the device, as I have two step verification set up.
However, it doesn't work.
I get the verification code sent to my iPad, but when I type it into Safari on either the phone or my iMac, it keeps looping.
The text is
"We have sent a temporary verification code to [device name]. Enter the code to continue. Didn't receive a code?"
When I enter the code, it flickers, then displays the same message.
Help? I can't set up my 5S, I can't disable two-step through my iMac.
Suggestions to overcome? (I do not have my Recovery Key either)

Hi Nate...
Might be Safari cookies, cache, or extensions.
From your Safari menu bar click Safari > Preferences then select the Privacy tab.
Click: Remove All Website Data
No open a Finder window. From the Finder menu bar click Go > Go to Folder
Type or copy paste the following
~/Library/Caches/com.apple.Safari/Cache.db
Click Go then move the Cache.db file to the Trash.
Quit and relaunch Safari to test.
If that didn't help, try troubleshooting extensions.
From the Safari menu bar click Safari > Preferences then select the Extensions tab. Turn that OFF, quit and relaunch Safari to test.
If that helped, turn one extension on then quit and relaunch Safari to test until you find the incompatible extension then click uninstall.

HT202656 verification code not sent to my iPhone (Sprint) for two-step verification for apple id

I have tried to set up two-step verification several times using iCloud, first my iMac and then, when that didn't work, on my iPhone, all to no avail. I followed the instructions up to and including the step where the message says I will receive an SMS on my iPhone with a verification code. I never received the message with the verification code.
I am using Sprint as my internet provider and working with an iMac with Mavericks 10.9.5 as the operating system and iPhone 6 with IOS 8.2

Hey dagored,
Thanks for the question. I would recommend completing the two-step verification process and then changing the SMS number associated once you upgrade:
Apple ID: About two-step verification and SMS
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT5593
Or you can opt to complete the process and then turn two-step verification off completely:
Frequently asked questions about two-step verification for Apple ID
http://support.apple.com/kb/ht5570
Thanks,
Matt M.

HT5593 Cannot get two step verification to work

I cannot get the two step verification SMS message received on my iPhone. I tested my iPhone by sending text messages to it from other sources and it works but the SMS message from Apple needed to verify two step verification does not go through. I have iOS 8.1 on an iPhone 5s.

Also, I read this on one of the Apple Support Documents:
How do I use Find My iPhone notifications to receive verification codes?
Find My iPhone notifications can be used to receive verification codes on any iOS device with Find My iPhone turned on.
How indeed do you do this? It isn't clear at all. It just says that you can use your "Find My iPhone" notifications to receive the verification codes. But how?

Two step verification picky wrt cell provider

Using a pay as you go cell phone on Rogers in Canada and can not set up two-step verification for my Apple ID. The SMS text message never shows up. I have no problem receiving other text messages from Yahoo or Microsoft. The majority of 2 factor authentication that I do is via Google Authenticator. I am not going to hold my breath on that ever being implemented on Apple IDs.

You don't have to use it: it's optional though worth doing as a security measure. From what you say you were unable to complete the process so it shouldn't have been set up; if you want to use it you will need to start the process again.

Can't set up two step verification - no trusted devices

Hi,
I can't seem to set up two step verification on my apple ID.
I can log in to manage my account and start the process, but when I get to what should be the list of trusted devices (step 1), the list is empty and I'm prompted to enter in a number than can receive SMS. I do this using my iphone number, and I recevie a 4 digit verification code via SMS/iMessage, but I can't enter this in to the setup process on the manage my ID site as there is nowhere to enter the code in to in order to have my iphone number tagged as a trusted device. So, I can't get past step 1.
I have been able - in the past - to allow a new device to use icloud keychain using another device to verify it.
All IOS devices are 7.1.1, and the mac is 10.9.3.
For info, I have an iphone, imac, and two ipads all set up using the same apple id, all are signed in to iCloud with the same id for keychain syncing, and all have find my iphone enabled. I can log in to icloud or use the find my phone app and see all my devices in the device list, and locate them. I've tried turning find my iphone off and on - no change, devices still don't appear in the two step verification setup process.
I've rung apple support and no luck - they suggested waiting 24 hours and trying again - but still no worky.
Am I doing something wrong, or is there a problem that someone else has been bale to solve? I'd really like two step verification enabled but am stumped.
Help!
Cheers.
Andrew

I had the same problem.
I don't know whether or not it was a coincidence, but I did the following:
Use a computer to Logon to www.icloud.com.
Go into Account Settings.
Click on Advanced.
Then click on logout of all browsers.
I was then able to log into My AppleID and start the two step authentication setup. When I added a new phone, it sent an SMS and it then prompted me for the 4 digit code.
Again, not sure whether this is a coincidence, but I never received the prompt to enter the 4 digit code until I accessed the iCloud website and followed the above steps.

Unable to turn on two-step verification

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