OS X 10.10.3 Beta Adds Support for Google 2-Step Verification on Internet Accounts

In addition to a new Photos app and emoji improvements, yesterday's developer release of the first OS X 10.10.3 beta also includes new direct support for Google's 2-Step Verification when setting up Google services in the Internet Accounts section of System Preferences.

2-Step Verification is an optional security setting that requires users to enter not only their account password but also a unique code sent by Google via phone app, text message, or voice call to a previously registered device or phone number, greatly enhancing account security.

Not all devices and apps support Google's 2-Step Verification, however, and as a backup Google also allows users to generate app-specific passwords to register a unique password for that device or app. The app-specific password can be revoked at any time by logging into the user's Google account for another time, making it easy to disable access on a device that has been lost or stolen.

On OS X 10.10.2 and earlier, users setting up their machines to access Google accounts with 2-Step Verification enabled have had to use this app-specific password option. Users trying to log in with their standard Google account passwords are met with error messages informing them they need to use this option.

yosemite_2fa_reject

OS X 10.10.2 requiring an app-specific password for a Google account protected with 2-Step Verification

But as noticed by developer Jonathan Wight, the new OS X 10.10.3 beta now fully supports 2-Step Verification, allowing users to log in with their standard passwords and unique verification codes.

yosemite_google_2step

OS X 10.10.3 requesting verification code after logging in with standard password

The change makes logging in with 2-Step protected accounts much simpler and increases security by making sure the user attempting to log in has a secondary trusted device to provide the verification code.

(Thanks, Sean!)

Related Forum: OS X Yosemite

Top Rated Comments

AngerDanger Avatar
119 months ago
Please, you expect us to believe that anybody at Apple has been doing anything besides working on Emoji?
Score: 16 Votes (Like | Disagree)
gavroche Avatar
119 months ago
I have an Apple Airport Extreme router. After my iMac wakes from sleep, I often cannot connect to Wi-Fi, even with OSX 10.10.2. And yet my iPad and iPhone connect perfectly every time. What does this tell you? Apple gets it right with iOS, but they are no longer putting the resources into Macs and OSX. It shouldn’t take this many months to get the bugs out of a new OS.

Not to berate you, or knock your complaints... But not sure what this has to do with the article (2-Step Verification)...
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)
CrazyForApple Avatar
119 months ago
There should be a 2 step verification process for everything.
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
DCstewieG Avatar
119 months ago
The "webpage-inside-a-sheet" look looks pretty lazy, but it is a beta.
I could be wrong but I think it needs to be that way to hand control over to Google to do the authentication. That's the same thing you'll see in any application that supports their 2-factor setup.
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Cougarcat Avatar
119 months ago
The "webpage-inside-a-sheet" look looks pretty lazy, but it is a beta.

I have an Apple Airport Extreme router. After my iMac wakes from sleep, I often cannot connect to Wi-Fi, even with OSX 10.10.2. And yet my iPad and iPhone connect perfectly every time. What does this tell you? Apple gets it right with iOS, but they are no longer putting the resources into Macs and OSX. It shouldn’t take this many months to get the bugs out of a new OS.
It doesn't tell you anything. Everyone has different experiences...for me, iOS 8 is way buggier than OS X, especially Safari.
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
viorelgn Avatar
119 months ago
I have an Apple Airport Extreme router. After my iMac wakes from sleep, I often cannot connect to Wi-Fi, even with OSX 10.10.2. And yet my iPad and iPhone connect perfectly every time. What does this tell you? Apple gets it right with iOS, but they are no longer putting the resources into Macs and OSX. It shouldn’t take this many months to get the bugs out of a new OS.
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Popular Stories

maxresdefault

Apple to Launch New iPad Pro and iPad Air Models in May

Thursday March 28, 2024 11:07 am PDT by
Apple will introduce new iPad Pro and iPad Air models in early May, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. Gurman previously suggested the new iPads would come out in March, and then April, but the timeline has been pushed back once again. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. Apple is working on updates to both the iPad Pro and iPad Air models. The iPad Pro models will...
General Apps Messages

Google Reveals When to Expect RCS Support on iPhone for Improved Texting With Android Users

Friday March 29, 2024 7:14 am PDT by
In November, Apple announced that the iPhone would support the cross-platform messaging standard RCS (Rich Communication Services) in the Messages app starting "later" in 2024, and Google has now revealed a more narrow timeframe. In a since-deleted section of the revamped Google Messages web page, spotted by 9to5Google, Google said that Apple would be adopting RCS on the iPhone in the "fall...
airtag new orange

Criminals in Montreal Using AirTags to Steal Vehicles

Friday March 29, 2024 12:50 pm PDT by
Thieves in Montreal, Canada have been using Apple's AirTags to facilitate vehicle theft, according to a report from Vermont news sites WCAX and NBC5 (via 9to5Mac). Police officers in Burlington, Vermont have issued a warning about AirTags for drivers who recently visited Canada. Two Burlington residents found Apple AirTags in their vehicles after returning from trips to Montreal, and these...
top stories 30mar2024

Top Stories: WWDC 2024 Announced, New iPads Delayed, and More

Saturday March 30, 2024 6:00 am PDT by
Apple's WWDC 2024 dates have been announced, giving us timing for the unveiling of the company's next round of major operating system updates and likely some other announcements. This week also saw some disappointing news on the iPad front, with update timing for the iPad Pro and iPad Air pushed back from previous rumors. We did hear some new tidbits about what might be coming in iOS 18 and...
iphone 16 cases sonny dickson 1

First iPhone 16 Cases Outline New Rear Vertical Camera Bump

Friday March 29, 2024 4:09 am PDT by
Photos of the first iPhone 16 cases have been shared online, offering another preview of the rumored new vertical rear camera arrangement on the standard iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Plus. Image credit: Accessory leaker Sonny Dickson Over the last few months, Apple has been experimenting with different camera bump designs for the standard iPhone 16 models, all of which have featured a vertical ...
Apple iPhone 15 Pro spatial video capture lifestyle

$3 App Shoots Better Quality Spatial Video Than iPhone's Camera App

Friday March 29, 2024 4:48 am PDT by
A $3 third-party app can now record spatial video on iPhone 15 Pro models in a higher resolution than Apple's very own Camera app. Thanks to an update first spotted by UploadVR, Spatialify can now record spatial videos with HDR in 1080p at 60fps or in 4K at 30fps. In comparison, Apple's native Camera app is limited to recording spatial video in 1080p at 30fps. Shortly after Apple's Vision ...