I'm new to the Apple ecosystem and want to understand the sign-in process. If I buy a MacBook and use Touch ID as a passkey, possibly as my only two-factor authentication method, how would I sign in to my Apple Account for the first time on a new iPhone or MacBook? Likewise, if my existing iPhone uses Face ID or Touch ID for passkeys, what setup process lets me access my account on a new device before it's connected to iCloud?
1 Answer
You still sign in on the new device with your Apple Account email address and password. Apple will then send a verification code or approval prompt to one of your existing trusted devices or phone numbers. Once the new device is approved and connected to iCloud, your passkeys and other synced data can become available. It’s a good idea to keep at least one trusted device or phone number available. If you lose access to all of them, account recovery can take a while, so a recovery key may be worth considering if you can store it somewhere safe.
Yes. The MacBook can approve the new device as long as it’s still signed in and recognized as trusted. You can set up the new iPhone as a new device rather than transferring all of the old phone’s data, then sign in and let iCloud sync whatever services and passkeys are enabled.
So if I replace my iPhone and still have access to my MacBook, I could sign in on the new phone using my Apple Account password and approve it from the MacBook, even without transferring everything directly from the old phone?