Apple often prides itself on its robust security and privacy protocols. The entity is always striving to get ahead of its time and ensure maximum safety for its users.
The ability to generate a recovery key for your Apple account is one such measure to improve its security, and it complements two-factor authentication.
As with everything, it carries specific merits and potential risks. We’ll weigh the pros and cons of a security key, so you’re able to decide if it’s the right fit for you.
What Is an Apple ID Recovery Key?
An Apple ID recovery key is a 28-character alphanumeric code that you can use to change your account password anytime you want to. It’s an extra layer of security, and it’s completely optional.
Normally, you only need a trusted device to reset your Apple ID password, but once youset up a recovery key for your Apple account, you’ll need a trusted device and your recovery key to reset it.
The Pros of Using a Recovery Key
Using a recovery key comes with a set of assets that put you in control of your account’s security. It’s important to understand these advantages in order to fully leverage the potential of using a recovery key and moving ahead with your decision to use one.
1. 28-Digit Length for Maximum Security
There’s a slight chance someone can guess a four-digit passcode or maybe even a six-digit one. But a 28-character code with a mix of numbers, alphabets, and characters? The sheer number of combinations is endless and makes it virtually impossible for anyone to crack the code, which is why a recovery key is one of the bestways to secure your Apple ID on your iPhone.
The only way someone is gaining access to that code is if it was handed to them in plain sight. And even then, a couple of glances will not be enough for someone to copy it. It’s hard to memorize and even harder to retain.
2. Only You Can Access It
Your iPhone will generate a copy of your recovery key for you, but Apple is not going to be keeping one for itself. The key will not be stored in Apple’s database in any form. Apple has gone the extra mile to eliminate any risk of the key being misused by generating only one copy alone.
3. You Don’t Have to Wait for Apple Account Recovery
Apple account recovery is a long process that requires tons of information and documentation to prove your identity and reset your password. It takes days for confirmation and will delay you getting your account back, but it is one of the primaryways to reset your Apple ID password.
However, you can gain immediate access to your account with a recovery key in case you forget your password or lose a trusted device.
4. You Can Always Turn Back
Changed your mind and don’t want to use a recovery key anymore? Lost your recovery key or suspect someone may have seen it or stolen it? That’s okay. As long as you have a trusted device with you, you’re able to easily disable the recovery key or even change your recovery key by following these steps:
The Cons of Using a Recovery Key
There’s a yin to every yang, and no good exists without certain drawbacks. The same goes for using a recovery key to secure your device, and the cons might even be big enough to cause you to take a step back and reconsider the use of this feature. So, here are some important disadvantages of using a recovery key for your Apple account.
1. You Can’t Afford to Lose It
If you’ve lost your recovery key but are still logged into your Apple ID on a trusted device, you may always regenerate a new recovery key.
However, if you lose your recovery key along with your trusted devices or Apple ID password, you will be permanently locked out of your account. Apple doesn’t have a copy anywhere, and neither do you.
2. Disables Apple Account Recovery Permanently
Enabling a recovery key disables the option to use Apple account recovery to gain access to your Apple ID. So, if you get permanently locked out of your account due to losing your recovery key and a trusted device, you don’t have any backup options.
On the other hand, if you forget your Apple ID password but haven’t set up a recovery key, you know all is not lost, and you can always use account recovery to regain access to your account in a few days.
3. Inconvenient to Use
Being a 28-character code, the recovery key is quite difficult to record, remember, and store. This may necessitate keeping multiple different copies with different people or in different locations, consequently increasing the risk involved. It may not be something you have on you at all times, which makes it difficult to reset your Apple ID password anytime you want to.
It also disables the standard account recovery process, leaving you with no backup to fall on in case things go wrong. Keeping it safe is your responsibility alone, and quite a big one at that, and the additional mental burden may not even be worth it.
Is Using a Recovery Key Worth the Risk?
It doesn’t get more secure than a 28-character code that no one else has access to, and that is why Apple’s recovery key is one of the thickest layers of security for your Apple ID that you can get.
However, the solution is not as perfect as it seems, as it disables Apple account recovery, and losing the key could potentially result in permanent loss of your account. The higher the climb, the greater the fall, and it’s up to you to decide whether the risk is worth it.
