When you use iMessage, your messages are end-to-end encrypted so that nobody other than you and the person you’re messaging – not even Apple – can read them while they’re in transit between devices. iMessage Contact Key Verification further protects your iMessage conversations and helps verify that you’re only messaging the people you intend to.
iMessage Contact Key Verification verifies that you’re messaging the person you intend to automatically. In iMessage conversations with people who have also turned on iMessage Contact Key Verification, you’ll receive an alert if there’s an error in this verification process. These alerts help ensure even a very sophisticated attacker can’t impersonate anyone in the conversation.
Additionally, you can verify contacts manually by comparing verification codes. When you verify a contact manually, iMessage Contact Key Verification will verify that the code you have saved matches the one provided by the iMessage servers for that contact, and will notify you if the verification code changes.
Find out more about alerts from iMessage Contact Key Verification
iMessage Contact Key Verification isn’t designed to prevent fraud such as phishing or other text message-based scams.
To use iMessage Contact Key Verification on your iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, Mac or Apple Vision Pro, you’ll need:
iOS 17.2 or later, iPadOS 17.2 or later, watchOS 10.2 or later, macOS 14.2 or later, and visionOS 1.1 or later on all devices where you’ve signed in to iMessage with your Apple Account
To be signed in to iCloud and iMessage with the same Apple Account
iCloud Keychain turned on for all devices
Two-factor authentication turned on for your Apple Account
A passcode or password for all of your devices
iMessage Contact Key Verification doesn’t support Managed Apple Accounts.
When you turn on iMessage Contact Key Verification on one of your Apple devices, it will be turned on for all devices where you’ve signed in to your Apple Account.
When you turn on iMessage Contact Key Verification, you may be prompted to update all of your devices to a compatible software version. If you have a device that can’t be updated, you’ll need to sign out of iMessage on that device before you can turn on iMessage Contact Key Verification.
Open the Settings app (or System Settings on Mac), then select your name.
Scroll down and tap Contact Key Verification.
Turn on Verification in iMessage and tap Continue.
For additional assurance that you’re messaging the person you intend to, you can verify contacts manually. To verify manually, you’ll need to have that person saved in your Contacts.
On-device comparison – From Conversation Details, you can choose to verify a contact. Both you and that contact will generate a code at the same time to share and compare.
Public Verification Code – You can share your Public Verification Code, so the people you’re messaging can verify you. Your Public Verification Code doesn’t contain any private information, so you can post it to social media or another account where the people you’re messaging can find and use it. You can also use other people’s Public Verification Codes to verify them.
Both you and the person you’re messaging need to be connected to mobile data or Wi-Fi. You both need to follow the process to have the “Verify Contact” screen open on your devices at the same time.
Open Messages, then tap the message thread.
Tap the contact’s name to view Conversation Details.
Scroll down and tap Verify Contact...
When the other person also taps Verify Contact, a code will appear.
Verify the code in person, via FaceTime or through another secure call.
If the codes match, tap Mark as Verified to add the verification code to that person’s Contact Card.
If the codes don’t match, you may not be messaging the person you intend to. You may want to stop messaging until you can make sure you’re messaging the correct person.
Open the Settings app (or System Settings), then tap your name.
Scroll down and tap Contact Key Verification.
Tap Show Public Verification Code.
To share, tap Copy Verification Code. Then you can share your code directly with another person or post it online for others to use.
To mark a contact as verified, you can copy and paste their Public Verification Code into their Contact Card to mark them as verified.
At the top of the iMessage conversation, select their name. You can also select a contact from the Contacts app.
Select Edit, then select Edit Contact Info.
In the “add verification code” field, type or paste the Public Verification Code that your contact shared. If you can’t see the “verification code” field, you may need to select the Add (+) button, select More Fields, then select “verification code”.
If their Public Verification Code matches and is verified by iMessage Contact Key Verification, a tick will be displayed in their Contact Card and next to their name in iMessage conversations.
If their Public Verification Code doesn’t match the code stored on Apple servers or isn’t verified, a tick won’t be displayed. Before you continue messaging, you may want to check that you’ve entered the code correctly or make sure you’re messaging the correct person.
The iMessage Conversation Details page shows the iMessage Contact Key Verification status for your contacts.
To find this status, open a message with your contact, tap their name (on iPhone) or click the More Info button (on Mac), then scroll down to Contact Key Verification.
If you don’t have iMessage Contact Key Verification turned on, you’ll see Turn On Contact Key Verification.
If you have iMessage Contact Key Verification turned on but your contact doesn’t, you’ll see their name and “Verification Off”. To use iMessage Contact Key Verification, ask them to turn it on.
If you and your contact both have iMessage Contact Key Verification turned on but you haven’t verified that contact, you’ll see “Verify Contact...”
If you’ve already verified the contact, you’ll see a tick by the contact’s name. You’ll also see a tick by their name at the top of the Messages thread, when you send them a new message and in your Contacts.
If there’s a validation error, you’ll see an alert by the contact’s name.
Find out what to do if there’s an issue with iMessage Contact Key Verification
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