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How the Security Code AutoFill feature made it to the iPhone

Apple Software Engineer Ricky Mondello took to Twitter to tell the tale of one of iOS 12's most beloved features: Security Code AutoFill.

If you've ever gone through the pain of two-factor authentication, you probably know how useful Apple's Security Code AutoFill is. Instead of having to quickly memorize a security code, Safari is capable of importing it directly from your texts into the appropriate text field. This feature works on both iOS and MacOS.

Ricky Mondello, a software engineer at Apple, responded to a tweet that had applauded Apple for the feature.

As it turns out, Security Code AutoFill was a side idea that the developers had come up with when working on a "more ambitious" project. While the more ambitious project had to eventually be scrapped, the team decided to follow through with Security Code AutoFill.

Mondello applauds their team for making the feature happen, saying that the end result came from a good idea, execution, and teamwork. They're especially proud of the fact that the feature puts privacy at the forefront.

"Years later, I'm still so proud of the team for making this feature happen," Mondello tweets. "The team combined expertise from several areas to ship magic that worked on day 1, while asking nothing of app and website developers, without giving anyone your text messages. This still inspires me!"

If you would like to read the entire story, as well as Mondello's short FAQ at the end, we highly suggest checking out their Twitter thread.