Malcolm Owen
Tesla will be bringing two-factor authentication to its iPhone app in the near future, company chief Elon Musk has confirmed, a feature that will make the remote-controllable car more secure for its users.
In a response to a tweet on Friday asking about an ongoing project to add two-factor authentication to the app, Elon Musk apologized for the feature being "embarrassingly late," but that it was on the way. According to Musk, two-factor authentication via SMS or an authenticator app is "going through final validation right now," though it is unclear if this refers to Tesla's own procedures or those relating to the App Store.
Sorry, this is embarrassingly late. Two factor authentication via sms or authenticator app is going through final validation right now.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) August 14, 2020
The Tesla mobile app provides drivers with a lot of information and control for their electric car. From the app, users can change media being played, remotely change the climate control, locate the vehicle in a car park, interact with the navigation, and monitor the progress of recharging, among other elements.
It is also possible for drivers to perform more advanced functions with their vehicle, such as flashing lights and honking the horn, locking and unlocking the car, and to even summon the vehicle out from a parking space. The app also functions as a key for some models, when brought within Bluetooth range.
The addition of two-factor authentication will help prevent user accounts from being hijacked by hackers using stolen passwords to install the app on their own mobile devices, and then in turn potentially steal the vehicle.
A release date for the feature is unknown, but the mention of passing through "final validation" suggests it could arrive in an app update in the near future.
Wesley Hilliard
Christine McKee
Andrew Orr
William Gallagher
5 Comments
Come on Apple where's your damn Car???
I’d be embarrassed as well if I were Tesla, who claims to be a tech leader. A ton of apps I use already use authenticators or at least SMS two factor and have for years.
I'd rather see Tesla use FaceID with their iOS app (unless they already have this). No reason for adding two-factor via SMS since Apple already auto-displays the two-factor PIN when it sees an SMS from the proper sender so anyone with an unlocked iPhone will see the two-factor PIN while only the user of the iPhone can both unlock it and unlock the Tesla app with a double click on the side button.
The app already uses FaceID. I agree with the two factor identification being useless on an iPhone. Two factor I’d for iCloud login on my Mac is also just annoying - what’s the point if the Mac is already signed in to iCloud?
what I really wish Tesla would get is CarPlay