Tidy Up Messages by Auto-Deleting Verification Codes on iPhone, Mac, iPad

Many services use two-factor authentication nowadays, where your phone or email address gets sent a code that you must enter as part of the login process into an online service. These codes are one time use only and therefore don’t make a lot of sense to keep around forever, but manually going through and deleting all those verification codes from Messages and Mail can be annoying.

Fortunately Apple has realized the endlessly piling up verification codes clutter is a hassle, and has created a handy optional feature that allows the operating system to automatically go through and delete those verification codes from your iPhone, Mac, or iPad, after they have been successfully used. This optional setting is particularly great when used in combination with the automatic security code fill feature available to macOS, iOS, and iPadOS too.

Here’s how to turn this handy feature on for your iPhone, iPad, and Mac:

How to Auto-Delete Two-Factor Verification Codes on iPhone & iPad

1. Open the “Settings” app
2. Go to “General” and then go to “AutoFill and Passwords”
3. Scroll down to location the switch for “Delete After Use” and toggle that ON

How to Enable Auto-Delete Verification Codes on Mac

1. From the  Apple menu go to “System Settings”
2. Go to “General” and then choose “AutoFill and Passwords”
3. Under the “Verification Codes” section, toggle the setting for “Delete After Use”

With this feature enabled on the Mac, iPhone, or iPad, your verification codes will now automatically be deleted after they have been used. Again, pair this with the super handy autofill security verification codes feature and you’ll be logging into sites effortlessly while keeping your Messages or Mail app nice and clutter free.

Two-factor authentication can be a bit of a hassle but because of the massive security improvement that comes with using it, it’s well worth adopting. Often you don’t have any say in the matter anyway, as many services and sites require two factor authentication whether you want to use it or not, it’s just the necessary security measures required to be secure in the modern online services world.

Do you use this feature to automatically delete your one-time-use verification codes from Messages and Mail on Mac, iPhone, and iPad? Do you prefer to keep the messages and emails around for the verification codes for record keeping or some other purpose? Do you prefer to manually delete them? Share your thoughts and experiences in the comments.