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Apple increased log-in security for its Apple Store iOS app by now offering two-step verification for log-ins when users enable it on their iPads, iPhone and iPod Touch devices.
Apple posted the updated Apple Store iOS app, version 3.3, online on May 21 as a free 22.3MB download and is compatible with iOS 7 and later operating systems on iPhones, iPads and iPod Touch devices, according to the company. The app is optimized for iPhone 5, iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus (both pictured) and works with an Apple Watch when used with an iPhone.
The updated two-step verification requires users to enter a password and a secondary verification code to log in to the Apple Store through the mobile app. The verification code is sent to a trusted device by the system, according to reports. The new app version also allows customers to use Touch ID to view orders, access EasyPay receipts and make reservations at an Apple Store, according to the app’s release notes.
The Apple Store app is available for use in Turkey, Brazil, Mexico, Singapore, New Zealand, Taiwan, Malaysia, Philippines, United Arab Emirates, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, Austria, Ireland, Luxembourg, Norway, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland and Portugal, according to Apple.
The app allows customers to shop for Apple products and accessories and have them delivered to their homes or set up pickup arrangements in an Apple Store, while also providing reviews on hundreds of accessories. Customers can even start an order using one compatible device and finish it on another compatible device, if desired.
Apple iPhone owners can also use the app for Apple Pay and to check out with a single touch and to quickly purchase accessories in an Apple Store using EasyPay in select countries, according to Apple.
In January, Apple announced that its App Store set an all-time one-day sales record on New Year’s Day 2015, and that the store billed customers for $500 million worth of apps and in-app purchases in the first week of January alone, according to an earlier eWEEK report.
Both sales milestones came on the heels of a huge, record-breaking 2014 for the App Store, which saw customer app and in-app purchase billings rise 50 percent, while the sale of apps generated more than $10 billion in revenue for developers, according to the company. The App Store was launched in 2008 and now offers more than 1.4 million apps for iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch users in 155 countries around the world, with more than 725,000 of these apps made for iPad. App Store customers can find apps in 24 categories, including games, social networking, sports, health and fitness, travel and more.