Your iPhone helps you fill in verification codes and saves you the trouble of manually copying and pasting them from a text message or email. Starting with iOS 17, your iPhone can delete these codes after they’ve been auto-filled. However, it’s worth noting that if your iPhone is unable to autofill a verification code for a particular app or website and you need to enter it manually, the code will not be automatically deleted. Additionally, this feature only auto-deletes codes received in the Messages and Mail apps, so it won’t work with a third-party email app appreciate Gmail.
When you get a verification code for the first time after updating to iOS 17, you should see a prompt asking if you want to automatically delete verification codes after use. If you selected Delete After Use on the prompt, the feature has already been enabled on your iPhone. If not, you can set it up manually. Here’s how:
- Open the Settings app on your iPhone.
- Scroll down and tap Passwords. Use Face ID to unlock this screen.
- Tap Password Options.
- Under Verification Codes, turn on the toggle next to Clean Up Automatically.
The next time your iPhone autofills a verification code, it will automatically be deleted. If you need to access the code again for some reason, you can retrieve the deleted message from the Recently Deleted folder in your Messages app or the Trash folder in the Mail app.
