San Francisco, Dec 15 (IANS): Tech giant Apple's upcoming iOS 16.3, iPadOS 16.3 and macOS Ventura 13.2 update betas, that were provided to developers, have introduced support for physical security keys for extra protection for an Apple ID.

Apple revealed the new feature last week and said that it would be introduced in 2023, which lines up with the expected release of iOS 16.3 and its family updates, reports AppleInsider.

Users will have the choice to add a third-party security key to their account using 'Security Keys for Apple ID', which will be required for authentication when signing into a new device or accessing an Apple ID.

The security key is designed to take the place of the verification codes that are sent to Apple devices when logging into another device.

According to the tech giant, physical security keys offer strong protection against phishing and unapproved account access.

Security keys can be set up on devices running the beta by going to Apple ID > Security Keys and following the instructions, the report said.

Meanwhile, last week, other than security keys, the iPhone maker introduced other security tools as well--'iMessage Contact Key Verification', and 'Advanced Data Protection for iCloud'.