Securing your Gmail using Two Factor Authentication

I wrote an article last October 2011 on how you can activate your Gmail two factor authentication or two step verification for added security to access your Google Email or Gmail. I am writing an updated article to provide the step by step procedures. For this article, I am using my own gmail account (practice @ gmail.com).

Let's go ahead.

1. Login to www.gmail.com website, using your email address and password.
2. If you haven't change your password in a while, let's go ahead update your password. In the upper right corner of your Gmail web screen, click your photo (if you haven't update your photo, you will see a default photo image). Click Account. The web page will redirect to your Google account page.
3. In your Google Accounts page, click Security. In password management, click change password. You will need your old password, type-in your new password, and confirm new password. Click Save to update. Logout and re-login to check your new password.
4. Now, we're good to activate the two-factor authentication. Google prefer to call it as the 2-step verification. In the Security page, you will see the 2-step verification, click the Edit to change the status. This will redirect you to a page, as depicted below (double click the image to enlarge).

5. Click Start Setup. Enter your phone number e.g. 703-123-4567. Google will only use this number for account security. Check your mobile phone for the 6digit codes, and click Verify. If you are using your computer you can also put check on "Trust this computer", otherwise do not. Click Next to continue. Click Confirm.

We just completed activating your 2step verification for your gmail.
Read Configure you iPhone after the 2-step verification on how to add gmail to your iPhone with 2step verification.

I hope this is useful for everyone.


References:
October 2011, Gmail Security Two Factor Authentication, (website URL: http://www.whaddya.com/2011/10/gmail-security-two-factor.html)