Teleport is a macOS utility that monitors incoming texts and automatically copies any authentication codes it finds to your clipboard.
Note SMS-based two-factor authentication (2FA)is no longer considered to be a secure option for two-factor authentication, and should only be used when there are no other 2FA options available. Whenever possible, it's best to use time-based one-time password (TOTP) options such as those provided by 1Password or Google Authenticator.
- An iPhone running iOS 8.1 or later
- A Mac running macOS Ventura or later.
- Both devices must be signed in to iCloud with the same Apple ID.
For more information about SMS Forwarding, see Apple Support article HT208386
Manual Install
- Grab the latest version of Teleport from the releases page
- Open
Teleport.zipand move Teleport to your applications - From your applications folder, right click Teleport and select
Open
Scripted Install
cd ~/Downloads && curl -LO https://github.com/maximlevey/Teleport/releases/download/1.0/Teleport.zip && unzip Teleport.zip && mv Teleport/Teleport.app /Applications/ && rm -rf Teleport.zip Teleport/
On your Mac
- Click on the Teleport icon located on your Mac's Menu Bar
- From the menu, select
System Preferences - Add Teleport to the list of Apps and enable it
- Relaunch Teleport and watch codes teleport to your clipboard
On your iPhone
- Open settings and navigate to
Messages - Select
Text Message Forwardingand enable your Mac
Why does Teleport need full disk access?
Teleport needs full disk access to be able to read your local chat database file (chat.db), which is stored in a protected area of your disk. This access is essential for Teleport to perform its core functionality of processing your chat messages. It's important to note that even though it's termed "full disk access," Teleport only reads from the chat.db file and doesn't modify it in any way.
Apple's privacy regulations mandate that any app needing to access user data in protected areas of the filesystem must request full disk access, regardless of how limited or specific that access may be. It's a broad categorisation, intended to make it clear to users when an app needs to access sensitive data.
How are my messages and data stored?
Teleport is designed with your privacy and security as its utmost priority. All your messages and data are stored locally on your own device. The app doesn't have any network connectivity features, meaning it doesn't send your data to any external servers or third parties.
When Teleport processes a message, it reads the content from the local chat database (chat.db), does its processing, and then discards the data it read. Your messages are not stored elsewhere or retained longer than necessary. The original chat database itself is not modified, ensuring that your data remains secure and under your control.
Why am I seeing "App Can’t Be Opened Because It Is From an Unidentified Developer"?
This message appears because the app is not signed with a Developer ID. A Developer ID is a digital signature provided by Apple, which guarantees that the app is not tampered with and comes from a known source. It's part of Apple's Gatekeeper technology, which aims to protect users from malicious software.
At this stage, I don't have a Developer ID, this does not mean that the app is harmful; it just signifies that it has not been officially verified by Apple. To open Teleport, control-click the app icon, then choose Open from the shortcut menu. Click Open in the dialog box. If prompted, enter an administrator name and password.
Contributions are very welcome! I am by no means a developer and started Teleport as a way to learn some Swift, any recommendations around features and best practices would be greatly appreciated.
Feel free to shoot me a message on LinkedIn or in the Mac Admins Slack.
Copyright (c) 2023 Maxim Levey
Permission is hereby granted, free of charge, to any person obtaining a copy of this software and associated documentation files (the "Software"), to deal in the Software without restriction, including without limitation the rights to use, copy, modify, merge, publish, distribute, sublicense, and/or sell copies of the Software, and to permit persons to whom the Software is furnished to do so, subject to the following conditions:
The above copyright notice and this permission notice shall be included in all copies or substantial portions of the Software.
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