A method includes sending, by an application that is to obtain a verification code, a verification code obtaining request to a server, where the application that is to obtain a verification code is installed on a terminal, and where applications installed on the terminal further include an input method application and a short message service (SMS) message application; receiving, by the SMS message application, an SMS message that includes a verification code and that is sent by the server; and reading, by the input method application, the verification code in the SMS message, where the terminal does not allow an application other than the input method application and the SMS message application to read an SMS message in the terminal.