lost gmail backup code and google authenticator

#Lost gmail backup code and google authenticator install#
#Lost gmail backup code and google authenticator download#

For some reason, folk that recommend Google Authenticator overlook this downside. The cost in time and friction you would incur every time a phone is replaced is massive. Pretty useful, right? The fact is that we wouldn’t use Google Authenticator without a backup option. It might be a bit tedious, but if you’ve already experienced the pain that comes with losing your GA codes, then you’ll agree some time spent here is a cheap price to pay for such a huge upside. Use the Authy App instead of Google Authenticator app to register the new 2FA account.Re-enable Google Authenticator for that account.Gmail, Github etc.) and remove Google Authenticator 2FA. These are the basic steps:įor each Google Authenticator 2FA account you have: You can’t transfer them directly, so it’s more of a “turn it off and on again” process. To replace your Google Authenticator App with the Authy App requires a little bit of work, unfortunately.Īll those codes you currently have on the original Google Authenticator app will need to be transferred to your new Authy app. It really is as easy as that! You must replace your existing Google Authenticator codes

#Lost gmail backup code and google authenticator download#

What happens if you lose/reset your phone? You simply download the Authy App and retrieve your Google Authenticator codes from their backup. You’ll have Google Authenticator backups! 😀

#Lost gmail backup code and google authenticator install#

This means that if you install the Authy App on another phone, you’ll have the same Google Auth googles available on that phone, too. With an Authy account you can backup your 2FA/Google Authenticator codes to your Authy account via the app. You’ll probably be asking the question: “Isn’t the problem of your losing your phone exactly the same?” This means that instead of using the official Google app, you’ll use the Authy App instead. We’re not interested in their service, just their app: the Authy App. You see, the Authy App also handles Google Authenticator 2FA code registration. Enter: Authy App, with Google Authenticator integrationĪuthy is a fully-fledged two-factor authentication service.īut don’t get this confused with Google Authenticator. We’ve experimented with a few different approaches because we’ve been burnt in the past. We found only one way to solve this problem once and for all. If this phone is destroyed, or the Authenticator app is uninstalled, then it’s going to burn you so badly that you’ll never want to use 2FA ever again.ĢFA goes a long way to protect accessing to your important online accounts, and anything that increases the friction in using 2FA needs to be mitigated. You’re pretty much stuck with the Google Authenticator app on your current phone. In fact, you can’t even export these codes. There is no easy way to move this App from off your phone to anywhere else.

You scan the QR codes, and it saves the 2FA account on your phone. Google Authenticator works by using an App (of the same name) on your phone. 😀 A two-factor authentication disaster just waiting to happen The huge effort in recovering from this sort of mini-disaster can be hugely distressing.īut don’t worry, we’ve found the perfect solution to this and finally put an end to all your Google Authenticator woes. Why? Because all your two-factor authentication codes are gone, never to be seen again. If you lose/reset/replace your phone (which is normally your primary 2FA device) then you’re completely screwed. But it has a massive downside that is mostly ignored. Google Authenticator provides a neat way to use 2-Factor Authentication (2FA).