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Google Authenticator is one of the best standalone two-factor authentication apps out there, but it has one glaring weakness: the one-time passwords (OTPs) it generates are only accessible from one device, as the service lacks any form of cloud backup. That’s finally changing with a new feature that can sync 2FA codes to your Google account, allowing you to use Authenticator on multiple devices simultaneously.
Google announced the cloud backup feature today as part of a major revamp to Authenticator that includes a colorful new app icon. Previously, OTPs were stored entirely locally, which meant that if you lost access to the device with Google Authenticator installed on it, you lost the "something you have" factor in your 2FA security chain and were simply locked out of any accounts that you had secured with Authenticator.
Now, with OTPs being backed up to your Google account, you'll be able to access the codes from other devices where you're signed in to Google Authenticator. But if you have 2FA configured on your Google account, you'll need to generate backup codes or add a recovery phone number for that account in order to preserve access to the OTPs in Google Authenticator.
The new feature is rolling out to Android and iOS starting today, but we're not seeing it on the Play Store just yet — however, you can already sideload the new version from APKMirror. For Android, you'll need Google Authenticator v6.0 to access the new feature, while iOS users will need to look for v4.0.
Google announced the cloud backup feature today as part of a major revamp to Authenticator that includes a colorful new app icon. Previously, OTPs were stored entirely locally, which meant that if you lost access to the device with Google Authenticator installed on it, you lost the "something you have" factor in your 2FA security chain and were simply locked out of any accounts that you had secured with Authenticator.
Now, with OTPs being backed up to your Google account, you'll be able to access the codes from other devices where you're signed in to Google Authenticator. But if you have 2FA configured on your Google account, you'll need to generate backup codes or add a recovery phone number for that account in order to preserve access to the OTPs in Google Authenticator.
The new feature is rolling out to Android and iOS starting today, but we're not seeing it on the Play Store just yet — however, you can already sideload the new version from APKMirror. For Android, you'll need Google Authenticator v6.0 to access the new feature, while iOS users will need to look for v4.0.
