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Showerthought: My 2FA app broke at the worst possible time
Last Tuesday I was trying to get into my work email from a new phone and my authenticator app just crashed on me. Had to call IT and wait 45 minutes for a backup code while I stood in the warehouse with a pallet jack halfway down an aisle. Has anyone else had a backup method fail when you needed it most?
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logan_young2924d agoMost Upvoted
Yeah, this exact thing happened to me last year when I was switching phones and my authenticator app locked me out of my bank account right before a mortgage payment. What worked for me was printing out backup codes and storing them in my wallet, plus keeping a screenshot in a secure folder on my old phone just in case. Another thing is having a second authenticator app as a spare - I use Google Authenticator for most things and Microsoft Authenticator as my backup. Also, if you use a password manager like Bitwarden or 1Password, some of them can store 2FA codes too, which gives you another way in. Just make sure whatever backup method you pick is actually accessible when your main phone is dead or broken.
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dianahayes24d ago
Paper backup codes seem to survive phone upgrades better than any app.
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