- Google Authenticator has finally gotten a new look and a highly requested feature
- You can now recover your Google Authenticator account thanks to the latest update
- This means Google Authenticator now finally has the features to compete with other big names in the space
Whenever you create an account at a cryptocurrency exchange, it’s always a brilliant idea to add two-factor authentication (2FA) on your account. In fact, if you care about keeping your crypto and data safe, you should enable this on EVERY app and website that you use. To make life easier, Google has its very own 2FA app, but it was plagued with one terrifying issue – if you lose access to your device, you cannot recover tour 2FA.
This resulted in people carrying around a second just to be their 2FA device, and many people lost access to exchanges, email accounts and much more. But, today, Google has announced that its latest update to the Google Authenticator app will give you the ability to transfer your 2FA app and codes to another device – it’s perfect.
Hello, Google Authenticator!
Google’s Authenticator app is one of the easiest to use, and it’s the only 2FA app that every single website, exchange and app displays as the primary option. As a result, we’ve all used the Google Authenticator app at one point or another, falling for its roguish charms. But, soon after discovering that if you lose the device it’s installed on, the more sensible of us changed over to other apps that have this feature, such as Authy.
Hallelujah! pic.twitter.com/ck5bwghCOc
— Joey Krug (@joeykrug) December 2, 2020
But, with this update, Google Authenticator becomes arguably the most powerful 2FA app, thanks to its prominent placement on 2FA setup pages on websites and crypto exchanges alike. On top of this new transfer account feature, Google has also finally added support for dark mode and it’s also given the app a quick makeover in line with its recent branding update.
Will You Be Swapping?
There are tens of thousands of people out there that moved away from Google’s service because of lack of support for this feature, but will they come piling back? It doesn’t look too hopeful as people who have settled worth other 2FA apps won’t bother going through the nightmarish hassle that is changing 2FA devices just to have the Google app.
This update is going to be most critical for new users to the crypto world and for those people that never knew you couldn’t recover your 2FA account on a new device. It’s safe to say that this is a godsend for a lot of crypto newbies that have just joined the hype train and have added 2FA because they heard it’s a good thing to have on their accounts.
Make Sure You’re Using 2FA
Whether you use Authy, Google Authenticator or some other 2FA app, make sure you’re using one. By using 2FA on all your accounts, you add a second layer of security that keeps your crypto, your email accounts and everything else under the sun more secure. It takes a few minutes to set up 2FA, and once you have done, you instantly become a lot harder to hack, meaning your crypto is a LOT safer!
