Google Authenticator Backup for New Phone?

So my LG V35 battery has been draining suuuuuper fast over the last few days. It’ll literally be dead around the time I get off work and it stays in my pocket almost all day. But Google Fi wants me to do a factory reset to see if that fixes it before I send it in, and then if I get a new phone I’m going to need to be able to get access to Google Authenticator back anyways.

Does anyone have experience with it? Can I just do the thing on Google and it automatically gives me access to my codes back?

I have my login for Authy for when I need to recover that, but I also need Google Authenticator for school and a couple other things.

I once tried to recover my Google Authenticator keys, but failes. Even if you still so have the codes you can manually type it, the code displayed on the device seems to differ from the correct one. Therefore, the only thing you can do is set up Google Authenticator again.

If I am wrong in this regard, please let me know.

A little off topic but … for such reasons and a few others I am not a 2fa fan on the phone.

I was wondering about a device that would give separations for 2fa. Something like rsa key only with support for multiple accounts. Small comfortable to wear with keys, resistant to harsh treatment. Preferably with linux / bsd and long battery life.

Triple separation of access, password in the head, u2f isolation and 2fa isolation from the device on which we log in. Then problems like yours would not occur regardless of what happened to the phone. :wink:

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Ya it’s like so unless you own the same phone forever, you either have to use an app that allows for backups, or you have to go in and remove each individual account before getting a new phone. And if your phone just flat-out dies, you’re fucked if you don’t have the recovery keys. If I only had a couple different accounts on 2FA, it wouldn’t really be an issue. But I basically have it set up everywhere that allows it. Between Authy and Google Authenticator I have about 20 accounts.

I’m gonna switch them all over to Authy since it at least has the option for backups. But the login for my college requires Google Authenticator, so that’s annoying. Or I should specify: I was able to remove GA from my account, but if I want to re-enable 2FA then GA is my only option.

I have the recovery keys for several of my accounts, but probably more than half of them I just don’t. Some of them I don’t recall even offering recovery keys.

I would be very careful with those accounts that do not have backup codes! Using 2fa on these accounts is asking for trouble sooner or later. Maybe think about the u2f key if they have support but here again the same thing, without backup codes and one key is asking for problems.
I even thought about some smartwatch with linux what would I have there 2fa but I see nothing cheap and sensible.
I was considering doing something based on RPi Zero but the dimensions, battery and price are not acceptable.


Something like this only with the option for many 2fa accounts and maybe even smaller dimensions. It would be perfect to carry with your keys and at the same time simple and convenient to use and you do not have to bother with the phone

That would be perfect.