LastPass Authenticator doesn’t have that option.) (With Google Authenticator you actually don’t need the QR code you can also provide the secret as a text string using the ‘manual entry’ option when adding an account to the app. If you capture the secret and click “back” to get the QR code then a new secret will be generated and the new QR won’t match the previously captured secret string. It is important that you capture the QR code and then click the link for the secret string secret code. Then click the link labeled “CAN’T SCAN IT” under the QR code … that will give you a 32-character secret string that you’ll use to add configure this account in authenticator.
Select that and scan the QR code with your phone’s Authenticator app (Google Authenticator, LastPass Authenticator, et cetera). At the end of the setup you’ll have an opportunity to add Google Authenticator as an alternative code generator. If you enable Two-Factor Authentication for GMail, you’ll go through a setup process that first configures your account to send your phone a code by text or voice.
If my phone bricks, is lost or stolen, I can still get access to my TFA-protected accounts if I can access any of those other computers, or any other computer on which I can install and run authenticator and access a copy of my accounts file.
I keep a copy of the accounts file in a variety of places. Personally, I use both Google Authenticator on my iPhone and iPad, and run authenticator on several different computer systems. The benefit of using authenticator over a phone app is that this CLI utility can run anywhere Python 3.5 can run from a command line interface (e.g., a terminal window), and the database of accounts and secrets is a platform-independent passphrase-protected encrypted file that can be backed up and can be copied to multiple systems without fear of bad actors gaining access to the second factor authentication.Īnother benefit is that authenticator can act as a backup in case you loose your phone or tablet (running Google Authenticator) or Google breaks the app or withdraws it.