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For me personally, Microsoft Authenticator started ruling as well recently, after 5+ years with Google Authenticator. Why? I have already mentioned it in other

For me personally, Microsoft Authenticator started ruling as well recently, after 5+ years with Google Authenticator. Why? I have already mentioned it in other comments before, and it is due to Google’s insistence on not implementing recovery from backup. If i store my 2FA in google authenticator and something happens to my phone? I am in a world of serious pain. If i upgrade phones? I have to disable and re-enable 2FA on my new phone manually for every single service I use. Microsoft Authenticator solves both of those problems, as they have recently (less than a year ago iirc) added a “backup to cloud” feature. No more stressing about something happening to my phone, as long as i have my (single) primary recovery key stored on a piece of paper somewhere safe (as opposed to having a paper recovery key for every 2fa service i use). Prior to this, i was seriously considering getting a cheap backup phone to which i set up all the 2fa codes simultaneously with my main phone, then put that cheap phone in a bank cell/safe/etc., and then rely on it in case something happens to my main phone. That would still not solve the problem of manual transfer and disabling/re-enabling 2fa for every single service, but that would be much better than losing the device. Note: I know Authy exists and had this functionality of cloud syncing 2FA keys between logged in devices for years, but for some irrational reason i was sticking with the “simpler is better, and i somehow trust google more with this one”, but luckily, I trust MSFT with my 2FA no less than i would google, perhaps even moreso. And the biometric 2FA for services that support it (so far, I’ve only seen it used with certain corporate MSFT services) are a nice cherry on top.

isbvhodnvemrwvn 5y ago
Google Authenticator has added account transfer at some point in the recent couple years - you get a QR code that you can scan on another device to transfer stuff. It's not automated backup, but it makes migration to new devices easier.
- akersten 5y ago
  Can I print that QR code and stuff it in a safe to scan 3 years from now, or does it expire? It isn't clear from the export screen.
  - unclebucknasty 5y ago
    >Can I print that QR code and stuff it in a safe to scan 3 years from now, or does it expire? Given the protocol/algorithm, it shouldn't expire.
  - remus 5y ago
    I'm pretty sure the QR codes actually encode your secrets so if you want to print them out you're good to go. Obviously won't include any new ones you add in in the meantime though.
- filoleg 5y ago
  This is only for Google-specific services that use 2FA (and it works with any authenticator apps, not just Google Authenticator, because this functionality is dependent on the service, not the app). So if I try to do this for my Google account 2FA (with Google Authenticator, Microsoft Authenticator, or literally any other authenticator app), it works. But it won’t work for any of my other 2FA accounts, like MSFT, Discord, etc., no matter which authenticator app I use. To your defense, Google Authenticator added the option for restoring from local backup fairly recently, but only for Android. And even then, no ability to sync it with multiple devices.
  - nemetroid 5y ago
    That doesn't make much sense to me. If the app has the state necessary to generate TOTP codes, why couldn't it transfer that state to a different device? How could it be dependent on the service?
  - nl 5y ago
    This isn't the case. I recently changed phones from Android to iOS and the export/import from Google Authenticator was fine for non-Google services. Edit: I think there was a bug where it seemed to only export the tokens visible on the page, so I had to scroll and do it again for additional tokens. Maybe you are hitting that.
koolba 5y ago
> Microsoft Authenticator solves both of those problems, as they have recently (less than a year ago iirc) added a “backup to cloud” feature. Is this to the same cloud that Microsoft gives unfettered access to all its customer’s Cosmos DB data? 2FA backups are fine but they need to be onto local, offline, disks. Automated cloud backups that can be decrypted at rest are no longer “something only you have”.
- filoleg 5y ago
  It isn’t “the same cloud” that you were talking about, it is iCloud.
JumpCrisscross 5y ago
> If i store my 2FA in google authenticator and something happens to my phone? I am in a world of serious pain On iOS, you can back up Google Authenticator. It then restores with your 2FA codes intact. (I don't do this, because I feel it weakness 2FA's security and am decent about saving recovery codes. But everyone's tolerance for B.S. is different.)
- filoleg 5y ago
  > On iOS, you can back up Google Authenticator. It then restores with your 2FA codes intact. Source needed. I just opened Google Authenticator on iOS, and it isn’t an option. Googling confirmed that it isn’t supported on iOS. If you try to restore the phone from the backup (whether iCloud or local backup), it will restore the app, but it will have no 2FA codes present.
  - JumpCrisscross 5y ago
    > I just opened Google Authenticator on iOS, and it isn’t an option Why would it be an option in the app? Go to your phone's backup settings and select Google Authenticator. When I had this on, it worked. (It might have since changed.) Google being Google, there is zero reliable documentation on anything, but here's a community thing from a few years ago [1]. [1] https://support.google.com/mail/forum/AAAAK7un8RUcSLd5H1MpO4/?hl=en&gpf=%23!topic%2Fgmail%2FcSLd5H1MpO4 https://support.google.com/mail/forum/AAAAK7un8RUcSLd5H1MpO4...
    - greggman3 5y ago
      Are you sure this actually works? My understanding is that iCloud backup is specified by the user per app (can default to on). Going into my iPhone->Settings->Authenticator there are no iCloud settings and iPhone->Settings->iCloud shows lots of apps but Authenticator is not one of them. I have iCloud backup on, have switched through at least 2 phones (as in 6+->10->11) where I have Google Authenticator on. The new phone never had any of the Authenticator codes after restoring yet all the other apps restored their data.

isbvhodnvemrwvn 5y ago

Google Authenticator has added account transfer at some point in the recent couple years - you get a QR code that you can scan on another device to transfer stuff. It's not automated backup, but it makes migration to new devices easier.

akersten 5y ago
Can I print that QR code and stuff it in a safe to scan 3 years from now, or does it expire? It isn't clear from the export screen.
- unclebucknasty 5y ago
  >Can I print that QR code and stuff it in a safe to scan 3 years from now, or does it expire? Given the protocol/algorithm, it shouldn't expire.
- remus 5y ago
  I'm pretty sure the QR codes actually encode your secrets so if you want to print them out you're good to go. Obviously won't include any new ones you add in in the meantime though.
filoleg 5y ago
This is only for Google-specific services that use 2FA (and it works with any authenticator apps, not just Google Authenticator, because this functionality is dependent on the service, not the app). So if I try to do this for my Google account 2FA (with Google Authenticator, Microsoft Authenticator, or literally any other authenticator app), it works. But it won’t work for any of my other 2FA accounts, like MSFT, Discord, etc., no matter which authenticator app I use. To your defense, Google Authenticator added the option for restoring from local backup fairly recently, but only for Android. And even then, no ability to sync it with multiple devices.
- nemetroid 5y ago
  That doesn't make much sense to me. If the app has the state necessary to generate TOTP codes, why couldn't it transfer that state to a different device? How could it be dependent on the service?
- nl 5y ago
  This isn't the case. I recently changed phones from Android to iOS and the export/import from Google Authenticator was fine for non-Google services. Edit: I think there was a bug where it seemed to only export the tokens visible on the page, so I had to scroll and do it again for additional tokens. Maybe you are hitting that.

koolba 5y ago

> Microsoft Authenticator solves both of those problems, as they have recently (less than a year ago iirc) added a “backup to cloud” feature. Is this to the same cloud that Microsoft gives unfettered access to all its customer’s Cosmos DB data? 2FA backups are fine but they need to be onto local, offline, disks. Automated cloud backups that can be decrypted at rest are no longer “something only you have”.

filoleg 5y ago
It isn’t “the same cloud” that you were talking about, it is iCloud.

JumpCrisscross 5y ago

> If i store my 2FA in google authenticator and something happens to my phone? I am in a world of serious pain On iOS, you can back up Google Authenticator. It then restores with your 2FA codes intact. (I don't do this, because I feel it weakness 2FA's security and am decent about saving recovery codes. But everyone's tolerance for B.S. is different.)

filoleg 5y ago
> On iOS, you can back up Google Authenticator. It then restores with your 2FA codes intact. Source needed. I just opened Google Authenticator on iOS, and it isn’t an option. Googling confirmed that it isn’t supported on iOS. If you try to restore the phone from the backup (whether iCloud or local backup), it will restore the app, but it will have no 2FA codes present.
- JumpCrisscross 5y ago
  > I just opened Google Authenticator on iOS, and it isn’t an option Why would it be an option in the app? Go to your phone's backup settings and select Google Authenticator. When I had this on, it worked. (It might have since changed.) Google being Google, there is zero reliable documentation on anything, but here's a community thing from a few years ago [1]. [1] https://support.google.com/mail/forum/AAAAK7un8RUcSLd5H1MpO4/?hl=en&gpf=%23!topic%2Fgmail%2FcSLd5H1MpO4 https://support.google.com/mail/forum/AAAAK7un8RUcSLd5H1MpO4...
  - greggman3 5y ago
    Are you sure this actually works? My understanding is that iCloud backup is specified by the user per app (can default to on). Going into my iPhone->Settings->Authenticator there are no iCloud settings and iPhone->Settings->iCloud shows lots of apps but Authenticator is not one of them. I have iCloud backup on, have switched through at least 2 phones (as in 6+->10->11) where I have Google Authenticator on. The new phone never had any of the Authenticator codes after restoring yet all the other apps restored their data.