Getting out of endless GMail & Yahoo verification loops
#16
Original Poster
Join Date: Aug 2008
Posts: 1,470
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The Google Authenticator App would need an android phone to run; that phone would be linked to one Gmail account. So how do I retrieve authentication codes for multiple Gmail accounts from that one phone?
Is there no way to change the authentication process in Gmail to answering a secret question only and doing away with phones and codes altogether?
#17
Join Date: Jul 2013
Location: DAY/CMH
Programs: UA MileagePlus
Posts: 2,474
And I am asking yet again, how does one get this list of codes?
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The Google Authenticator App would need an android phone to run; that phone would be linked to one Gmail account. So how do I retrieve authentication codes for multiple Gmail accounts from that one phone?
Is there no way to change the authentication process in Gmail to answering a secret question only and doing away with phones and codes altogether?
'
The Google Authenticator App would need an android phone to run; that phone would be linked to one Gmail account. So how do I retrieve authentication codes for multiple Gmail accounts from that one phone?
Is there no way to change the authentication process in Gmail to answering a secret question only and doing away with phones and codes altogether?
Click this link for step-by-step instructions on printing and using backup codes.
#18
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jun 2006
Location: IAD/DCA
Posts: 31,805
i feel OP's pain. my thread > http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/trave...-password.html
#19
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Feb 1999
Location: Seat 1A, Juice pretty much everywhere, Mucci des Coins Exotiques
Posts: 34,339
If you google "2FA google hard codes" you'll get this. https://support.google.com/accounts/.../1187538?hl=en
It's pretty easy. Just login to your account and choose Printable backup codes
It's pretty easy. Just login to your account and choose Printable backup codes
#20
Join Date: Sep 2003
Location: Anwhere ex-MAN
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Posts: 2,706
#21
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Nov 2002
Location: ORD
Posts: 14,201
And I am asking yet again, how does one get this list of codes?
'
The Google Authenticator App would need an android phone to run; that phone would be linked to one Gmail account. So how do I retrieve authentication codes for multiple Gmail accounts from that one phone?
Is there no way to change the authentication process in Gmail to answering a secret question only and doing away with phones and codes altogether?
'
The Google Authenticator App would need an android phone to run; that phone would be linked to one Gmail account. So how do I retrieve authentication codes for multiple Gmail accounts from that one phone?
Is there no way to change the authentication process in Gmail to answering a secret question only and doing away with phones and codes altogether?
Further down this thread someone posted a link to get the printable codes.
I'm not sure where you're getting the idea that the authenticator app needs an Android phone, or that the Authenticator app is linked to only one account. Neither of these is true. While you'll find that people on Flyertalk tend to be very helpful, we tend to be more inclined to help people who do their part of research and ask for help when they're stuck.
There are versions of Google Authenticator available for iOS and Android. You can also use any other authenticator app if you don't want to use Google's. I believe Microsoft and Facebook have them too. they use a pretty standard protocol (whose name I forget). Personally, I like Authy because you can use it on multiple devices.
#22
 
Join Date: Nov 2000
Location: Upcountry Maui, HI
Posts: 13,299
You can add multiple accounts to the authenticator app, you need the seed (image or url) for each account that google gives you once when you first setup 2fa for that account. If you lose it and need it again, you have to turn off and turn on 2fa and then you'll get a new seed/image and new list of backup codes. So you might want to securely save those images/seed URLs when you first setup 2fa for each google account. Basically the same as how you are going to securely save the list of backup codes.
Or as gfunkdave suggested in another thread, you can use Authy instead which saves the seeds in the cloud so it can be shared amongst several devices running the authy app. (or 1password also does allows does it, if you are already using 1password.) Both authy and 1password (and I'm sure there's other apps as well) implement the same algorithm that the google authenticator app implement, so any of these can be used to generate the unique 2fa code given the seed image or url.
Personally I do all this in 1password, which shares it's database across all my devices and computers. Most people here seem to be fans of lastpass, so I guess they end up using Authy instead.
-David
Or as gfunkdave suggested in another thread, you can use Authy instead which saves the seeds in the cloud so it can be shared amongst several devices running the authy app. (or 1password also does allows does it, if you are already using 1password.) Both authy and 1password (and I'm sure there's other apps as well) implement the same algorithm that the google authenticator app implement, so any of these can be used to generate the unique 2fa code given the seed image or url.
Personally I do all this in 1password, which shares it's database across all my devices and computers. Most people here seem to be fans of lastpass, so I guess they end up using Authy instead.
-David
Last edited by LIH Prem; Dec 4, 2016 at 9:05 pm
#23
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Nov 2002
Location: ORD
Posts: 14,201
Oh, I didn't realize 1Password could do it too. Come to think of it, I think LastPass may have recently instituted this functionality or something like it as well.
#24
 
Join Date: Nov 2000
Location: Upcountry Maui, HI
Posts: 13,299
yeah, looks like lastpass can integrate with several different authenticator apps, including their own which does TOTP (same as google authenticator, so you only need one.)
https://blog.lastpass.com/2016/03/la...tor-easy.html/
https://blog.lastpass.com/2016/03/la...tor-easy.html/