Many people have loose the accounts due to the issues of phone number or 2FA, and account being compromised by hackers. This guide covers all of the above. Loosing access to an account or most of your accounts can be really frustrating.
Possible causes resulting to this
- Damaging your phone by accident.
- Your phone gets stolen or lost.
- Your get blocked for one or two reasons like:
a. A line not active for some months.
b. Travelling to different countries. - Not able to retrieve your line or phone number. Because it was not registered with your info.
- Account being hacked.
How to resolve this to avoid future events of this nature for happening. This is where authentication apps come in play.
What is a authentication app?
For those who really don’t know what an authentication app is. Authentication app is a secure way of verify authorising to login into a web account. This is another way to verify you are a human and not a bot.
It is a trusted means of access verification by many site, to avoid unauthorised account login and impersonation. it is a great alternative to phone number verification.
The good news is that most modern website supposed 2FA which is “Second Factor Authentication”. This enables you to authenticate your account with a authentication app, just like using phone number.
You can also set your authentication app as default, as the primary way of verify your access in some websites. And other give you both options to chose from. Thought phone number or authentication app.
But in this case, it is quite the opposite. Instead of receiving a verification code from the website for verification. You use the code generated by the authentication app for verification.
It is really advisable to add an authentication app to your Web or online accounts as a means of verification.
What is most interesting about the authentication app, is its ability to back up your authenticated accounts. With this feature, you don’t have to worry about losing your phone or your phone number.
Here are few authentication app suggestions to try out
- Microsoft Authenticator
- Google Authenticator
Many more. check out play store and apple store.
All you have to do is to download the authentication application you previously used. And also in backing up yours authentication credentials. Login into the authentication app with your default account. Which you registered or you signed up with before use the authentication app.
NOTE: When trying to use the authentication app to restore your credential. On your welcome screen, you might find options like sign in, sign up, restore backup. On the restore backup. which would is the bring up the login screen.
After login into your account, all your authentication credentials will be restored of all the sites. That you have previously authenticated to the app and stored in the cloud. You may also have this option after logging in to restore backup, or in the app settings.
Most authentication app a come with security, to enable you to enter your pass-code or fingerprint. Before assessing the authentication app for unauthorised use when your phone is with someone else.
What to look out for when deciding on which application app to use, is the is its ability to be able to restore and backup in the Cloud your authentication credentials.
Steps to add an authentication app to your account online
Many site now support 2FA. Which give you the ability to add an authentication app to the account as a means of securing and authenticating your account.
In order to add an authentication app to your accounts. Go to the website and login to your account. Go to the security section and see if it’s supposed 2FA, and see if you have the option to add a authentication app.
If it does, click on the second Factor authentication option. Which then get to show you Qr code and security code to enter in the authentication app.
For it to be connected (and use for authentication each time you are about to log in to your account). And it will ask for a code generated by the authentication app.
Now go to the authentication app you intend to use and click on add account. Scan the Qr code or write it manually. By Entering the name and the security key which was shown to you from the site and click done.
Now, Copy the code generated by the authentication app. Paste it where it is requested to authenticate it back to your account. And you done.
NOTE: Each code generated by the authentication app is valid for a limited time which might be few second, before generating a new one.
You have to enter the generated code each time you log in before the time runs out. When time out it not valid anymore and a new code is generated.
It is very useful. Because it is going to save you time of waiting for an authentication code, to be sent to your phone number before getting authorised to login into your account.
I have also lost access to my account to my bitcoin account due to this issue. So I would like you to share your experience, if you have had similar issue in the past in the comments section below and click the like button.