Google satisfies an old request from Android smartphone users: the synchronization of single-use codes with their Google account.
Google Authenticator is an application launched in 2010 which generates single-use identification codes used to authenticate when connecting to an online service or when configuring a new Android device, for example. It has become an essential layer of security in the lives of Google Account owners, since it effectively makes the theft of your accounts and personal data much more complicated.
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Until now, the list of codes was only available on one device, unless you take steps to transfer them. This limitation was annoying when you wanted to identify yourself on another device, or if your smartphone was stolen. Christiaan Brand, product manager for this feature announces on the company’s blog “We are pleased to announce an update to Google Authenticator, both on iOS and Android, which adds the ability to securely save your one-time codes to your Google Account.”
Single-use codes are now synced with Google Account
Users criticize Google Authenticator for “the complexity caused by the loss or theft of a device on which it was installed. As one-time codes were stored on a single smartphone, losing the latter meant that users could no longer identify themselves to a service where they had configured two-factor authentication”. Situations in which you were “locked” out of a service are now a thing of the past…as long as you remember your Google Account credentials.
The Mountain View firm is well aware that unique codes and 2FA are not a panacea in terms of safety and accessibility. This is why its leaders also claim that the future really lies in passkeys, these physical security keys that should ensure a world without passwords.
