ARTICLE: Google Authenticator finally, mercifully adds account syncing for two-factor codes.

Google Authenticator is adding cloud syncing to enable users to sync their two-factor authentication codes to their Google account, reducing the complexity of dealing with lost or stolen devices. Cloud syncing has become common across other two-factor tools, but Google lags behind.

Google Authenticator is an update to the Authenticator app for Android and iOS, which now allows users to store one-time codes safely in their Google account. This change ensures users are better protected from the lockout and that services can rely on users retaining access, increasing convenience and security. To enable cloud syncing for two-factor codes, the app must be updated to the latest version. Google has a support page that confirms that if users are signed into their Google Account within Google Authenticator, their codes will be backed up and restored on any new device they use. This update is a much-needed step to make mobile apps easier to use, as it is a safer option than relying on SMS codes and provides more friction for users.

The convenience of cloud syncing potentially comes with the added risk

One-time passcode cloud syncing may make it even more alluring for malicious actors to target Google accounts. If you can hack into a system, you could have access to a lot of private information.

The Authenticator app’s new logo, an asterisk in Google’s colors, replaces the drab vault design with this upgrade. Although we’re working toward a future without passwords, “authentication codes remain a crucial component of internet security today.” As a result, “we’ve continued to make optimizations to the Google Authenticator app.” Google’s Christiaan Brand wrote in a blog post.