Google Authenticator will support backup of two-step verification codes

Two-factor authentication codes in Google Authenticator can now be backed up in the cloud. Users can sync the totp codes in the app with their Google account. That is an important feature that many other alternative apps already have.

Google writes in a blog post that it’s putting that feature in an update to Google Authenticator for both Android and iOS. Those are versions 6.0 and 4.0. Users can have the codes that Authenticator generates automatically saved to their Google account. Google gives no further details about its security, but does mention its own password manager in Chrome.

Google Authenticator came out in 2010 and is still one of the most popular apps for creating multi-factor authentication codes. Those six-digit codes are Time-based One-Time Passwords or totps that users can set in addition to a regular password to log in with. The problem with Authenticator has always been that the codes were only generated locally. That meant users lost their codes if they lost their phone. Many other authentication apps, such as those from Microsoft or Authy, already stored those codes online.