Google Authenticator will support backups of two-step verification codes

Two-factor authentication codes in Google Authenticator can now be backed up to the cloud. Users can sync the totp codes in the app with their Google account. That is an important function 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. These are versions 6.0 and 4.0. Users can have the codes that Authenticator generates automatically saved to their Google account. Google does not provide any further details about its security, but does mention its own password manager in Chrome.

Google Authenticator was released in 2010 and is still one of the most popular apps for creating multi-factor authentication codes. These 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 locally generated. That meant users lost their codes if they lost their phone. Many other authentication apps, such as those from Microsoft or Authy, already allowed these codes to be stored online.