Google to enable two-step verification on 150 million accounts by the end of 2021

Google plans to enable two-step verification for 150 million Google accounts by the end of this year. As of November 1, 2 million YouTubers will also be required to enable this authentication method.

That is what Google states in a blog post in which it celebrates Cybersecurity Awareness month. Presumably these are accounts where the recovery options have already been fully completed. The company has been automatically enabling two-step verification for these accounts since May this year.

Google advocates the use of two-step verification, but writes that this way of logging in is not always applicable to people. “We are working on technologies that should make the authentication process more secure, easier and reduce reliance on passwords,” it said.

It’s not just two-step verification that should help secure accounts. Google also refers to Chrome’s built-in password manager and generator. That generator should soon also be able to generate passwords for iOS apps. All saved passwords will soon also be available via a menu in the Google app on Android and iOS.