How to use Google Authenticator on iPhone and iPad

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Google Authenticator is available for iOS and iPadOS, as well as Android.

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In addition to making Twitter more secure, here’s how to ditch SMS-based two-factor authentications and properly secure your online life, using Google Authenticator on your iPhone.

Two-factor authentication (2FA) made its way into the news due to a change in the embattled Twitter. Under a policy change in February, Twitter is forcing free users who aren’t willing to pay for the Twitter Blue subscription to move away from the SMS-based 2FA system, in favor of using authenticator apps.

Despite the hype about it, authenticator apps are better security-wise than using SMS messages. This is what you should know about 2FA and how to install and use it on one of the most popular authenticator apps, Google Authenticator.

What is Two-Factor Authentication?

Two-factor authentication is a great way to secure online accounts, as it goes far beyond the standard username and password. If an online attacker knows or can process your password, 2FA can stop any further access to it.

The principle of 2FA is that it is based on confirming what you “know” and what you “have”. Think of it as using a security door where you have to enter a code into a keypad (“know”) and a physical key into a lock (“have”) to gain entry.

While the password for the account is classified as the “know” part, the “have” consists of some form of verifiable token. This could take the form of a physical object, such as a YubiKey, but more commonly refers to a mobile authentication app or authentication keychain.

Google Authenticator is an app that provides 2FA codes on your iPhone.

Both the app and the remote are set to repeatedly produce a new code after a certain amount of time, such as 30 seconds, has elapsed. These codes are not random, as they are generated from a seed known to the service, as well as following pre-established and immutable rules.

In effect, the online service you’re authenticating with will know what the correct code the authenticator last generated was, and thus can confirm or deny whatever code you read and type at the service’s login screen.

Using an app for 2FA is also a little more secure than using a remote to generate the code, since you still need to authenticate with your iPhone to access the app in the first place.

There’s also a simpler form where a website could prompt the user to confirm in a companion app that they’ve just signed in. This works too, but it’s rarer and only really exists for a few core services, like the Facebook and Google apps.

Apple’s ecosystem can also work in a similar way, with a user’s other Apple devices prompting for confirmation and offering codes that a user can manually enter into the device they’re signed in to.

What’s the deal with text-based 2FA?

While two-factor authentication itself is a good idea, implementing a form leaves the system weak.

Using SMS or text-based 2FA means that rather than using a code generated on an app or physical dongle, that code is instead sent to your smartphone as a text message.

At face value, it looks pretty OK, and in most cases it is. The problem is the very nature of SMS.

One-time SMS passcodes are sent as clear text over your network’s cellular system, so they’re openly readable and unencrypted. Obviously, this isn’t ideal, but it can work in a pinch.

Twitter is actively telling non-subscribers of Twitter Blue that SMS 2FA support will only be for paying users from March.

The other problem is that it is based on the message sent to your smartphone’s SIM card. Because carriers can be tricked by an attacker into swapping SIMs on an account system, it’s possible for a phone number to work entirely with another SIM card, perhaps already in the attacker’s hands.

In such cases, a legitimate SMS-based 2FA code might be sent through the carrier’s network, but be received by the attacker. If they also know your account credentials, such as due to a data breach of a major service, they could potentially gain access to your account and take control of it.

Since the SMS system itself is the weak link, moving 2FA to an app on your smartphone is a wise move.

Getting started with Google Authenticator

Google Authenticator is a very well-established and popular authentication app, for several reasons. For starters, it’s reasonably simple to use, which is key when trying to encourage more people to secure their accounts in the first place.

It also comes from a well-known name in the tech world: Google. Regardless of your feelings about the company’s advertising activity and data collection habits, brand recognition is still a big thing for the general public.

It also helps that support is quite widespread.

Then there’s the ability to use multiple devices. You can set up Google Authenticator on multiple devices and make the codes work the same on all of them.

This might not necessarily be considered the ultimate in security, but considering you still need access to your phones and tablets in the first place, it’s a good compromise.

Google Authenticator makes it easy to add accounts to the app.

Related to this is cross-platform support, as it works on iPhone, iPad and Android devices. You can have it on iOS, iPadOS and Android if you really want to.

Note that you don’t actually need a Google account for this. While you can obviously use it with Google’s system – and you should – you can still use it with other third-party services without linking your Google account to the authenticator.

Because the system relies on entering a setup key or scanning a QR code, it’s highly recommended that you set up two-factor authentication on a different device than the one you’re setting up Google Authenticator on.

Also, while the general way to enable 2FA on a service is similar across the industry, the actual way to do it for each app or service will vary. The following is more of a general guide rather than specific instructions.

How to set up Google Authenticator for iPhone and iPad

Download Google Authenticator from the App Store to your device. It is free to download. Log in to any service you want to enable 2FA for and try setting it up. This could be an option in your account settings in a section called “security” and an option that offers to “set up two-factor authentication”, for example, but this will vary between services. When prompted, you should choose to use an authenticator app. You may be advised to use a specific authenticator app, so check if Google Authenticator is listed. Once presented with a QR code or authentication key, open Google Authenticator on your iPhone or iPad. If this is your first addition to the app, you will be asked how you want to add the code directly. Otherwise, select the plus symbol at the bottom right of the screen. If you’re presented with a QR code on the site or app you’re setting up 2FA for, select Scan a QR Code, then use your device’s camera to scan the code. If a key is offered, enter your account name (usually the relevant email address) and the key provided on-screen. Make sure you select if it is Time Based or Meter Based if the account system recommends it, otherwise leave it at Time Based. You will then be asked to confirm that the authentication system worked. Enter the six-digit code that appears on your device’s screen into the app or service you’re setting up 2FA with as confirmation.

Once configured, you will be prompted to use the authenticator app to generate a code to access the services, every time you log in.

This is simple, as all you have to do is open Google Authenticator, search for the service and account name associated with it, then read the associated six-digit code. Since the code changes periodically, you may want to wait until the timer expires and a new code appears, to maximize code entry time.

You can enter security details manually, but a QR code is faster.

If you’re entering the code into an app on the same device, tap the code to copy it to your clipboard, which you can then paste into the app’s text box for entry.

How to delete account lists from Google Authenticator for iOS

Open the app and tap the three dots in the top right. Tap Edit. Tap the pencil icon next to the relevant account. Tap the trash can. In the confirmation box, tap Remove account.

Keep in mind that removing an account from the Google Authenticator app doesn’t affect the 2FA status on the account itself. If you want to remove 2FA from your account, please do so before removing the Google Authenticator listing.

Just the beginning…

You can do more things with Google Authenticator, like setting it up to get the same codes across multiple devices. Yes, you can use multiple devices by using the same app to scan the QR code upon setup. However, you can also take advantage of the export feature to do the same thing for multiple codes at the same time.

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