Things To Consider Before Enabling 2-Step Verification On Google Accounts

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Google’s 2-Step verification makes your account more secure and almost unhackable.You have previously read on this blog how 2-Step verification works and how to enable it on all your google accounts.However enabling 2-Step verification may also cause you some problem for e.g. if you lose your phone then you will not be able to receive 2-Step verification codes.And the situation will become worse if you haven’t set any other option to receive codes.Without any authenticated codes you will never be allowed to login in your google account.Everytime you login you will be asked for 2-Step verification codes.If you do not have any methods to receive codes then you can directly tell google about your problem.Google will again provide you access to your account.But we will talk about that later.

First of all if you are going to enable 2-Step verification on google accounts then remember following important things.

1.Provide Mobile Numbers : Always provide atleast two mobile numbers while enabling 2-Step verification.Because if you lose one then other will work as a backup number.Remember that none of the phone is out of service permanently because this may be your last chance to receive code.Keep mobile phone sound and safe.Providing atleast 2 mobile numbers is the first step to enable 2-Step verification on google accounts.

2.Do Not Delete Authenticator App On Android : Google Authenticator app is an android app which generates 2-Step verification codes randomly synced with google servers.It does not need any internet connection to operate and works in flight mode also.When we use google authenticator then there is no need to receive codes via text message on mobile phone.

Problems With Google Authenticator App

Problem 1 : Suppose that if you never provided any mobile number to google during 2-Step verification setup and only enabled google authenticator for android and by mistake you deleted the app when you accidently formatted your android phone.Now there is no authenticator app and no extra backup to login into your google account.Now 2-Step verification won’t allow you to login into your account because you don’t have any codes.But don’t worry you will still regain access to your google account by telling google that you are unable to login because of 2-Step verification and doesn’t have any means to receive codes.Google will help you to regain access to your account by disabling 2-Step verification from their side.However we can’t disable it from our side.

Problem 2 : Suppose you enabled 2-Step verification using only the google authenticator app and not provided any mobile number.For this you need to scan a bar code via Bar Code Scanner and have to save the secret key on google authenticator app.What was happened with me is that I used “SCAN” barcode scanner which automatically saves the secret key on authenticator app,I was setting up 2-Step verification using only authenticator app for the second time on my same google account.I had the images of both qr codes the old one and the new one.I scanned the new qr code and my account was setup and ready.But things went wrong when I again scanned the old qr code with “SCAN” bar code scanner and the key was saved automatically thereby replacing my new codes with older ones.When any body does this the codes will not work during 2-Step verification because the random codes generator is working according to old secret key and google codes are working according to the new secret key therefore codes do not match.

NOTE : The above problems depend totally on our foolishness and don’t blame google for this.

3.Generate Printable Backup Codes : You can generate these codes and save them written on a paper.These are backup codes.If you do not have any mobile then you can login into your google account by entering one of your prinatable backup codes during 2-Step verification.Keep these codes written on a paper in a safe place.This option is available in 2-step verification.

4.Add A Trusted Computer In 2-Step Verification : A trusted computer can be your tablet or your personal computer.When you add this computer to trusted computers list then google will never ask you for codes also if you lose every medium to receive codes then you will be able to login from this computer only and can disable or re-enable 2-Step verification again.But make sure the computer is trusted,it should not be a public computer like in cyber cafe’s.

Now if you don’t have any options to receive codes and 2-Step verification is ON in your google account and you are unable to login then seek help from Google in following steps.
1.Goto google.com and click sign in.
2.Then click "Can’t access your account?"
3.You will be shown some options.Choose “I'm having other problems signing in” and enter your email address.
4.On the next page select “I didn’t enable 2-step verification” and click continue.
5.Google will ask you some questions and record your ip address.Try that you provide correct information.Within 3 days you will regain access to your google account and 2-Step verification will be removed by google.You will receive an email to change your password and then will be able to login.

Don’t let 2-Step verification work against you,let this wonderful technology by google to work for you.If you are going to enable this feature make sure to enable all the backup options for your google account.For a full tutorial about all these backup options Read This.

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