Get a Cheap Phone (recovery phone) for two-factor.

[+Warwagon MVC]

Sometimes you take for granted using your phone for two-factor authentication. That is until you drop it, break it and are now up a creek. This is why it is not such a bad idea to go buy a cheap Android phone, such as a Moto E for $45 and install all of your two factor authentication apps on it. These apps include 

 

Azure Authenticator

Google Authenticator

Microsoft Account Authenticator.

Setup  your google accounts, so you can use the new "Are you trying to log in, yes or no"

 

Or any other two factor authentication apps. Configure each application so it's identical (generates the same exact codes) to your main phone. Then take this Phone (recovery phone) put a lock code on it and put it in a safe place such as a safety deposit box. Hopefully you will never need this phone, but if you do, you will be glad you have it.

 

[Nick H. Supervisor]

I remember reading your comment the other day about this and thinking it wasn't a bad idea. My phone nearly got destroyed recently and as I was working on it I was thinking about how reliant I am on it for certain things.

[sc302 Veteran]

or get a ipad/ipod/galaxy tab to have as a secondary...you won't need to have data or a phone account for it if all you are using are authenticators.  you might need if you are going to use for sms texts. 

[+Warwagon MVC]

3 minutes ago, sc302 said:

or get a ipad/ipod/galaxy tab to have as a secondary...you won't need to have data or a phone account for it if all you are using are authenticators.  you might need if you are going to use for sms texts. 

True, but $45 is cheaper than a $500 ipad . if you've aleways wanted an iPad then, yes great idea to just use that. But if all you want is a  recovery device, a $45 works well.

[sc302 Veteran]

but then you have that monthly fee that you have to pay for for x amount of years....which in total you could pay for that device by the end of the first year @~45 a month....45x12=540

 

unless you can get that device for 45 without the monthly.

[+Warwagon MVC]

1 minute ago, sc302 said:

but then you have that monthly fee that you have to pay for for x amount of years....which in total you could pay for that device by the end of the first year @~45 a month....45x12=540

Na, just take out included simcard. Then you can use it solely as an internet device, no contract needed.

[sc302 Veteran]

1 minute ago, warwagon said:

Na, just take out included simcard. Then you can use it solely as an internet device.

OK, but how do you get out of your contract?  unless you are buying a used one....

[+Warwagon MVC]

1 minute ago, sc302 said:

OK but how do you get out of your contract?

What contract? You just buy a $45 prepaid phone at walmart  ... actually when I bought my Moto E ... they had a Moto E verizon one marked down to $13 ..lol, they were all out.

[tsupersonic]

Why not just use Authy? It has multiple device sync. 

 

I have multiple Android phones just laying around which I could do this with, but I'd rather not. I have an iPad and my Nexus 6P with Authy installed. If I lost/broke my 6P, I could rely on my iPad for 2FA.

[TAZMINATOR]

3 minutes ago, warwagon said:

True, but $45 is cheaper than a $500 ipad . if you've aleways wanted an iPad then, yes great idea to just use that. But if all you want is a  recovery device, a $45 works well.

That's fine but if you have any old phone laying around, use it for 2FA.  That's what I did years ago. 

 

Unless you need 2FA on either new phone or ipad with data plan,  it should be no problem in case you are on the road where no WIFI hotspots are around.

[oldtimefighter]

Good advice but with Google anyway one could just print out backup codes and put them in a safe place so no second device needed.

[+Warwagon MVC]

Just now, oldtimefighter said:

Good advice but with Google anyway one could just print out backup codes and put them in a safe place so no second device needed.

Yep, I have that too 

[satysin]

Yeah this is what my iPhone 5c is for  

 

[Mando]

23 minutes ago, warwagon said:

True, but $45 is cheaper than a $500 ipad . if you've aleways wanted an iPad then, yes great idea to just use that. But if all you want is a  recovery device, a $45 works well.

or with google authentication do what it says and write the recovery codes down and keep them in a safe place, cost? 75p for a pen and 10p for a bit of paper  then stored with household paperwork, job done  (heck i scanned and pdfd it and dumped it at work, at my folks and in my  google drive  good idea though warwagon, i got lots of retired iphones at work (and a few blackberries I cant bear to throw into the bin)

[Inertia]

I'm getting all over this !