Google is bringing a major update to the two-factor authentication process. It now adds a new method to set up the 2FA. Now, you can use a Google Authenticator or a hardware security key to set up the 2FA.
Currently, users have to use their phone number to set up the 2FA. But now, you will be able to set it up without using your phone number.
The company said.
“This is particularly helpful for organizations using Google Authenticator (or other equivalent time-based one-time password (TOTP) apps). Previously, users had to enable 2SV with a phone number before being able to add Authenticator.”
Users with hardware security keys have two options to add them to their accounts. They need to register the FIDO1 credential on the hardware key or by assigning a passkey (FIDO2) to one. For the FIDO2 credentials on the security key, users will be required to enter the key’s PIN for local verification.
If your account is managed by a Google Workspace agent, you may still need to enter your password to sign in to the account, depending on how your account is set up by the administrator.
One other thing about this new change is the preservation of your security keys. Even if you disable or turn off the 2FA, your security keys will not be deleted whereas previously, when you turned off the 2FA, all methods and saved details were deleted.
This update has started rolling out, it may take a day or two but by the end of the week, all of us should have access to this new feature.
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