Google Authenticator one-time passwords will now sync with your Google account

Google Authenticator is a popular app that gives your accounts an additional layer of two-step authentication security and is widely used by millions. But, it's the sort of app that is limited to a single Android or iOS device, which puts a lot of pressure on people to ensure that they don't lose their smartphone where Authenticator is installed.

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It's a potential issue that Google is well aware of, and it is looking to remedy it by making the one-time passwords backup and sync to your Google Account.

"One major piece of feedback we've heard from users over the years was the complexity in dealing with lost or stolen devices that had Google Authenticator installed," writes Christiaan Brand, Google's Group Product Manager, in a new blog post. "Since one-time codes in Authenticator were only stored on a single device, a loss of that device meant that users lost their ability to sign in to any service on which they'd set up 2FA using Authenticator."

Google Account synchronization is available as part of the latest update to the Authenticator app, so be sure to update the app and follow the new prompts to set it up. If the update isn't available in your region, it'll be coming soon as the rollout is underway.

This is a welcome update as it protects people from being locked out of their online accounts across several services. However, it's worth noting that Google is a little late to the party - so to speak - with this update. Microsoft Authenticator has featured cloud backups for passwords on Android since 2019.

The post also serves as a reminder that Google is still working towards a passwordless future alongside Apple and Microsoft as part of the FIDO Alliance. We're probably still years away from this becoming a reality, as it leans heavily on fingerprints, facial recognition, and smartphone use as the primary way to log in.