# Questions about which Free 2FA Android app to use



## ryrhino (Jul 28, 2013)

Hello,

I did get permission to post this question on the forum. https://www.techsupportforum.com/forums/f66/hello-1230430.html

This is the post from the other forum. https://forums.techguy.org/threads/i-have-questions-about-using-2fa.1213068/

The information below is for those who don't want to read the post from the other forum. 

I don't know which free 2FA app to use. 

My plan has unlimited talk and text but not unlimited data. I use Virgin Mobile pay per month. I have a hydro reach phone if that information helps. Android version is 5.1.1 

I am looking for suggestions on which free 2FA Android app to use. I only want to use apps that are free.

I would choose an open sourced app over one that is not open sourced. If it is not open sourced that is not a deal breaker for me. 

This is one article that I have read and it was also suggested on the other forum.

https://www.pcworld.com/article/3225913/security/what-is-two-factor-authentication-and-which-2fa-apps-are-best.html

Articles I have read that suggest which 2FA app to use most of them recommend Google Authenticator or Authy or both. I have read user comments that it seems that some people who have used Authy or Google Authenticator want to use a different app. 

If I decide to use 2FA this is one I am thinking about using https://saaspass.com If you have used this one what do you like and dislike most about it? 

For open sourced suggested apps I have seen are andOTP  also FreeOTP

Which free 2FA app do you suggest using and why? 

Thanks for your time and help.


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## Corday (Mar 3, 2010)

You seemed adverse to Yubikey which SpywareDr recommended. Here are some other hardware based solutions.
https://alternativeto.net/software/yubikey/


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## ryrhino (Jul 28, 2013)

The reason I am not going to use Yubikey is because it is not free. I am not opposed to using it.

Reason I am looking for free items is because I have health issues that do not allow me to work so no income. Family supports me.


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## tristar (Aug 12, 2008)

If you want to go with a free solution, I'd rather go with Google..

There are opensource/3rd party solutions, but users have no control over the apps, there are like a zillion services which run in the background.. Only folks who root or use some serious privacy apps, can see the services and the access the app has.

Known devil is better than an unknown angel.. Seems apt here..


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## Corday (Mar 3, 2010)

Speaking of known devil, Microsoft has an app also.


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## tristar (Aug 12, 2008)

:rofl::rofl:


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## Stancestans (Apr 26, 2009)

Corday said:


> Speaking of known devil, Microsoft has an app also.


Yap. I use it for Lastpass and my MS accounts of course. I have forbidden it from running at startup and only run it on demand. I like it because it does what it's supposed to do, no hiccups whether offline or online. It is not a data hog (4.09MB used since May 9) and very very light on memory usage. Unless someone has issues with Microsoft, I recommend it. Before, I used to use Google authenticator, and never had any problems with it. I switched because I like to try out alternatives, so I ended up with the MS app and liked it.


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## ryrhino (Jul 28, 2013)

As an example if I decide to start with using Google and want to use a different app what steps would I need to take in order to move the data to the other app? 

What tips do you have so that I don't get locked out of any of my accounts I use 2FA with?


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## Stancestans (Apr 26, 2009)

ryrhino said:


> As an example if I decide to start with using Google and want to use a different app what steps would I need to take in order to move the data to the other app?
> 
> What tips do you have so that I don't get locked out of any of my accounts I use 2FA with?


You don't move data from one app to another. You setup each app independently. Your account may get locked for any suspicious reason, and some are beyond your control. What you can do is make sure your account recovery details are correct and up-to-date, for example the recovery mobile number and recovery email address. Recovering your account is the primary purpose of recovery information anyway, so of what use would they be if they were outdated?


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## ryrhino (Jul 28, 2013)

Stancestans said:


> Before, I used to use Google authenticator, and never had any problems with it. I switched because I like to try out alternatives, so I ended up with the MS app and liked it.


Did you ever have security issues when you used Google authenticator? 
How did you remove your data from Google when you switched to MS? 
When you started using MS did you reenter all your data or were you able to move data from Google to MS? If so how did you do so?

MS means the Microsoft 2FA app is this correct? This app?


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## Stancestans (Apr 26, 2009)

ryrhino said:


> Did you ever have security issues when you used Google authenticator?


None that I can remember.



> How did you remove your data from Google when you switched to MS?


Simply uninstalled the app. If you are paranoid about leftovers, you can always clear the app's data first then uninstall.




> When you started using MS did you reenter all your data or were you able to move data from Google to MS? If so how did you do so?


Re-entered all data. When I was using Google authenticator, 2FA was still a fairly new development and adoption had not yet picked up widely, so I didn't have many accounts to configure for 2FA. Most of my accounts were using 2-step verification instead. Here's the thing, the 2FA standards do not support or provide for backup/restore or syncing of data across devices. It negates the security purpose of 2FA.




> MS means the Microsoft 2FA app is this correct? This app?


Yes. We like to abbreviate Microsoft to simply MS and, yes, that is the app.


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