Google Authenticator. Don’t be intimidated.

May 3, 2023 / in How To, Information Technology / by Jason Terry

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Hello friends! In my video last week announcing that Blue Gurus has been around for 14 years, I told you that this week’s Tech Tip would be about Google Authenticator. And I know many people will see those two words and immediately move on with their day. But if you give me 5 minutes, I will explain and show you why Google Authenticator is so much better to use for two-factor authentication when compared to SMS text messages… in other words, instead of trying to log into a website and getting a code texted to your cell phone, you use an app on your phone that always has the updated codes to get in.

Two Situations Where This Really Matters

The first scenario is that you are on vacation and you don’t have cellular data. In other words, you CANNOT get a text message! This has happened to me before and it is a real PITA. Google Authenticator doesn’t need an internet connection or cellular data to always have a valid code.

The second scenario is that you are trying to share a single account with multiple people. For example, if a few people at your company need to access Mailchimp or Twitter and you have SMS text messages set up as the authentication method, only one person will get the text message on their phone. See the problem? Nobody else can log in without talking to the person who gets the code on their phone. Using Google Authenticator fixes that because multiple people can set up a connection between Google Authenticator and a website with two-factor authentication enabled.

In closing, not every website supports Google Authenticator. But I have noticed the number of sites that DO support it is increasing rapidly. Give it a try! And let me know if you have any questions about Google Authenticator in the comments below. Talk to you soon!