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The Best Microsoft Authenticator alternatives for Multiple Account support, from Two factor authentication to a free app. Alternatives in Microsoft Authenticator for Mac OS X, Windows, Linux, Android, iPhone, Android Tablet, iPad, Chrome, Android Wear, Blackberry, Wordpress, Magento Community Edition, Windows Phone, Windows Mobile, Apple Watch. Apr 26, 2021 Duo Authentication for macOS Duo integrates with macOS to add two-factor authentication to macOS console logons. Duo Authentication for macOS does not support Apple M1 ARM-based processors. Do not install Duo on these systems.

Posted on May 21, 2021

Two-factor authentication (2FA) can protect you from account takeovers and breaches — and using an authenticator app for 2FA is one of the best things you can do for your personal security.

Unfortunately, many people are wary of authenticator apps, or just don’t know how to use them. Because of this, they rely SMS-based implementations of 2FA — despite the fact that there are significant security issues with SMS.

It doesn’t have to be this way. 2FA authenticator apps are actually reasonably easy to use, once you get the hang of them. In this guide, we’re going to show you how to set up 2FA on iOS using an authenticator app. We’ll cover the following topics:

Why you should use 2FA
Security issues with SMS-based 2FA
Choosing an authenticator app
How to install Authy on iOS
How to add accounts in Authy
Walkthrough 1: Setting up an authenticator app for 2FA on a Google or Gmail account
Walkthrough 2: Setting up an authenticator app for 2FA on a LinkedIn account
Backups and recovery codes
What if a site doesn’t let me use an authenticator app for 2FA?
What if I’m not ready for app-based 2FA?

Why you should use 2FA

We’ve covered the benefits of 2FA before, so what follows will only be a quick refresher. (If you want a full intro to 2FA, listen to Checklist 139: 2FA 101.)

When you use 2FA, you need to provide two authentication factors in order to log into an account, website, or service. That usually means that you will enter your password as your first authentication factor — but then you’ll also have to enter a one-time authentication code sent to your mobile device. You have to provide both the password and the authentication code to log in.

Here’s how that keeps you safe. Let’s say that a bad guy manages to steal your password. This can happen in a number of ways: data breaches, phishing emails, keylogger or malware infections, social engineering attacks and seasonal scams.

OK, so a bad guy has your password. If you don’t have 2FA enabled, that’s pretty much game over. They can enter your password, log into your account, and do whatever they want to do.

But here’s the thing. If you do have 2FA set up, the bad guy will still have to enter the second authentication factor: that one-time code sent to your mobile device. And since the device is with you, and not the bad guy, they aren’t going to be able to log into your account — even though they have your password!

Security issues with SMS-based 2FA

Two-factor authentication is an excellent way to prevent account takeovers and breaches. But many implementations of 2FA have a pretty big security issue.

The problem is that 2FA often relies on SMS messages to send those one-time authentication codes. And SMS is no longer considered a secure data transfer protocol.

For one thing, the SMS protocol itself is vulnerable to certain kinds of interference and manipulation by bad actors. That’s one of the reasons that Google has tried to develop a more secure alternative to SMS.

But there’s an even more basic security issue with using SMS for 2FA: SIM swapping attacks. In a SIM swapping attack, a bad actor attempts to reassign someone else’s mobile number to a SIM card that they control. If successful, the attacker will start receiving all of their victim’s calls and text messages — including their 2FA authentication codes. This is how 2FA-protected accounts can still be compromised by bad actors.

Due to the limitations of SMS, authenticator app-based 2FA is considered much more secure. Authenticator apps don’t use SMS at all. Instead, they generate something called a “time-based one-time passcode” (TOTP). They do this entirely in-app, meaning that the code is generated on your actual device, not on some company’s server — so it doesn’t have to be sent to you. Even if a bad actor managed to get hold of your password and redirect your SMS messages to their own device, they still wouldn’t be able to get your app-based 2FA codes, because those codes live exclusively on your mobile device.

How to pick an authenticator app

There are several good options for authenticator apps on iOS. Microsoft makes a popular and well-reviewed 2FA app that you can get for free in the App Store. Google Authenticator is another widely used authenticator app, although on iOS, some users have reported issues with functionality and support.

As with any app, do your due diligence when choosing an authenticator app. At a minimum, this means reading customer reviews and the app’s privacy “nutrition label” before installing.

One of the best authenticator apps around is Authy, and that’s the one we’re going to use in the examples below. If you prefer to use a different option, that’s fine too — we’ve chosen Authy because a.) we like it and b.) the app has a large number of satisfied iOS users.

How to install Authy on iOS

Before you can start protecting your accounts with app-based 2FA, you have to install an authenticator app on your mobile device. Here’s how to install Authy on iOS:

Go to Authy’s page in the App Store and download the app onto your iOS device. Once the app has finished downloading onto your device, launch it for the first time.

Enter your phone number in international format and provide an email address. This links your Authy account to your phone number and device, and it gives Authy a way to contact you if you need to verify account changes or go through the account recovery process.

Verify your number and device with an SMS message or phone call. Authy will send you a registration code to make sure that you are the owner of the device.

How add accounts in Authy

Now you have the Authy app installed on your device, and you’ve linked the app to your mobile number and device. The next step is to begin turning on authenticator app-based 2FA for your accounts. This is where we come to the “good news/bad news” part of the process.

First the “bad news” (though it’s really not all that bad). When using an authenticator app, you’ll have to enable 2FA for each of your accounts individually, and the procedure will vary between accounts. In other words, it will take some time, and you may have to do a little troubleshooting.

So what’s the good news? First of all, you don’t have to do this all at once. In fact, we’d recommend that you take things slowly at first. Add one or two main accounts in your authenticator app until you get the feel of it, and until you get comfortable using it.

After that, you can begin turning on authenticator app-based 2FA for all of your other accounts. Remember, this doesn’t have to be a race, and it shouldn’t feel like a chore. Just add an account here or there until you’re covered. Keep in mind that with every account you add, you’ve made yourself more secure than you were before. In other words, every little bit that you do is an automatic win!

There’s more good news, as well: You don’t have to go it alone. The people who make authenticator apps understand that it can be confusing to figure out how to turn on 2FA for all of your different accounts, because the process isn’t always the same. For this reason, they will often create step-by-step setup guides for different account types. Authy, for example, has an extensive series of guides on their website. In what follows, we’re going to show you how to enable 2FA using Authy for Google and LinkedIn accounts.

Setting up an authenticator app for 2FA on a Google or Gmail account

On your computer, log into your Google or Gmail account and go to the account settings area. You can find this by clicking on the account icon, and then on Manage your Google Account.

Go to the Security sectio

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