Authenticator apps - Issues and ease of use


wiganken

wiganken

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Websites are strengthening their security and I am being prompted to install a third party authenticator app so I have questions: -
I have an Android phone and two Windows 11 devices.
I understand the phone needs the Google Authenticator app and the Windows devices need the Microsoft Authenticator app.

Q1 - Do I install the app on my phone and use just that one device for all three devices or do I need to install an app on each device.

Q2 - Are these apps easy to use?

Q3 - Has anyone had bad experiences or problems using them?

Set up Authenticator App.webp

What are Authenticator Apps.webp
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Windows 11 Pro
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    HP EliteDesk 705 G5
    CPU
    AMD Ryzen 5 Pro 3400GE
    Memory
    8GB DDR4 SDRAM
    Graphics Card(s)
    Integrated AMD Radeon Vega 11
    Hard Drives
    256 GB PCIe NVMe M.2 SSD
  • Operating System
    Windows 11 Home
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    DELL Inspiron 15-3576
    CPU
    Intel Core i5-8250U
    Memory
    8 GB DDR4 - 2400 SODIMM
    Graphics card(s)
    Intel UHD Graphics 620
    Hard Drives
    256GB SK Hynix SC311 SATA SSD
I use MS Authenticator and have my Google/Gmail 2FA in that. You just need to nominate/chose an app in the 2FA settings where ever you’re turning it on. Then you should be asked to scan a code with the chosen app to add the 2FA to it.
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Windows 11 Pro 23H2 Build 22631.5335
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Sin-built
    CPU
    Intel(R) Core(TM) i7-4770K CPU @ 3.50GHz (4th Gen?)
    Motherboard
    ASUS ROG Maximus VI Formula
    Memory
    32.0 GB of I forget and the box is in storage.
    Graphics Card(s)
    Gigabyte nVidia GeForce GTX 1660 Super OC 6GB
    Sound Card
    Onboard
    Monitor(s) Displays
    5 x LG 25MS500-B - 1 x 24MK430H-B - 1 x Wacom Pro 22" Tablet
    Screen Resolution
    All over the place
    Hard Drives
    Too many to list.
    OS on Samsung 1TB 870 QVO SATA
    PSU
    Silverstone 1500
    Case
    NZXT Phantom 820 Full-Tower Case
    Cooling
    Noctua NH-D15 Elite Class Dual Tower CPU Cooler / 6 x EziDIY 120mm / 2 x Corsair 140mm somethings / 1 x 140mm Thermaltake something / 2 x 200mm Corsair.
    Keyboard
    Corsair K95 / Logitech diNovo Edge Wireless
    Mouse
    Logitech: G402 / G502 / Mx Masters / MX Air Cordless
    Internet Speed
    1000/400Mbps
    Browser
    All sorts
    Antivirus
    Kaspersky Premium
    Other Info
    I’m on a horse.
  • Operating System
    Windows 11 Pro 23H2 Build: 22631.4249
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    LENOVO Yoga 7i EVO OLED 14" Touchscreen i5 12 Core 16GB/512GB
    CPU
    Intel Core 12th Gen i5-1240P Processor (1.7 - 4.4GHz)
    Memory
    16GB LPDDR5 RAM
    Graphics card(s)
    Intel Iris Xe Graphics Processor
    Sound Card
    Optimized with Dolby Atmos®
    Screen Resolution
    QHD 2880 x 1800 OLED
    Hard Drives
    M.2 512GB
    Antivirus
    Defender / Malwarebytes
    Other Info
    …still on a horse.
wiganken said:
- Do I install the app on my phone and use just that one device for all three devices or do I need to install an app on each device.

Q2 - Are these apps easy to use?

Q3 - Has anyone had bad experiences or problems using them?
Click to expand...

Yes, the App goes on your Phone.I believe you can get MS Authenticator at the play store.

I believe MS Authenticator is easy enough to use, I haven’t used Google ‘s version for a while but don't recall that being difficult either

I have never experienced any issues with MS Authenticator.

However MS Authenticator is shying away from autofilling username & passwords. Support for them in the app is going soon, apparently.
Having said that, the 2FA One Time Passwords or Passkeys will continue to work just fine.
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Windows 11 Pro 23H2 Build 22631.5335
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Sin-built
    CPU
    Intel(R) Core(TM) i7-4770K CPU @ 3.50GHz (4th Gen?)
    Motherboard
    ASUS ROG Maximus VI Formula
    Memory
    32.0 GB of I forget and the box is in storage.
    Graphics Card(s)
    Gigabyte nVidia GeForce GTX 1660 Super OC 6GB
    Sound Card
    Onboard
    Monitor(s) Displays
    5 x LG 25MS500-B - 1 x 24MK430H-B - 1 x Wacom Pro 22" Tablet
    Screen Resolution
    All over the place
    Hard Drives
    Too many to list.
    OS on Samsung 1TB 870 QVO SATA
    PSU
    Silverstone 1500
    Case
    NZXT Phantom 820 Full-Tower Case
    Cooling
    Noctua NH-D15 Elite Class Dual Tower CPU Cooler / 6 x EziDIY 120mm / 2 x Corsair 140mm somethings / 1 x 140mm Thermaltake something / 2 x 200mm Corsair.
    Keyboard
    Corsair K95 / Logitech diNovo Edge Wireless
    Mouse
    Logitech: G402 / G502 / Mx Masters / MX Air Cordless
    Internet Speed
    1000/400Mbps
    Browser
    All sorts
    Antivirus
    Kaspersky Premium
    Other Info
    I’m on a horse.
  • Operating System
    Windows 11 Pro 23H2 Build: 22631.4249
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    LENOVO Yoga 7i EVO OLED 14" Touchscreen i5 12 Core 16GB/512GB
    CPU
    Intel Core 12th Gen i5-1240P Processor (1.7 - 4.4GHz)
    Memory
    16GB LPDDR5 RAM
    Graphics card(s)
    Intel Iris Xe Graphics Processor
    Sound Card
    Optimized with Dolby Atmos®
    Screen Resolution
    QHD 2880 x 1800 OLED
    Hard Drives
    M.2 512GB
    Antivirus
    Defender / Malwarebytes
    Other Info
    …still on a horse.
Edited removed bad autocorrect.
I use MS Authenticator on all my iDevices. If a user has Android then the MS app should be available on the Playstore.
I’d suggest downloading the app on one phone/device, set 2fa up on all websites which you wish to use it with - ensure you save all the shown backup codes during set up & also make sure the app is set to backup to the cloud in case you need to change phones or reinstall the app.
Once the backup is complete you can then install on another Android device & during setup choose the recovery option which should recover the entries.

Installing the app on more than one device ensures that should a problem occur you can always use another device to recover access.

Problems occur when users don’t save the backup codes &/or don’t ensure the app is set to backup to the cloud, then they find they can’t access the account after changing their device.
 
Last edited:

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 11 Pro 64bit
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    PC Specialist Optimus VII V17-960 Gaming Laptop.
    CPU
    6th Gen Intel Core i7-6700HQ Quad Core processor.
    Memory
    16GB HyperX IMPACT 1600MHz SODIMM DDR3 (2 x 8GB)
    Graphics Card(s)
    NVIDIA® GeForce® GTX 960M - 2.0GB DDR5 Video RAM - DirectX® 12
    Sound Card
    Intel 2 Channel High Def. Audio + SoundBlaster™ Cinema 2 & Realtek
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Optimus Series: 17.3" Matte Full HD IPS LED Widescreen (1920x1080)
    Screen Resolution
    Full HD IPS display (1920 x 1080).
    Hard Drives
    4TB SSD (internal).
    1x 1TB & 1x 5TB external HDDs.
    Cooling
    STANDARD THERMAL PASTE FOR SUFFICIENT COOLING
    Keyboard
    Logitech K800 wireless keyboard
    Mouse
    Logitech M705 wireless mouse
    Internet Speed
    Upto 100Mbps
    Browser
    Edge.
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender & MalwareBytes pro.
No authenticator works on all websites. I use Roboform which works on Android iOS and Windows. It will synch between these. It remembers passwords, passkeys, addresses, bank card details and any fields in a form. It also does 2FA. It works on most websites.
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Windows 11 Pro 24H2 26100.4202
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Acer Swift SF114-34
    CPU
    Pentium Silver N6000 1.10GHz
    Memory
    4GB
    Screen Resolution
    1920 x 1080
    Hard Drives
    SSD 2TB
    Cooling
    fanless
    Internet Speed
    150 Mbps
    Browser
    Brave
    Antivirus
    Webroot Secure Anywhere
    Other Info
    System 3

    ASUS T100TA Transformer
    Processor Intel Atom Z3740 @ 1.33GHz
    Installed RAM 2.00 GB (1.89 GB usable)
    System type 32-bit operating system, x64-based processor

    Edition Windows 10 Home
    Version 22H2 build 19045.3570
  • Operating System
    Windows 11 Pro 23H2 22631.2506
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    HP Mini 210-1090NR PC (bought in late 2009!)
    CPU
    Atom N450 1.66GHz
    Memory
    2GB
    Browser
    Brave
    Antivirus
    Webroot
MS Authenticator should work on any site that offers 2FA. I never came across any that it didn’t wotk on? Would have to be rare, but it should work on any popular website and then some.
Even my small obscure Aussie accounts and services work witj it. And we’re considered the bottom of the barrel 😁
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Windows 11 Pro 23H2 Build 22631.5335
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Sin-built
    CPU
    Intel(R) Core(TM) i7-4770K CPU @ 3.50GHz (4th Gen?)
    Motherboard
    ASUS ROG Maximus VI Formula
    Memory
    32.0 GB of I forget and the box is in storage.
    Graphics Card(s)
    Gigabyte nVidia GeForce GTX 1660 Super OC 6GB
    Sound Card
    Onboard
    Monitor(s) Displays
    5 x LG 25MS500-B - 1 x 24MK430H-B - 1 x Wacom Pro 22" Tablet
    Screen Resolution
    All over the place
    Hard Drives
    Too many to list.
    OS on Samsung 1TB 870 QVO SATA
    PSU
    Silverstone 1500
    Case
    NZXT Phantom 820 Full-Tower Case
    Cooling
    Noctua NH-D15 Elite Class Dual Tower CPU Cooler / 6 x EziDIY 120mm / 2 x Corsair 140mm somethings / 1 x 140mm Thermaltake something / 2 x 200mm Corsair.
    Keyboard
    Corsair K95 / Logitech diNovo Edge Wireless
    Mouse
    Logitech: G402 / G502 / Mx Masters / MX Air Cordless
    Internet Speed
    1000/400Mbps
    Browser
    All sorts
    Antivirus
    Kaspersky Premium
    Other Info
    I’m on a horse.
  • Operating System
    Windows 11 Pro 23H2 Build: 22631.4249
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    LENOVO Yoga 7i EVO OLED 14" Touchscreen i5 12 Core 16GB/512GB
    CPU
    Intel Core 12th Gen i5-1240P Processor (1.7 - 4.4GHz)
    Memory
    16GB LPDDR5 RAM
    Graphics card(s)
    Intel Iris Xe Graphics Processor
    Sound Card
    Optimized with Dolby Atmos®
    Screen Resolution
    QHD 2880 x 1800 OLED
    Hard Drives
    M.2 512GB
    Antivirus
    Defender / Malwarebytes
    Other Info
    …still on a horse.
I use Enpass but it’s a paid app. I also have 300 logins and I am yet to see any that don’t work. Some banks I am with though, will not allow the pasting of 2FA or passwords for security reasons.

IMG_3553.webp
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Windows 11 Pro 23H2 Build 22631.5335
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Sin-built
    CPU
    Intel(R) Core(TM) i7-4770K CPU @ 3.50GHz (4th Gen?)
    Motherboard
    ASUS ROG Maximus VI Formula
    Memory
    32.0 GB of I forget and the box is in storage.
    Graphics Card(s)
    Gigabyte nVidia GeForce GTX 1660 Super OC 6GB
    Sound Card
    Onboard
    Monitor(s) Displays
    5 x LG 25MS500-B - 1 x 24MK430H-B - 1 x Wacom Pro 22" Tablet
    Screen Resolution
    All over the place
    Hard Drives
    Too many to list.
    OS on Samsung 1TB 870 QVO SATA
    PSU
    Silverstone 1500
    Case
    NZXT Phantom 820 Full-Tower Case
    Cooling
    Noctua NH-D15 Elite Class Dual Tower CPU Cooler / 6 x EziDIY 120mm / 2 x Corsair 140mm somethings / 1 x 140mm Thermaltake something / 2 x 200mm Corsair.
    Keyboard
    Corsair K95 / Logitech diNovo Edge Wireless
    Mouse
    Logitech: G402 / G502 / Mx Masters / MX Air Cordless
    Internet Speed
    1000/400Mbps
    Browser
    All sorts
    Antivirus
    Kaspersky Premium
    Other Info
    I’m on a horse.
  • Operating System
    Windows 11 Pro 23H2 Build: 22631.4249
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    LENOVO Yoga 7i EVO OLED 14" Touchscreen i5 12 Core 16GB/512GB
    CPU
    Intel Core 12th Gen i5-1240P Processor (1.7 - 4.4GHz)
    Memory
    16GB LPDDR5 RAM
    Graphics card(s)
    Intel Iris Xe Graphics Processor
    Sound Card
    Optimized with Dolby Atmos®
    Screen Resolution
    QHD 2880 x 1800 OLED
    Hard Drives
    M.2 512GB
    Antivirus
    Defender / Malwarebytes
    Other Info
    …still on a horse.
HMRC, UK.gov are UK sites that use their own 2FA
I believe ID.me in the States does too.
 
Last edited:

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Windows 11 Pro 24H2 26100.4202
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Acer Swift SF114-34
    CPU
    Pentium Silver N6000 1.10GHz
    Memory
    4GB
    Screen Resolution
    1920 x 1080
    Hard Drives
    SSD 2TB
    Cooling
    fanless
    Internet Speed
    150 Mbps
    Browser
    Brave
    Antivirus
    Webroot Secure Anywhere
    Other Info
    System 3

    ASUS T100TA Transformer
    Processor Intel Atom Z3740 @ 1.33GHz
    Installed RAM 2.00 GB (1.89 GB usable)
    System type 32-bit operating system, x64-based processor

    Edition Windows 10 Home
    Version 22H2 build 19045.3570
  • Operating System
    Windows 11 Pro 23H2 22631.2506
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    HP Mini 210-1090NR PC (bought in late 2009!)
    CPU
    Atom N450 1.66GHz
    Memory
    2GB
    Browser
    Brave
    Antivirus
    Webroot

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Windows 11 Pro 23H2 Build 22631.5335
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Sin-built
    CPU
    Intel(R) Core(TM) i7-4770K CPU @ 3.50GHz (4th Gen?)
    Motherboard
    ASUS ROG Maximus VI Formula
    Memory
    32.0 GB of I forget and the box is in storage.
    Graphics Card(s)
    Gigabyte nVidia GeForce GTX 1660 Super OC 6GB
    Sound Card
    Onboard
    Monitor(s) Displays
    5 x LG 25MS500-B - 1 x 24MK430H-B - 1 x Wacom Pro 22" Tablet
    Screen Resolution
    All over the place
    Hard Drives
    Too many to list.
    OS on Samsung 1TB 870 QVO SATA
    PSU
    Silverstone 1500
    Case
    NZXT Phantom 820 Full-Tower Case
    Cooling
    Noctua NH-D15 Elite Class Dual Tower CPU Cooler / 6 x EziDIY 120mm / 2 x Corsair 140mm somethings / 1 x 140mm Thermaltake something / 2 x 200mm Corsair.
    Keyboard
    Corsair K95 / Logitech diNovo Edge Wireless
    Mouse
    Logitech: G402 / G502 / Mx Masters / MX Air Cordless
    Internet Speed
    1000/400Mbps
    Browser
    All sorts
    Antivirus
    Kaspersky Premium
    Other Info
    I’m on a horse.
  • Operating System
    Windows 11 Pro 23H2 Build: 22631.4249
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    LENOVO Yoga 7i EVO OLED 14" Touchscreen i5 12 Core 16GB/512GB
    CPU
    Intel Core 12th Gen i5-1240P Processor (1.7 - 4.4GHz)
    Memory
    16GB LPDDR5 RAM
    Graphics card(s)
    Intel Iris Xe Graphics Processor
    Sound Card
    Optimized with Dolby Atmos®
    Screen Resolution
    QHD 2880 x 1800 OLED
    Hard Drives
    M.2 512GB
    Antivirus
    Defender / Malwarebytes
    Other Info
    …still on a horse.
OK, I have edited my post.
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Windows 11 Pro 24H2 26100.4202
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Acer Swift SF114-34
    CPU
    Pentium Silver N6000 1.10GHz
    Memory
    4GB
    Screen Resolution
    1920 x 1080
    Hard Drives
    SSD 2TB
    Cooling
    fanless
    Internet Speed
    150 Mbps
    Browser
    Brave
    Antivirus
    Webroot Secure Anywhere
    Other Info
    System 3

    ASUS T100TA Transformer
    Processor Intel Atom Z3740 @ 1.33GHz
    Installed RAM 2.00 GB (1.89 GB usable)
    System type 32-bit operating system, x64-based processor

    Edition Windows 10 Home
    Version 22H2 build 19045.3570
  • Operating System
    Windows 11 Pro 23H2 22631.2506
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    HP Mini 210-1090NR PC (bought in late 2009!)
    CPU
    Atom N450 1.66GHz
    Memory
    2GB
    Browser
    Brave
    Antivirus
    Webroot

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Windows 11 Pro 23H2 Build 22631.5335
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Sin-built
    CPU
    Intel(R) Core(TM) i7-4770K CPU @ 3.50GHz (4th Gen?)
    Motherboard
    ASUS ROG Maximus VI Formula
    Memory
    32.0 GB of I forget and the box is in storage.
    Graphics Card(s)
    Gigabyte nVidia GeForce GTX 1660 Super OC 6GB
    Sound Card
    Onboard
    Monitor(s) Displays
    5 x LG 25MS500-B - 1 x 24MK430H-B - 1 x Wacom Pro 22" Tablet
    Screen Resolution
    All over the place
    Hard Drives
    Too many to list.
    OS on Samsung 1TB 870 QVO SATA
    PSU
    Silverstone 1500
    Case
    NZXT Phantom 820 Full-Tower Case
    Cooling
    Noctua NH-D15 Elite Class Dual Tower CPU Cooler / 6 x EziDIY 120mm / 2 x Corsair 140mm somethings / 1 x 140mm Thermaltake something / 2 x 200mm Corsair.
    Keyboard
    Corsair K95 / Logitech diNovo Edge Wireless
    Mouse
    Logitech: G402 / G502 / Mx Masters / MX Air Cordless
    Internet Speed
    1000/400Mbps
    Browser
    All sorts
    Antivirus
    Kaspersky Premium
    Other Info
    I’m on a horse.
  • Operating System
    Windows 11 Pro 23H2 Build: 22631.4249
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    LENOVO Yoga 7i EVO OLED 14" Touchscreen i5 12 Core 16GB/512GB
    CPU
    Intel Core 12th Gen i5-1240P Processor (1.7 - 4.4GHz)
    Memory
    16GB LPDDR5 RAM
    Graphics card(s)
    Intel Iris Xe Graphics Processor
    Sound Card
    Optimized with Dolby Atmos®
    Screen Resolution
    QHD 2880 x 1800 OLED
    Hard Drives
    M.2 512GB
    Antivirus
    Defender / Malwarebytes
    Other Info
    …still on a horse.
i use an authenticator extension within the browser
Authenticator: 2FA Client

Authenticator: 2FA Client - Microsoft Edge Addons

Make Microsoft Edge your own with extensions that help you personalize the browser and be more productive.
microsoftedge.microsoft.com

which works for the sites that i use it on.
best of luck, Steve ..
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Win 11 24H2 Home
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    HP 24" AiO
    CPU
    Ryzen 7 5825u
    Motherboard
    HP
    Memory
    64GB DDR4 3200
    Graphics Card(s)
    Ryzen 7 5825u
    Sound Card
    RealTek
    Monitor(s) Displays
    24" HP AiO
    Hard Drives
    1TB WD Blue SN580 M2 SSD Partitioned.
    2x 1TB USB HDD External Backup/Storage.
    Internet Speed
    1GB full fibre
    Browser
    Edge & Thunderbird
    Antivirus
    AVG Internet Security
    Other Info
    Mainly Open Source Software
  • Operating System
    Ubuntu 22.04.5 LTS
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Dell 13" Latitude 2017
    CPU
    i5 7200u
    Motherboard
    Dell
    Memory
    16GB DDR4
    Graphics card(s)
    Intel
    Sound Card
    Intel
    Monitor(s) Displays
    13" Dell Laptop
    Hard Drives
    250GB Crucial 2.5" SSD
    Mouse
    Gerenic 3 button
    Internet Speed
    WiFi only
    Browser
    FireFox
    Antivirus
    ClamAV TK
    Other Info
    Mainly Open Source Software
FYI -I'm not ignoring my thread. I've been too busy. Will read replies tomorrow.
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Windows 11 Pro
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    HP EliteDesk 705 G5
    CPU
    AMD Ryzen 5 Pro 3400GE
    Memory
    8GB DDR4 SDRAM
    Graphics Card(s)
    Integrated AMD Radeon Vega 11
    Hard Drives
    256 GB PCIe NVMe M.2 SSD
  • Operating System
    Windows 11 Home
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    DELL Inspiron 15-3576
    CPU
    Intel Core i5-8250U
    Memory
    8 GB DDR4 - 2400 SODIMM
    Graphics card(s)
    Intel UHD Graphics 620
    Hard Drives
    256GB SK Hynix SC311 SATA SSD
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