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I set up 2FA on my email in March and locked myself out twice in one week
Back in March I finally turned on two factor authentication for my email after a guy at my bank in Reno warned me about a rise in account takeovers. I picked an authenticator app instead of text codes because everyone said it was safer, but I did not save the backup codes anywhere except my phone. Three days later my phone screen cracked and died, and I had no way to log in, so I had to call support and prove my identity with old bank statements. The second lockout happened when I wiped the app by mistake during an update. I learned that 2FA is only as good as your backup plan, so now I keep printed codes in a fireproof box. Curious what the rest of you use for recovery, an old phone, a hardware key, or paper like me?
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rivershah22d ago
Did you at least get a cool scar or a good story out of the whole mess? My own version of this was saving my backup codes in a note on the same phone I was locking myself out of, which I guess is like hiding your spare key under the doormat of the house you just locked. I finally printed mine and tossed them in a folder with my passport. It is not fancy but at least the folder will not crack if I drop it. Paper sounds dumb until it is the only thing that saves you.
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