Warning: Google Authenticator upgrade loses all accounts

#1

Post by calvin » Wed, Sep 04, 2013, 5:33 AM UTC

I upgraded Google Authenticator to the latest version this evening on my iPhone. It lost all my accounts.

DO NOT UPGRADE Google Authenticator or you'll have a really bad day.

People on Twitter are starting to complain: https://twitter.com/search?q=google%20authenticator&src=typd

Re: Warning: Google Authenticator upgrade loses all accounts

#2

Post by michaelrbock » Wed, Sep 04, 2013, 5:45 AM UTC

Don't upgrade! I just had this unpleasant experience and warned everyone about 15 minutes ago: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6325745

Re: Warning: Google Authenticator upgrade loses all accounts

#3

Post by markwakeford » Wed, Sep 04, 2013, 5:45 AM UTC

Use HDE OTP, its a better looking app anyway.

Re: Warning: Google Authenticator upgrade loses all accounts

#4

Post by drivebyacct2 » Wed, Sep 04, 2013, 5:51 AM UTC

How did 3 minutes of dogfooding not catch this?

Re: Warning: Google Authenticator upgrade loses all accounts

#5

Post by [deleted] » Wed, Sep 04, 2013, 5:53 AM UTC

[deleted]

Re: Warning: Google Authenticator upgrade loses all accounts

#6

Post by PLejeck » Wed, Sep 04, 2013, 5:54 AM UTC

I actually just switched to Duo Mobile earlier today because of iOS 7 issues with Authenticator; this just cements my decision to switch.

Edit: oddly iOS 7 hasn't autoinstalled this yet.

Re: Warning: Google Authenticator upgrade loses all accounts

#7

Post by clarkm » Wed, Sep 04, 2013, 5:57 AM UTC

For those looking for Google Authenticator alternatives, I recommend either Duo Mobile from Duo Security or Authy. I ditched Google Authenticator a while ago and haven't missed it one bit -- having a single app manage my two-factor tokens / keys is much more convenient.

Re: Warning: Google Authenticator upgrade loses all accounts

#8

Post by calvin » Wed, Sep 04, 2013, 5:57 AM UTC

If you offer two-factor authentication for your website, be prepared for a surge in support requests today. When I talked to one of my providers on the phone, they stated they are already getting a surge in calls because of this app update.

Re: Warning: Google Authenticator upgrade loses all accounts

#9

Post by dknecht » Wed, Sep 04, 2013, 5:58 AM UTC

The Authy app is great and supports Google, Dropbox, CloudFlare, Amazon…

Re: Warning: Google Authenticator upgrade loses all accounts

#10

Post by elithrar » Wed, Sep 04, 2013, 5:59 AM UTC

PLejeck wrote: post #6

I actually just switched to Duo Mobile earlier today because of iOS 7 issues with Authenticator; this just cements my decision to switch. Edit: oddly iOS 7 hasn't autoinstalled this yet.

> I actually just switched to Duo Mobile earlier today because of iOS 7 issues with Authenticator; this just cements my decision to switch.

I moved all my non-critical stuff over (to test it out), saw the Google Authenticator update, and then had to go and reconfigure those accounts anyway.

I highly recommend making sure your backup phone number is updated and verified and/or you have backup codes prepped.