How to transfer Authy to a new phone

Jack Wallen walks you through the steps of transferring Authy from one phone to another.

Authy is a two-factor authentication app that makes it possible for you to easily work with 2FA codes for the apps and services you use.

Two-factor authentication adds a layer of security to the sites and services you use. Once you’ve added 2FA to a site, it will not only prompt you for your account credentials (username/password) but a six-digit code that is generated by a 2FA app (such as Authy) and is associated with your account. Without that six-digit code, you cannot log in to your account.

Once you start using Authy on your mobile device, at some point you’re going to have to transfer the account to another device.

SEE: Mobile device security policy (TechRepublic Premium)

What you’ll need

To make this work, you’ll need the Authy app installed on your current mobile device. When you originally installed the app, you associated it with the phone number of that original phone. You’ll also need the Authy app installed on your new phone. How you install that app will depend on which mobile operating system you use (Android or iOS).

How to transfer Authy

Unfortunately, due to security issues, Authy doesn’t allow users to take screenshots within the application, so you’ll have to follow along closely with the written instructions. I’ll describe the process in such a way that you shouldn’t have any problems following along.

Open Authy on your old phone and tap the 3-dot menu button at the top right of the screen. From the menu drop-down, tap Settings. In the Settings window, you’ll see three tabs at the top of the screen: My Account, Accounts, Devices. Tap Devices and you should see a mostly empty page with an ON/OFF slider that’s in the default OFF position. To share Authy to a new phone, you must switch on multi-device support, so tap the ON/OFF slider so it’s in the ON position.

After enabling multi-device support on Authy, open the app on the new phone, where you’ll be prompted for your Country Code and Phone Number. You can select your Country Code from the drop-down and then type your phone number. This phone number must be the same number associated with your previous phone because that’s the number associated with your Authy account.

Once you type your phone number, tap Submit at the bottom of the screen and then select which means of verification you want — from Use Existing Device With Authy Installed, Receive SMS Message, or Receive Call.

If you’ve already inserted your SIM card into the new phone, tap Receive SMS Message. If you’ve yet to install the SIM card to the new device, tap Use Existing Device With Authy Installed, which will then push a New Device request to the original phone. On the old phone, tap Accept, and then, when prompted, type OK and tap OK.

You should then see all of your 2FA entries in Authy on the new device.

That’s all there is to making Authy available to multiple devices. One thing to keep in mind is that this isn’t actually a transfer, so all of your accounts will remind in Authy on your old device. If you plan on selling, donating or giving that old device away, make sure to uninstall Authy and do a factory reset to ensure none of your data can be accessed.

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