Changed my mind about 2FA after getting locked out of my email at O'Hare

I always thought two-factor authentication was overkill since my passwords were strong. Then I was stuck in O'Hare airport last month, my phone died, and I couldn't log into my Gmail to print my boarding pass because it kept sending codes to my dead phone. Had to wait 45 minutes at a help desk to get it sorted. Now I use an authenticator app instead of SMS codes because it works offline. Has anyone else been burned by SMS 2FA at the worst possible moment?

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lee7334mo ago

Exact same thing happened to me at LAX last year, phone died and Google locked me out of my boarding pass for 40 minutes. Now I keep a printed list of backup codes in my wallet specifically for airport situations.

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finley_bennett284mo ago

Wait, are backup codes actually going to work in that situation though? I tried to use mine once at JFK when my phone was dead and the airline app literally required me to pull up the code from inside my email, which I couldn't get into because the verification code was being sent to my dead phone lol. The whole system is so broken if you think about it, like what happens when someone steals your wallet with your backup codes in it too. I started keeping a small piece of paper taped inside my laptop case with not just the codes but also an old screenshot of my boarding pass just in case. Honestly the whole thing is a mess and makes me miss the days when they just checked your ID and handed you a paper ticket.

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