Authy’s apps for Android and iOS feature sparse, sleek user interfaces, with each website token’s associated logo prominently displayed. There are two ways to view your tokens. If you choose the list view, each will be displayed on the dashboard screen. In grid view, only one token is displayed at a time. You can rearrange the tokens on the dashboard and choose an icon to display, but the app lacks customization options or even the option to hide your codes from someone who may be peeking over your shoulder. You can lock the app using MFA, though. For example, on iOS, you can use Face ID or a passcode to open Authy.
(Credit: Twilio/PCMag)
To add a code to your token list, scan a QR code or enter a code manually to register the app for MFA on your preferred website. I enabled MFA for my shopping and social media accounts using Authy without any problems. To use Authy during login, enter the six-digit code displayed on the app dashboard.
Unlike 2FAS and other apps, Authy does not allow you to import tokens from competing authenticator apps. This makes switching from a different authenticator app to Authy pretty time-consuming, especially if you have a lot of accounts.
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Here’s how to switch from your old authenticator app to Authy:
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Sign in to your online accounts.
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Disable MFA for each platform or website.
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Re-enable MFA.
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Scan the QR code associated with each entry.
If you have MFA codes for all of your online accounts, switching away from Authy will be inconvenient and time-consuming. You also risk locking yourself out of an account if you forget to switch everything in your vault to Authy and delete the old authenticator app. Authy doesn’t allow you to export your authentication codes either, so it’s as difficult to leave the app as it is to switch to it.
(Credit: Twilio/PCMag)
If you’re hoping to switch from Authy to a new authenticator app right now, the best time to do so was 30 days ago. That’s because when you request to delete your Authy account, Twilio may take up to 30 days to complete the deletion. As of publication time, my test account has not been deleted yet.
Backing Up Account Info With Authy
(Credit: Twilio/PCMag)
Once you’re all set up, create a backup key to encrypt your tokens. Backing up your tokens is optional. According to a post on Authy’s blog, your files are encrypted on your device and then sent to Authy’s cloud storage. In the future, I’d like to see an option to back up data to my own secure online storage or online storage that Twilio doesn’t control. 2FAS allows backing up to both iCloud and Google Drive.
