How to use your Android phone as a two-factor authentication security key

Google has added a new way to check your credentials this week: use your Android phone as a physical security key for two-factor authentication. You should use two-factor authentication to connect to websites, so that even if someone has your password because of a data breach, they will not be able to access it. And now, with the new feature, if you're using an Android 7 phone or higher, you also have a convenient security key.

It's more secure than many existing 2FA options (such as using SMS), because your phone will register with your computer via Bluetooth to make sure you're on the right website and you're not not phishing. SMS can be hacked and most other secondary methods of verifying your credentials will not be able to check if you are trying to connect to the correct site.

Your computer must be running Windows 10, macOS, or Chrome OS, with any version of Chrome 72 or later. (It's worth noting that Google does not allow you to configure this via a mobile device, so you can not use one phone to set up another.) Before you begin, make sure that Bluetooth is turned on on your phone.

Here's how to configure it:

• If you're not, make sure to add a Google Account to your phone by going to Settings> Accounts> Add Account> Google.
• Then, on your computer, open a Google Chrome browser.
• Go to myaccount.google.com/security on Chrome and click "2-Step Verification".

• If the two-step verification is not yet configured, enter this site and follow the instructions below. TL; DR means you have to log in, enter a phone number and select the secondary verification methods you want, which brings us back to …
• Scroll through the list of secondary methods and select "Add Security Key".
• Choose your phone from the list of options. it should appear automatically.

That's all! You have set your phone as a security key. You can now sign in to Gmail, Google Cloud and other Google services and use your phone as a secondary verification method. Just make sure your phone is near your computer each time you try to connect. Your computer will tell you that your phone displays a prompt. Tap on the prompt to check your connection and you're ready!

Here are some screenshots of what it looks like when you are asked to check your connection on your phone. This looks like what Google Prompt already looks like, the main difference being that your phone will check with the website that this one is correct.

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