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by flafla2 2944 days ago
> They also know that an iPhone without access to Google Maps, Search, Mail, Authenticator, Youtube and a whole lot of other essential services won't be worth much to end users anymore.

Google Authenticator => Authy (it reimplements google auth) Search => Safari Gmail => Native Mail (its not like Google will drop IMAP support)

Killing YouTube on iOS would be pretty bad for Apple, but I’m sure that wouldn’t be profitable for Google (cutting off a third of an already-unprofitable company? no thanks). What’s left bedides that, Google docs? Well Apple has their own suite so does Microsoft. And they both have web editors that rival Google Docs and support multi-user editing. In general I’m pretty skeptical about this assertion that Apple “can’t” step on Google’s toes.
2 comments
Aaargh20318 2943 days ago
> Google Authenticator => Authy (it reimplements google auth)

It doesn't reimplement Google Auth. Both are just different implementations of RFC 6238.

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oldcynic 2943 days ago
Authy want an email before you can do anything with it, and is cloud centred, so that's probably just sending your usage to someone else.

Try OTP Auth[0] on iOS that fully respects privacy and security. It was Authy asking for email first that prompted me to search and find this.

[0] https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/otp-auth/id659877384

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flafla2 2943 days ago
Authy encrypts all of your data with a private passkey that is never sent to Twilio (the parent company) [0]. I found the ability to sync 2FA across devices to be convenient and a good compromise to “if you lose your phone, you’re screwed.” I can understand both perspectives, but I think Authy has done a great job at improving the usability of 2FA without sacrificing security. This is certainly more secure than SMS-based 2FA which most people currently use.

(Disclaimer: I am currently employed by Twilio. I am not involved with Authy in any way)

[0] https://support.authy.com/hc/en-us/articles/115001932768-Aut...

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nickflood 2941 days ago
Microsoft Authenticator is another alternative and it doesn't need anything (plus is handy for MS 2fa). There's DUO. And I'd wager there are countless other apps as the standard is really simple.
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