Google Authenticator is designed to provide stronger security for your Google Account when signing in. But some users reported that they encountered the Google Authenticator not working issue, making their account at risk. This article on MiniTool Website will present some fixes to resolve the issue.
Google Authenticator can be named a Google two-factor authenticator code. This 2-step verification offers stronger security for your Google account by requiring a second step of verification when you sign in and you’ll also need a code generated by the Google Authenticator app on your phone.
It can be a good method to protect your privacy and data.
Why Do Google Authenticator Codes Stop Working?
Some users find issues with Google Authenticator and that may happen for the time correction for codes being out of sync.
Because two-step verification services use the Time-based One-time Password Algorithm and HMAC-based One-time Password algorithm for authenticating users of software applications if the time of the code is out of sync, the Google Authenticator codes stop working.
Besides, the issue can also be triggered by misconfigured time and date on your phone. But in some cases, this issue can occur because the platform that you are trying to use it on has some problems. If you find Google two-factor authenticator (2FA) code not working, you can contact the customer support of the platform.
How to Fix Google Authenticator Not Working Issue?
Fix 1: Sync the App’s Time
First of all, you need to make sure the time on your Google Authenticator app is synced correctly.
Step 1: Open the Google Authenticator app on your device.
Step 2: Tap on the three-vertical-dot icon in the top-right corner.
Step 3: Tap on Settings from the drop-down menu.
Step 4: Choose the Time correction for codes option on the Settings screen.
Step 5: Go to choose the Sync now option and then a box will appear to connect to Google’s server and sync the time.
Note: It's important to note that doing this will not change the date and time on your phone, but will only apply to the Google Verification program.
Fix 2: Check the Time and Date on Your Phone
If the last method has been tried and turned out to be useless, the “Google Authenticator not working” issue may be root in your misconfigured phone date and time. Follow the next steps to try this method.
For iOS users
Step 1: Go to Settings on your device and navigate to General.
Step 2: Locate and tap on the Date & Time option on the General menu.
Step 3: Enable the option of Set Automatically.
For Android users
Step 1: Go to Settings on your device and scroll down to Date and Time and open it.
Step 2: Then choose General Management from the menu and make sure that the Set automatically option is enabled.
Note: Some phones’ options may be different and the above steps can be your references.
After that, you can check if the issues with Google Authenticator have been resolved.
Fix 3: Update the Authenticator App
Another fix is to check if your Google Authenticator app has been the latest version. Keeping your program up to date can help you fix some bugs exited in the old version so a quick update will clarify if this is really the case.
Step 1: Go to your Play Store or App Store and search for the Google Authenticator app.
Step 2: Go to the Google Authenticator app and check if there is any available update. Just download the update and after that, check if the Authenticator issue has gone.
Bottom Line:
After reading this article, you can find a way to troubleshoot the Google Authenticator not working issue. Hope this article can be useful for you.
About The Author
Position: Columnist
Anna is an editor of the MiniTool Team. She worked in this big family since her graduation. Her articles mainly focus on data backup and recovery, disk cloning, and file syncing, committed to resolving the data loss issues users may encounter on their PCs. Besides, more related computer articles are shared here. In her leisure time, she enjoys reading and watching movies. Travel can also be a good choice for her.