Ask HN: How to recover Google auth after phone stolen?
My phone was stolen, and now I can't access any accounts tied to Google or protected by 2FA on that phone. Google's automated recovery options are useless because they require my old phone, current phone, or an old email I haven't used in 12 years. Is there any way to appeal 2FA or get human help, or am I completely locked out of society?
If you don't have the authenticator backup codes and you didn't turn on cloud sync in the app, you might be out of luck. You can get a replacement SIM though and use it with a new phone, so the phone number recovery option should work.
The only secret option I know of is to have a popular social media account and complain online. Other than that, I copy/pasted your post into Claude and it had some good ideas.
need to save your recovery keys (text file) before you lost the phone
There's no way, no human contact. That's why I de-googled myself.
- ticulatedspline
Isn't there an SMS option? buy a new phone and have them send you an OTP via SMS.
> once you're phone is gone, you are completely over with society?
yes, I'm waiting for the Black-Mirror episode where someone drops their phone and basically dies, can't contact anyone, can't unlock or start their car, can't get an uber, can't pay for anything, can't navigate without gps, can't log into anything etc.
- Gengar
You are screwed. I lost access to my account, by trying to buy YouTube premium ironically. If Google even tried to help me I would still use them but they don't, so I switched to Proton and use YouTube with VPN only so they get zero ad revenue :)
- sampullman
If you don't have the authenticator backup codes and you didn't turn on cloud sync in the app, you might be out of luck.
You can get a replacement SIM though and use it with a new phone, so the phone number recovery option should work.
- mrj
This is why my self-hosted Vaultwarden is my one password that I have to remember and requires no 2fa, which is the only important account that doesn't have 2fa.
If I wake up in a bathtub missing a kidney I can still get to my passwords and 2fa sources stored with it. Some accounts require SMS (annoyingly) so I'd have to buy a phone but the auth and credit card numbers I need to do that are in Vaultwarden, too.
I don't have good solutions now for OP (other than buy a new phone through your carrier and transfer the number). But everyone else do think through your personal DRP. Generate backup codes and put them somewhere safe, too.
- joshmn
I had similar issues: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45451567 (including my personal domain, Dropbox; my Apple account is still MIA...)
We've all been reduced to a passphrase.
When I've lobbed this scenario to the security managers/employees at these companies, they all give me a really great answer:
Q: What happens if a sitting senator gets mugged and they have their printed 2fa codes sitting in their wallet?
A: They have a special number they can call.
- SoftTalker
You're going to have more success working with the providers of the other accounts and services rather than Google. That means a lot more legwork on your part but banks and other online services all have processes to deal with lost passwords and 2FA devices. In some cases you may have to physically go somewhere with ID and other documents.
Consider it a learning experience.
- luka
I'll fill out a "help my friend" form internally unless someone beats me to it (I have a 1hr meeting coming up). The gmail address in question is the same one as on your website?
- beej71
It's a good reminder to everyone who uses 2FA. Be sure you have multiple ways in for when your phone becomes unusable.