crunchysteve

Yesterday was "New Phone Day" and the only thing Apple don't backup to iCloud is logins. That's good. So, today, I go to check my mail on my phone as soon as I wake up, and have to log it back into Google. This is where it gets weird.

Some "Pointy-Haired Boss" at Google (yeah, I know, Scott Addams has gone cooker, but the reference applies) has decided 2 factor auth via email is unsafe, so I could only 2FA my email account using Google Photos. I have iPhoto, why would I ever waste my time on G-Photos. Turns out Youtube will do, too, which I do have. But here's the really dumb thing...

Gmail is logged in on my Mac, but I couldn't use email for 2FA. Neither Google Photos, nor Youtube were logged in on my new phone, and neither required 2FA to log in! So the 2FA challenge, "prove you are you" was both factors on the same device and no challenge in the authorising app. Great decision, Google, remove mail 2FA as an option, try to force people to use your apps and make your 2FA actually useless at proving the person getting in is the authorised person. You see why "Pointy-Haired Boss" applies, right? FFS, Google, you guys are supposed to be really good at this shit.