how to have your phone stolen: the aftermath

September 26, 2024 12:04 PM

My Iphone was stolen. 700 euros later I have a new one- same number, same apple ID, everything. But I can't get into Gmail and other accounts requiring two factor authentication on my new phone- the old phone is still getting the notifications. Surely people lose their phones/they are stolen all the time, is there an easier way to navigate this?

I still have access to Gmail on my Chromebook. New phone seems to get SMS texts and incoming calls just fine. Old phone is reported lost on my apple account, is locked and is in airplane mode. I'm so anxious to change my passwords to everything but fear getting locked out of important stuff if 2 factor authentication doesn't work. Oh, and all this is happening while I'm traveling abroad for extra difficulty.

posted by genmonster to Technology (5 answers total)

Best answer: You can remove your Google account from your stolen phone, which should prevent the issue you are having and allow you to use another 2FA option to log in again. You might need to do something similar for other accounts that are using app-based 2FA.
posted by ssg at 12:13 PM on September 26

Don't you have a print-out or saved text file of your Google emergency codes? Those should act as 2FA substitutes.
posted by lhauser at 5:32 PM on September 26 [1 favorite]

After logging in, on the screen where it says that you should check your phone for a notification, there should be a link in the bottom right that says "Try another way". Clicking this should allow you to use an alternative option like SMS, or allow you to get help with the account if none of those options work.
posted by Aleyn at 7:40 PM on September 26

Don't you have a print-out or saved text file of your Google emergency codes? Those should act as 2FA substitutes.

lol.

But that is a good reminder for everyone to print out your backup codes.
posted by JohnnyGunn at 9:57 PM on September 26 [8 favorites]

But that is a good reminder for everyone to print out your backup codes.

You can also add a backup or alternate phone. My partner and I added each other's phones.
posted by vacapinta at 2:42 AM on September 27 [1 favorite]