Transfer Authy App to a New Phone

One of the main reasons we recommend Authy as the two-factor authentication app to use instead of Google Authenticator or other TOTP 2FA apps is because it has the ability to transfer all of your 2FA access tokens to a new device. This ensures that whenever you get a new phone, you don’t lose all your tokens and have to setup again like you do with most other token 2FA apps.

This means you don’t have to worry about losing access to your protected online accounts just because your phone gets lost, broken, or stolen. You can either transfer the access from one phone to another or keep your account accessible on two devices, so it is even easier to access your tokens. Both options have similar procedures, only differing by one step, however, if the process is done incorrectly, you can leave your account vulnerable. Below is an outline of the steps you need to take.

***Important Notes on Transferring to a New Device***

If you are transferring to a new device, you will need access to WiFi internet during the process. You will need to make sure your old device is connected to a WiFi internet connection so you will be able to access the internet after you transfer over your cell service.

After your old device is connected to WiFi, go ahead and follow whatever steps your carrier requires to transfer service to your new device, however, make sure you don’t factory reset or reformat your old device until you are done transferring the Authy App.

After your new device is successfully activated and working, power back on your old device and make sure you are connected to the WiFi internet. You may then proceed with the below steps.

Enable Multi-Device

To transfer, the Multi-Device option needs to be enabled. It is disabled by default. To enable Multi-Device, on your old device open Authy and select “Settings” (on iOS) or the three vertical dots then “Settings” (on Android).

For iOS, select the “Devices” tab located at the bottom of your screen. For Android, you’ll find the same tab near the top of the screen. Once under the tab, select “Allow Multi-device” to enable the toggle.

Download Authy on the New Phone

On your new device, go to the Google Play Store or Apple App Store and download Authy.

Transfer Access

On your new phone, open the Authy app that you just downloaded. When you first open, a page will appear asking for your phone number. Input your phone number and a new prompt will appear asking you to verify your account by either using your old device, by phone, or by SMS. Since using an existing phone is both the easiest and safest method, we will use with that one in these steps.

Select the “Use existing device” option and a new prompt will ask you to wait for approval. On your old phone, a notification will appear asking you to approve the new device. When you get this prompt, select the “Accept” option, which prompts a new popup asking you to input “Yes” (on iOS) or “OK” (on Android). Input the text and select “OK,” and after a few seconds, your new device will have access to your account and your tokens will load.

Unlock Your Database

When your tokens first load, you will notice that all your accounts have a small red padlock next to their name. This icon indicates that these accounts are encrypted and require a passcode to be entered before you can access them. Select any account and it will bring up the “Decrypt Accounts” page. Input your password (the one you created when you first signed up for Authy) and select the “decrypt account” button.

Once done correctly with the correct password, you will no longer see the red padlock(s) and you’ll be able to see all your account tokens again.