Dual two factor authentication

Does anyone know how I can add 2 mobile numbers for two factor authentication? There are two of us sharing the house app. Thank u

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Good question @BrtYv! When opting in to use 2-factor authentication with your account, you’ll need to enter a phone number for a unique code to be received upon logging in. If you plan on using multiple mobile devices or are allowing a family member to log in, you will need to be present to confirm the code as only one number can be added. We recommend any shared users that are added also use the 2fa procedure.

Check out our help center article on 2fa to learn more. I hope this helps! :slight_smile:

There’s no doubt in my mind that 2FA adds (in a valuable way) to the security of Ring and the data it generates and stores. But to me the ability to only have one listed number at a time is a potential source of problems. What if, as an example, my primary phone gets lost - or stolen - or dies - and I need to add the Ring app to another backup device? I can’t change the phone number because I can’t log into my account to change it, and the code sent to authenticate can’t be recieved because I don’t have access to the device with that number. I’m stuck now needing CS help to change the number to a phone I have access to before I can regain access to the Ring apps and I’m concerned that this solution might not be as easy or quick as it needs to be.

Other accounts which use 2FA allow me to have more than one phone number listed AND the ability to pick which one to use when I need to authenticate to add an authorized device (the Apple ID account is a good example of this and I actually have 4 phone numbers I could use in any situation where my primary number can’t be used). For this reason I haven’t (yet) enabled 2FA and probably won’t until I have some sense as to how to solve the problem if my primary (and only) device can’t be used.

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I think beyond the fact that there is only one 2FA with no backup is that the only 2FA is SMS. While it is better than nothing, SMS is a poor implementation for 2FA as it is fairly easily hacked compared to other methods. There need to be other methods available like FIDO U2F or authenticator apps that are more robust.

However, a workaround to the OP issue would be to get a Google Voice number (or something similar) and use that for the 2FA number. You could then load the Google Voice app on any device you need it on, sign in to it with your Google account, and retreive the text from there even if you don’t forward the Google Voice number to that phone.

I agree 100% that not allowing more than 1 2FA number per ring account is a lowsy implementation of 2FA. Not to mention that if they want to force you into making multiple ring user accounts in order to enable 2FA on multiple devices, that’s

(1) decreasing security becuase it’s multiple logins that can be compromised, and

(2) decreasing security because each user is required to have a **unique ** 4-digit PIN code to give access to the alarm system; you can’t just assign the same already-in-use PIN code. And given how weak 4-digits already are, increasing the number of accepted 4-digit codes just further weakens security that much further.

As a side note, it seems like Ring is currently enabling and requiring email-based 2FA if you don’t already have SMS-based 2FA, and this seems like an actual superior solution because my email account security is far better than SMS-based security, and I also can easily make an Ring account email address forward to multiple addresses, thus covering 2FA for multiple people/devices with the same Ring account.

In response to Marley_Ring:

That is a horrible answer. Both my wife and I use the ring app. We only have one doorbell, but we are two separate people. If I am away, she wants to check who is at the door on *her* phone. Every time the Ring app updates, you have to log in again *and* do the two factor authentication. If I’m not there she can’t get the code, so the Ring app and hardware become useless.

You need to fix this. It is a security and usability issue with your product.

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Hi @N12345. Chiming in for Marley here! If both you and your wife are using the Ring app to secure your home, I would suggest adding her as a Shared User. A Shared User can have access to monitor all of the Ring devices on the account. The only thing a Shared User cannot do, is modify the account or device information i.e. delete a device. As a shared user, she can login with her own credentials and have two factor authentication setup for her phone number. I hope this helps!

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Has there been any change in how 2FA has been implemented other than the elimination of Email? I was attempting to use the LastPass Authentication Application for two (2) devices, one for me and one for my wife, using one (1) account. The only current solution, as mentioned previously and is less secure, is have two (2) accounts, one master and one shared. Although the Telephone Support person had me switch to SMS (a less secure method), I realized that two account solution solution works equally well with both SMS and Authorization Apps.