Lost all 2FA stuff, advice?

  • So much for security. Basically my phone was having a lot of issues so I decided to fully factory reset it. I forgot that 2FA stuff wouldn't transfer over. I was using Google Authenticator. I did make a backup, but it seems to be useless. All the backup does is queue a list of apps to download and doesn't even preserve any of the data. I tried restoring the backup and guess what? It didn't restore anything other than a list of apps to download. No old data from the apps is there and I don't even have photos that should've been backed up. Not worried about the photos as they were already backed up externally, but the 2FA tokens are a disaster. I was able to use SMS verification for a few services, but I'm totally locked out of a few. Is there any way I can salvage the backup I made of my iPhone before restoring it? I made one on my Mac and on my PC (two places to be safe). I might be able to open it in 3uTools maybe. Basically calling the God StevenNL2000 himself.


    Edit: I actually should note that even though the backup was on my phone I restored it on my iPad. I didn't want to accidentally update my phone because it's on a jailbreakable version. I doubt doing it on the phone itself would make a difference, it's just data for the exact same operating system on a different screen size

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  • Every service I know of that uses TOTP (the 6-digit codes) strongly urges you to save backup codes for the exact situation that you lose your 2FA device. Did you not do anything with those?

  • @StevenNL2000#18989 some of them never gave me backup codes (for example, JumpCloud). I did save the ones for OVH in my password manager but no such luck for NameCheap which is arguably really really important. I have no idea where they are now. I've clean installed Windows many times so I've probably lost them

    • Best Answer

    Apple backups should contain the app data most of the time, but it might be that it doesn't like restoring to iPad? I know when I restored my I cloud backup to a new phone a while back all the data came with it.


    Your best best probably will be to contact the support teams to the ones you can't get into. There are ways to manually verify your identity other than with your 2fa. I have requests like it on an from time to time and we have ways to prove the individual raising the request is highly likely to be the owner or would have had the 2fa token anyway if not.

    Wild1145

    Network Owner at TotalFreedom

    Managing Director at ATLAS Media Group Ltd.

    Founder & Owner at MastodonApp.UK

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