Registering a Google account today is something everyone should do because Google offers some of the best free online services and the best applications to surf the internet, all accessible from that one account. On another page I had said how to see a complete list of all the web applications of the Google world which includes, among the best known: Gmail, Reader, Books, YouTube, Blogger, Documents, Google Earth, Maps, Translate and so on.
Among the Google services there are also commercial ones such as Adsense and Adwords, the Google Checkout online payment system and applications for those who manage websites with Analytics and Webmaster tools.
Furthermore, it cannot be forgotten that those who have an Android mobile phone can access the applications using their Google account.
To make optimal use of all these services, an account must be registered.
Since this account can contain sensitive and important data (I think mainly of Gmail or Blogger), as well as financial information from which you can also move money (buy online with a Google account), the Google account is as important as the account registered on your online banking and you need to protect it .
READ ALSO: You can create a Google account without Gmail
Google's recent news allows you to protect yourself from unauthorized access to your account, with a new login procedure called two-step verification .
It is a protection system very similar to that used by online banks where, to make financial transactions, you have to log in with your normal password and then enter a code that changes every time.
The two-step authentication basically adds a second login phase so, after the username and password, you must also enter the code that can be received via SMS, via an automatic call from Google or from an application to be installed on the Android smartphone, BlackBerry or iPhone
The code is temporary and can be used only once, while logging in to the account.
If you log in from your home PC, you can ensure that the code is no longer required (you can store it for a maximum of 30 days) but if you log in from another computer, you must receive a new one and enter it during the login phase.
The two-step verification, which I really invite everyone to do immediately, can be activated by accessing the account management page . By clicking on the link, you access a guided procedure which asks you to authenticate your mobile phone.
Those who use an Android smartphone or iPhone can download the Google Authenticator application on their mobile phone.
Those who have a normal mobile phone instead can receive the code via SMS or by receiving an absolutely free and automatic phone call where a voice communicates the pin.
You must therefore enter your mobile phone number, which can also be used to recover the password of the Google account in case it is forgotten, and enter, when requested, the code received to authenticate from your computer.
If you lose your mobile phone or smartphone with the application, you can always receive the code via SMS and reinstall the application on the new mobile phone.
If you change your phone number, you can change it.
However, if the mobile phone is not available for some reason and therefore, it is impossible to receive the code to access the Google account, you need to print the backup codes that Google has provided in this case.
As some applications for Android or iPhone and Blackberry or certain programs for the computer such as, for example, Gmail mobile, Gmail backup, POP and IMAP authentication and Google Chrome applications (such as synchronization) do not support two-pass access, you can generate a specific password for that application, by clicking where it is written Generate new application specific password .
Practically, every time a program or application for PC or mobile phone requires access with the Google account, even if you are not sure of the security of the program, you enter this specific password generated for the occasion and not usable for other purposes.
A hacker would now need to access both the phone and Google login information to access the account.
After completing the procedure you will feel much safer and more confident in using the various Google applications, especially private ones such as Gmail and online services that have to do with money.
I can assure you that double authentication is not annoying because you can store it on your PC and phone and because the code is received instantly, both if requested via SMS, as well as via automatic call and from the Android, iPhone and Blackberry application.
To answer frequently asked questions and doubts about this double Google check, let's say briefly that:
- If the mobile phone does not take the signal, you can install (on Android and iPhone only) the Google Authenticator app.
- If the mobile phone is lost or empty, you can always print a small piece of paper with 10 emergency codes to keep in your wallet.
- It is not necessary to write the PIN every time, you can tell Google to consider a reliable computer for 30 days.
You can also use Google Authenticator online on a browser where you have to enter your google Gmail account using a specific disposable password to be created as written above.
The Authenticator can also be used without a mobile phone (to be used only on your computer).
In another article there is the guide to solve login problems in Gmail and regain access to a Google account
