How to enable and set up Authy App the two factor authentications on your iPad to make it more secure?

There was a time when you were dependent on a single password for all your tech devices be it your PC, iPhone or iPad. Google had started the two step authentication of passwords few years back whenever you browsed with its Google chrome. Now with the coming of Apps things have made much easier for many devices.

The requirement for two factor authentication came in demand because often passwords were hacked and cracked. Two-factor authentication, which uses your phone number to send a secondary code you have to enter, is much stronger.

You can now have an app for two factor authentication for your iPad or iPhone and it is called the Authy App. Authy was recently acquired by Twillo, but the company still plans to support its two-factor authentication customers, so you don’t have to worry about it mysteriously disappearing anytime soon.

What is two-factor authentication?

Two-factor authentication is the most prevalent way to secure your accounts: It asks you to authenticate that you are who you say you are by supplying not only your password, but a six-digit code supplied from your phone or an external app. It ensures that those accessing your accounts have access to your physical devices as well as your virtual passwords, and makes a simple password crack or social engineering hack a lot more insufficient in actually accessing your personal data.

How to set up Authy on your device

Downloading and setting up Authy is simple: The app is free and available for both iOS andAndroid, as well as on your computer as a Google Chrome plugin. Once you download Authy, you’ll be asked to set it up with your primary phone number via a call or text message; once you do so, you’re ready to start adding third-party services.

Adding third-party services to Authy via code generation

Authy connects to any service that integrates with Google Authenticator for two-factor authentication; the Google service lets you randomly generate two-factor authentication tokens even while offline. Authy supports a slew of different options, including your Google accounts, Face book, Tumblr ,Drop box, Outlook, Evernote, Amazon Web Services, WordPress, DreamHost, and LastPass, among others. To use Authy with these services, you need to make sure they have code generation turned on. Each service has a slightly different way of enabling this, but in general you should find it under the Security section of your preferences.

When you click to enable code generation, you’ll be presented with a barcode; scan this with the Authy app to add the account. Once you’ve added your account, use the code generated by the Authy app to activate two-factor code generation back on the original service.

Features of this app

Authy is the best multi factor authentication app with following features

• It Secures Cloud Backups-If you lose your device and got locked out of all of your accounts Authy provides secure cloud encrypted backups so you will never lose access to your tokens again.
• Multi Device Synchronization-Are you re-scanning all your QR codes just to add them to your tablet and smartphone but now with authy you can simply add devices to your account and all of your two factor authentication tokens will automatically synchronize.
• It works offline-If you are waiting for an SMS to arrive  or do you travel constantly and lose access to your accounts. Then Authy generates secure tokens offline from the safety of your device, this way you can authenticate securely even when in airplane mode.
• Supports all of your accounts including Facebook, Dropbox, Amazon, Gmail, and thousands of other providers.
• App Protects your bitcoins-Authy is the preferred two factor authentication solution to protect your bitcoin wallet. It is the default two factor authentication provider for trusted companies like Coinbase, CEX.IO, BitGo and many others.

You can use Authy’s codes to unlock that service for new devices — whether or not you have internet access on your primary Authy device. The app even offers a Notification Center Today widget to give you easy clipboard access to your codes. Also if your phone is dead or otherwise occupied, you can also use Authy on your computer via the Google Chrome widget.