Tools for not depending on a single phone

Storing passwords

A password manager keeps all your passwords behind one: what matters is whether you can recover them without your phone.

• Password managersBitwarden, 1Password, Proton Pass and the native managers from Apple and Google

Generating codes

Authenticator apps generate the codes for two-step verification; what matters is whether they back up or whether the code dies with the phone.

• Authenticator appsGoogle Authenticator, Microsoft Authenticator, Ente, 2FAS, Aegis and Proton Authenticator

Physical keys

An object that doesn't get lost with your phone and that blocks phishing, as long as you have more than one registered.

• Security keysYubiKey, Google Titan, Nitrokey, Feitian and Token2

What you don't need to buy

Not everything in this section costs money: a piece of paper where you write down your backup codes, kept outside your phone, is free and still one of the most reliable ways to avoid getting locked out of an account.

Keep going

• GlossaryWhat each two-step verification and account-recovery term means
• Critical accountsThe accounts you need to be able to open without your phone
• Switching phonesWhere you could get locked out when you change phones