Practical answer
What do I do about authenticator apps?
This is the step most people skip and then regret. Move your codes deliberately before you change devices.
Two-factor authentication is the most common reason a phone change goes badly. It is entirely solvable, but only in advance.
Your options
- SMS codes to the number your simple phone carries. Works with most banks and many services.
- A desktop authenticator app on your computer.
- A hardware security key for accounts that support it.
- An authenticator on the tablet or stationary smartphone, if you'll be near it when you log in.
Do this before you switch
- List every account that uses an authenticator app today.
- Move each one to your chosen method and confirm it works.
- Save the recovery codes each service offers, on paper, somewhere safe.
- Only then retire the old device.
Never wipe or sell an old phone until you have confirmed you can log in to your email, your bank, and your work account without it.