Two-factor authentication (2FA) adds a second step at sign in. In ISO Mate it sends a six digit verification code to your mobile phone by SMS, so a password alone is not enough to reach your account. You turn it on from Security Settings in the profile menu (the person icon in the top toolbar), and you need a mobile number on your profile first.
Before you start
Codes are delivered by SMS, so add a mobile phone number to your profile before enabling 2FA. If no number is set, Security Settings shows a prompt linking you to your profile to add one. Add or update your number on the Profile page in the profile menu.
Once two-factor authentication is on, the number that passed verification becomes your two-factor number, and the Profile page shows it as read only. From then on you change it from Security Settings, with a verification step, so nothing can quietly redirect your codes. See Changing the number that receives your codes below.
Enabling two-factor authentication
- Open the profile menu (the person icon) and choose Security Settings.
- In the Two-Factor Authentication section, click Enable Two-Factor Authentication.
- A six digit verification code is sent to your phone by SMS.
- Enter the code in the Verification Code field and click Verify & Enable.
- Save the recovery codes shown, then close the dialog. Two-factor authentication is now on.
Turning 2FA on also signs you out on your other devices. A session that was already open before you enabled it cannot carry on afterwards, which is the point: a second factor is worth little if a session opened without it keeps working. You stay signed in where you made the change, and ISO Mate tells you how many other sessions ended.
Saving your recovery codes
Recovery codes let you sign in if you lose access to your phone. Store them somewhere safe.
- Single use: each recovery code works once, then it is spent.
- Regenerate: use Regenerate Codes in Security Settings if you run low or think a code was exposed. Regenerating invalidates your old codes. You confirm your identity first, with your password if your account has one, or with Google if it does not.
- Track remaining codes: Security Settings shows how many recovery codes you have left.
Signing in with 2FA
After 2FA is on, each sign in asks for a verification code sent to your phone. If you cannot receive the SMS, enter one of your recovery codes instead to complete sign in.
Changing the number that receives your codes
While two-factor authentication is on, you change your mobile number from Security Settings rather than from your profile, and the new number is verified before it takes effect.
- Open Security Settings and find the Two-Factor Authentication section.
- Choose to change your mobile number, and confirm your identity when asked.
- Enter the new number. A six digit code is sent to it by SMS.
- Enter that code to complete the change.
Your codes keep going to your existing number until you confirm the code sent to the new one, so a number entered by mistake never leaves you unable to sign in. Only one change can be in progress at a time, and starting another replaces it.
When the number changes, ISO Mate emails you and signs you out of your other sessions, so a change you did not make is visible straight away.
The Profile page shows your mobile number as read only while 2FA is on, with a link through to Security Settings. Turn 2FA off and the field becomes editable again.
Disabling two-factor authentication
To turn 2FA off, open Security Settings and click Disable 2FA, then confirm your identity. You confirm with your password if your account has one, or with Google if it does not, so the same check applies however you sign in.
Turning 2FA off also signs you out on your other devices and tells you how many sessions ended. Removing a factor changes your account security as much as adding one, so it is treated the same way.
Disabling 2FA makes your account less secure, since only your password will be required to sign in.
Linking a Google account
As an alternative sign in method, you can link your Google account from the Google Account card in Security Settings.
- In Security Settings, click Link Google Account.
- Sign in with Google in the popup to complete the link.
- You can then use Sign in with Google on the login page.
You can unlink Google with Unlink Google. If your account has no password yet, you set one before unlinking so you keep a way to sign in.
Unlinking asks you to confirm your password first, then signs you out of your other sessions and emails you to say a Google account was unlinked. The email is the part that matters most: an unlink you did not perform is something you hear about straight away rather than discover later.
Only the linked Google account can sign in
Linking names one Google account as the one allowed to reach your profile. If you use Sign in with Google from a different Google account, it is refused, even when that account’s address matches the address on your ISO Mate profile. Sign in with the Google account you linked, or use your email and password instead.
Switching to a different Google account
To move the link to another Google account, unlink the current one first, then link the new one. The link cannot be pointed at a different account in place, because unlinking is the step that proves the change is yours to make: it asks for your password, or for a confirmation sent to your email address if your account has no password.
Changing your primary email address also removes the link, when Google was linked under the address you are leaving behind, and signs you out of your other sessions. See Changing Your Email Address.
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