Biometric vs password 2FA - what did you pick for your personal accounts?

I had to decide between using my fingerprint or a password manager for 2FA on my email 3 months ago. Went with biometric because it felt faster, but last week my phone died and I got locked out for 6 hours while I waited for a backup code. Now I'm wondering if I should switch to an authenticator app instead. What do you guys use and has anyone else been burned by relying on biometrics?

2 comments

2 Comments

alice_palmer2022d ago

honestly i think the real trap with biometrics is people forget they're not actually a backup, they're just a convenience layer. like yeah fingerprints are great until your phone bricks or your hands are wet or you've got a cut on your thumb. i've been using a yubikey for my important stuff and honestly the peace of mind is worth the extra 5 seconds. just make sure you have a spare yubikey somewhere safe because losing that thing is a whole other kind of panic lmao.

ruby_rivera7622d agoMost Upvoted

oh yeah @alice_palmer20 nailed it. i learned that lesson the hard way too. biometrics are great until they're not, then you're just standing there like an idiot trying to wipe a screen clean with your shirt. i switched to a password manager with TOTP codes after my phone did an update and my fingerprint sensor stopped working for a whole day. the authenticator app is annoying at first but honestly it's way less stressful than realizing you can't login because you ate something greasy. plus you can actually back those codes up unlike a dead phone battery.