Two-factor sign-in
EveryoneTwo-factor sign-in adds a second step when you sign in: a short code from an app on your phone. It’s completely optional — you decide whether to turn it on for your own account, and nobody can turn it on for you.
Do I need this?
No. If you never open this screen, nothing changes and you sign in exactly as you do today. It’s there for people who want the extra protection — it means that even if someone learned your password, they still couldn’t get into your account without your phone.
Then this page isn’t for you, and the Security screen will say so. When you sign in by pressing Continue with Google, Google checks who you are — Remembrance Scan never sees a password and can’t add a step of its own. To add a second step, turn on two-step verification in your Google account settings, and it will apply here automatically.
What you’ll need
An authenticator app on your phone. If you already use a password manager like 1Password or Bitwarden, it can almost certainly do this. Otherwise Google Authenticator and Microsoft Authenticator are both free.
Turning it on
Open the menu (☰) in the top-right corner of any screen and pick Security.
The Security screen before you turn anything on.
Press Turn on two-factor authentication. You’ll see a square QR code and, below it, a setup key. Use whichever suits where you are:
- At a computer? Open your authenticator app on your phone, choose to add an account, and point the camera at the QR code.
- Already on your phone? There’s nothing to point a camera at, so copy the setup key instead and paste it into your app — or tap the link underneath to hand it straight over.
Either way your app will start showing a 6-digit code that changes every 30 seconds.
Type the code your app is showing into the box and press Confirm. That’s it — two-factor is now on.
If you close the window partway through setup, two-factor stays off. You can start again any time.
Signing in from then on
You’ll enter your email and password as usual, and then be asked for the current 6-digit code from your authenticator app. Codes expire quickly, so if one is rejected, wait for your app to show a fresh one and try that.
If you lose your phone
Without your authenticator app you won’t be able to finish signing in. Contact an administrator and ask them to reset two-factor on your account. Once they do, you can sign in with just your password again, and set it up fresh on your new phone.
If you’re replacing your phone, either move your authenticator app across first, or turn two-factor off beforehand and set it up again on the new phone. That saves you needing an administrator.
Turning it off
Open Security from the menu again and press Turn off two-factor authentication. You’ll go back to signing in with just your email and password. You can turn it on again later, but you’ll set up a new key when you do — the old one stops working.
If you signed in a while ago, turning two-factor off will send you back to the sign-in page first — including a code from your authenticator app. That’s deliberate: it means someone who got hold of your open session can’t quietly switch your protection off. Sign in, then reopen Security to finish.