Two factor authentication for Gmail on Z30 - Blackberry 10
When I turn on 2 factor authentication with gmail,all my devices like Z30 need some reconfiguration.
You might get this idea that you need to install Goggle Authenticator APP on your phone,and found that there is no native app available in your Blackberry world or Amazon App Store. However you get around it by sideload android apps. How to use Google two-step authentication on Blackberry 10 ask you to install Gauth.
I installed it and then got rid of it, because I found that an application specific password need to be generated for iPhone, Android and of course my Blackberry. Well, I don’t think that’s 2 factor authentication anymore, but that’s officially suggested by Google, I must at least try it.
When I did this I found no where to put in this new password - There is no box for you to put it in on my Blackberry！How come there is there is on in Z10 as indicated in BlackBerry Z10, Gmail and 2-Step Authentication? In this post, I found someone also doesn’t have this way to put in password, but it prompts, mine doesn’t!
What makes me more worried is I still have access to my emails, calendar and contacts, even I can’t access them from my computer with only my password.
Do I really have to delete my Google account from Blackberry and add it back? What if someone try to get my email by steal my phone? It seems I won’t be able stop them by change my gmail password!
Why it can still access my gmails, contacts and calendar? because it’s trusted by google for a period of time, I don’t know how long - maybe as long as 30 days. Well, if you do lost your phone, there is a way to make it expire immediately, as shown here by AnimalPak200. Later on I also found Workaround 1 in KB34651，and I did that too.
It’s turned out application specific password is not 2 factor authentication, it’s just a walk around on devices can not use 2 factor authentication. For your Z30, you don’t have to use it, as this new phone is able to use 2 factor authentication, just like your computer!
Shortly after you made it expire, there will be error messages for email, calendar or contacts, but there is still no prompt for password. At this point, be patient, eventually it will prompt for user name and password. When it prompts, don’t use the application specific password, use the real one. Remember, your Z30 is treated as a computer by Google right now. After password, you need a SMS code, just like on a new computer. After that, you are all set.
So, just treat your Z30 as a computer, ignore all other posts online.