A cracked screen is irritating. Losing access to your email, banking or work accounts because the same mobile phone was needed to approve sign-ins is worse.
Before you send the mobile phone away, take ten minutes to move Google Authenticator. It protects account sign-ins through two-factor authentication, so check that your new phone can sign in.
Start while the old device still unlocks and the screen responds. A repair may fix the hardware, but it can’t recreate 2FA codes or authentication codes that only existed on one phone.
Check access before the phone leaves your hands
Don’t erase, reset or post the phone until you’ve tested access on another device. A code appearing in an authenticator app is useful, but a genuine sign-in test using 2FA codes is the proof that matters.
Confirm the old device can still unlock
Open Google Authenticator and check whether the app asks for the phone passcode, fingerprint or Face ID. If the display is damaged but touch still works, do this straight away.
A common case in our workshop involved a Pixel 6a with a smashed display and no touch response. The phone still vibrated when plugged in, so we connected a USB-C adapter, mouse and monitor. That gave the owner enough control to unlock it, back up their data and deal with account access before the screen repair began.
If the phone cannot be unlocked, skip ahead to the lost-phone recovery steps. Don’t keep guessing passcodes, because repeated attempts can lock you out for longer.
Save backup codes and a second route in
For important accounts, download fresh recovery codes and backup codes, then store them somewhere separate from the phone. A password manager, encrypted file or printed copy kept safely at home all work.
Google’s backup-code guidance explains that its codes are eight digits long and support Google Account recovery. They help you recover your Google Account, but they don’t restore every Google Authenticator entry.
Check your recovery email, trusted phone number and password-manager access from a second device. Test email, banking and work access for your online accounts there too. That small bit of preparation saves a proper headache if the repair becomes more involved than expected.
How to move Google Authenticator with a QR code
The direct transfer method works when the damaged phone and new device are beside you. The Google Authenticator migration process works between Android devices, between iOS devices, or from iOS to Android.
Export accounts from the old device
Install the app on the new phone from your app store first. On the damaged phone, open the app and look for Transfer accounts, then Export accounts. The wording can vary slightly by app version.
The app will ask you to confirm your identity before showing a QR code. Select the accounts you need, then keep the export private. It contains the secret key needed to generate your 2FA codes.
Don’t photograph, email or expose the QR code while somebody else can see the screen. A QR export is a short-lived transfer tool, not a backup method.
For a visual prompt, the QR export and import walkthrough shows the menu route. If the app splits your accounts across more than one QR code, repeat the Transfer accounts process until every entry has been transferred.
Import and test on the new device
On the new device, open the app and choose Import existing accounts. Scan a QR code displayed on the damaged phone, then compare the account names and changing six-digit codes.
If an entry is missing, choose Import existing accounts again and scan the QR code once more. Keep the QR code private throughout the process.
Next, sign in to at least one low-risk account and one important account, such as your primary email. Enter a freshly generated 2FA code and confirm it works.
Keep the old device switched on until those checks are complete. Only then should you remove Authenticator entries, erase the phone or hand it over for repair.
Using Google Authenticator cloud sync without relying on it blindly
The app can sync codes through a Google Account when you sign in. Google introduced this option in 2023, as reported when the cloud-sync update launched.
When cloud sync is useful
Cloud sync is handy if your screen works but you need to prepare a temporary handset quickly. Sign in to the same Google Account on the new phone, open Authenticator and check whether the expected 2FA codes appear.
It is also useful after a repair, when you need to confirm your account list has returned. The Google Authenticator App Store listing confirms that QR transfers remain available too, so you still have another option.
Protect the Google Account behind it
Cloud sync places more responsibility on your Google Account. Use a strong, unique password and keep more than one recovery method available.
We’d still save backup codes for your most important services. Sync can restore synced Authenticator entries, but it can’t fix a forgotten password, a locked account or an unavailable recovery email.
Treat this feature as convenient recovery, not as the only copy of your account access.
Recovery options matter if the phone is already lost
If you’ve lost the old device, or it no longer powers on, your options depend on what you set up beforehand. There’s no universal button that rebuilds every 2FA code from a damaged handset.
Start with the accounts that may already be synced
Install Google Authenticator on another phone and sign in to the same Google Account. If your entries appear, test them before changing any settings.
If nothing is there, check your password manager and any secure place where you stored service-specific recovery codes. Google Account backup codes can help you access Google, but they don’t automatically recover entries for your bank, Microsoft account, social accounts or work services.
Use each service’s account recovery process
Visit the official sign-in page for the account and choose its two-step verification or account recovery route. You may be asked for a password, recovery email, verified phone number, identity check or saved code.
Google’s official account recovery guidance makes the limitation clear. Its lost Authenticator account discussion also explains that, without sync, exported entries or another sign-in method, recovery becomes a service-by-service job.
Avoid paying anyone who claims they can regenerate your old authentication codes. They can’t do that legitimately, and you should never share passwords or secret keys with them.
Moving between Google Authenticator and Microsoft Authenticator
An export QR code from Google Authenticator is designed for its app, not Microsoft Authenticator or another authenticator. It isn’t a universal migration file, so use the manual method instead.
Move from Microsoft Authenticator manually
For each website, sign in while the existing app still works. Go to the account’s security settings and add the Google app as a new authentication method. The website provides a setup QR code. Scan a QR code with the destination app, then confirm a new code.
Only remove Microsoft Authenticator after the new app works. Work accounts may need approval from your IT administrator, so don’t disable Microsoft Authenticator before checking the organisation’s policy.
Move from Google Authenticator to Microsoft Authenticator manually
The same rule applies in reverse. Add the destination app from each service’s two-factor authentication settings, rather than expecting the existing app’s export feature to populate it.
It is a bit of a faff with many accounts. However, it gives you a useful chance to delete old logins, update recovery details and store fresh backup codes.
When physical damage prevents the transfer
A damaged screen can leave the phone running but impossible to control. That is when account preparation becomes part of sensible phone hardware troubleshooting in the UK.
Watch for fault symptoms that need urgent care
An iPhone component fault after a drop can affect touch, charging and the display, not only the front glass. If your iPhone still works, move account access first, then arrange iPhone repair when you’re ready.
A Samsung component fault after a drop may affect its screen, USB-C port or internal connections. Back up while you can, then consider Samsung phone repair if the fault continues.
Likewise, a Google Pixel component fault after a drop can show up as a black screen, restarts or failed touch. You can arrange Google Pixel repair once your codes and essential data are safe.
Don’t charge a swollen or wet device
Screen or display fault symptoms such as flickering, black patches and dead touch areas can make transfer difficult. An iPad component fault may also involve a bent frame, lifting screen or battery issue, so don’t press the display back into place. Arrange iPad repair if it needs professional assessment.
A device that won’t turn on or charge needs more than repeated cable swaps. Stop charging if the handset gets hot, has a lifting screen or shows signs of liquid damage. Switch it off if you safely can, then tell the repair team what happened.
Key takeaways
- Move your 2FA codes before the phone leaves your possession, while you can still unlock it.
- Use a direct QR transfer or cloud sync, then test real sign-ins on the replacement device.
- Keep backup codes separate from the phone, because they’re a recovery route rather than an Authenticator restore.
- Never share your Google Account password with a repairer. They may need an agreed screen passcode for testing, but not your account credentials.
- Remove the SIM card, photograph the handset’s condition and back up photos, messages and work files before posting it.
Frequently asked questions
How many accounts can I export at once?
The app may group accounts into one or more transfer images, depending on its version and number of entries. Don’t rely on a fixed account limit. Check the full list after each scan, then repeat the export if anything is missing.
Can two iPhones use the same Google Authenticator codes?
To import existing accounts on a new phone, open the transfer option on the old one and scan a QR code with the receiving device. Check every account and complete a real sign-in before wiping or repairing the original phone. Keep transfer images and secret keys private.
Should I wipe the phone before sending it for repair?
Only after transferring your accounts, saving recovery information and testing a real sign-in. Do this before the old phone is erased or handed over. A standard repair doesn’t normally require your Google password. If the repairer needs a passcode to test the device, provide it only through the agreed booking process and change it when the phone returns.
Keep account access ahead of the repair
A damaged handset is stressful enough without discovering that it held the only route into your accounts. Verified access on a second device is the safest point at which to arrange repair.
At Phone Repair Direct, we see plenty of phones where a screen, battery or charging fault looks worse than it is. Sort your authenticator, backups and recovery details first, then the hardware problem becomes far easier to deal with.
