How to use an authenticator app with your OLG account
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Short answer
Where the setting is
OLG calls it Two-Step Verification (2SV), and you set it up on olg.ca: My Account, then Account Information, then the Manage Account tab, then Two-Step Verification (2SV), then the Edit pencil.
OLG’s FAQ says: “Two-Step Verification (2SV) is an extra security measure that requires you to provide two different forms of verification when you log into your account”. It offers two methods, an authenticator app and email. This guide is about the authenticator app.
In our test, the OLG app’s sign-in prompt offered email codes, and pointed to olg.ca for an authenticator app. Set it up on the website.
Your email must be verified before 2SV can be turned on. OLG’s FAQ says: “You cannot use Two-Step Verification until you have verified your email.” It adds that the verification link expires after 30 days, and sends you to OLG’s support if yours has. The FAQ page is linked under Source.
Sign in to olg.ca.
Open My Account in the top header bar, then choose Account Information from the drop-down menu.
On the Manage Account tab, find the Two-Step Verification (2SV) section and select the Edit pencil.
In the Two-Step Verification window, choose authenticator app, then press Save Change.
OLG shows a window that explains how to link your account. If your authenticator app is on your phone, scan the QR code with that phone. If it is on your computer, press Copy Manual Code and paste the code into the app.
Your authenticator app now shows a one-time code. Go back to OLG’s Two-Step Verification (2SV) Linking page, go to Complete 2SV Setup, and type the code into the Verification Code box.
A green alert bar at the top of your Account Information page means it worked. OLG also sends you an email confirming that 2SV is on and which method you chose.
These are the steps OLG gives for setting up an authenticator app. The FAQ lists apps it suggests, which this guide doesn’t repeat.
Signing in
A code at every sign-in
OLG’s FAQ says: “You will have to use 2SV and enter your one-time passcode every time you login.” With an authenticator app there is no “Remember my device” option. The FAQ gives that choice to email codes.
Already using email codes? You can switch to an authenticator app on the same Edit screen: choose the new method and save. OLG’s FAQ says you get one email confirming that your old method was turned off, and a second confirming the new one.
The QR code and the manual code on OLG’s setup window are the secret behind every code your app will make. Never screenshot, print or save a page that shows them.
After you add OLG to your authenticator app, make a new encrypted export and keep it somewhere safe. An export made before you added OLG doesn’t have it.
If it goes wrong
If you lose your authenticator app
If you delete your authenticator app or get locked out, OLG’s support handles it. The FAQ says a lock-out can be because a code was entered wrongly too many times. OLG’s FAQ page, linked under Source, has its live chat and phone line. The FAQ doesn’t mention backup codes. If you ever lose the phone, see our guide on what to do if you lose your phone.
