Two step verification

[Phoenix]

Ancestry is introducing this for DNA. I manage DNA for two deceased relatives. Email addresses have been cancelled so I can't pretend to be them. Does this mean we will lose access to such accounts?
To protect their identity they did not use their real names.

[Janet]

Can't you go around the email, Phoenix? I've just gone into Ancestry and set it up for my own account. They gave me a choice of email or phone. I chose phone. (Must be a mobile phone so that it can receive texts.) They sent me a code, I entered it, and voilà.

EDIT:
Also, I'm not entirely certain it's actually required. Poking around my Account Settings, it would appear I can turn 2FA on or off, so maybe you can just ignore it. Personally I use the two-factor feature anywhere I can. It's far safer.

[JBee]

I manage husbands and son's dna's on my paid ancestry subscription - they don't have a paid sub so I rarely go into their accounts.

So do I do it for my account or both of theirs.

OH had huge problems yesterday trying to change phone number on a government site - it used phone authentication but our phone rejects unknown numbers - even when we changed to allow it - it still refused to connect. It then rejected the password but eventually after hours it worked and he changed the phone number.

[kiterunner]

I think it will just be used for when you log into your own account, Phoenix, so if you are the manager of those DNA tests and access them from your own account it shouldn't cause any problems.

[kiterunner]

I manage husbands and son's dna's on my paid ancestry subscription - they don't have a paid sub so I rarely go into their accounts.

So do I do it for my account or both of theirs.

OH had huge problems yesterday trying to change phone number on a government site - it used phone authentication but our phone rejects unknown numbers - even when we changed to allow it - it still refused to connect. It then rejected the password but eventually after hours it worked and he changed the phone number.

Someone I know has 2FA for their taxes and they have changed phones (though they still have the same number) and no longer has access to the old phone, and when they tried to log in to do their taxes last year it was just impossible because there was no way to get in and if they phoned them up they were just held in a queue for hours. Luckily they had been sent a letter saying they didn't need to submit a tax return so they just gave up in the end. So I am wary of 2FA.

[Olde Crone]

After happily and easily buying premium bonds online for years, they suddenly rejected my browser (which I have tried and failed to change: yet another story). I went to the library and they assured me it was safe to use my debit card on their computers. I tried to access my account but it now does 2FA - to my home phone! Useless in the library of course and guess what, you need 2FA to change to a mobile number - how pleased will they be in the library when my phone rings not once but twice. I gave up.

OC

[Mary from Italy]

You should be able to download a different browser to your home computer or phone with no trouble. What problem did you have?

[Olde Crone]

Mary,

I use a kindle at home and it just will not allow a download of a different browser - seems to be a common problem with kindle. I am thinking of upgrading to a laptop, lol, I really don't have room for a computer in this flat.

OC

[Mary from Italy]

Ah, what a nuisance!

[Kit]

the change is due to some other DNA companies being hacked. While it might be annoying, it is to protect your privacy.

[Glen TK]

If you go the email route they send a code and also a longer one time access code, if you lose the latter it disables 2FA until you login and set it up again.

[Phoenix]

It's the logging in that's the problem. I manage two accounts whose owners are dead and email addresses are disabled.

[kiterunner]

But will you need to log into their accounts, Phoenix? Don't you access their DNA tests from your own account anyway?

[Phoenix]

That's the aspect that I'm not clear about, Kite.

[JBee]

I managed to do it ok for two accounts to send text number to my mobile - and ancestry sent emergency codes should I ever need it for both trees. Just need to check the third account.

[kiterunner]

The 2 step verification stuff has just come up on my account, and once I had chosen my option and put the code in, I could look at all the DNA tests that I have access to.