Getting 2fa without a phone

[ShadyCloud]

I have been trying to get 2fa without a phone number but nothing seems to work. They do not accept VIOP numbers. Please help!

[Satoru]

SteamGuard email is already 2FA

If you need the SteamMobile Authenticator, then you need to have a real phone # that can receive SMS messages

[Teksura]

Originally posted by Satoru:

SteamGuard email is already 2FA

If you need the SteamMobile Authenticator, then you need to have a real phone # that can receive SMS messages

What you need is a smartphone that can run the Steam App. Merely having the ability to receive SMS messages isn't enough to run the mobile authenticator in the Steam app. You need to actually be able to run the app to use the app.

[Muppet among Puppets]

Technically, if you can receive sms,
and you have two devices, you can use a desktop auth and it would still be 2 factor.

If you have one device, as long as that is safe, you would have the benefits of 2fa.

A phone that knows login details and codes, is not a 2fa as well......

[Dr.Shadowds 🐉]

Steam guard is on by default, what it does it emails you the code for logging in.

If you meant the Steam mobile authenticator, then that's something else, that's going to require you to get their app, and you be required to get a phone that can receive SMS text.

For Steam mobile authenticator you have few ways to get it.
https://store.steampowered.com/mobile

If you got any Iphone, then you can download the app.

If you got any Android phone, then you can download the app.

If you got any Windows phone, then you can download the app.

If you got any Tablet, then you can download the app, and use the flip phone to get the SMS.

If you got a Raspberry Pi, or spare PC like Netbook/Laptop, add Android OS onto it, and use the flip phone to get the SMS.


What the Steam mobile authenticator for is to bypass the trade holds, as long the other person trading with also had the Steam mobile authenticator. It can also bypass the market hold as well.

[ShadyCloud]

Originally posted by Dr.Shadowds 🐉:

Steam guard is on by default, what it does it emails you the code for logging in.

If you meant the Steam mobile authenticator, then that's something else, that's going to require you to get their app, and you be required to get a phone that can receive SMS text.

For Steam mobile authenticator you have few ways to get it.
https://store.steampowered.com/mobile

If you got any Iphone, then you can download the app.

If you got any Android phone, then you can download the app.

If you got any Windows phone, then you can download the app.

If you got any Tablet, then you can download the app, and use the flip phone to get the SMS.

If you got a Raspberry Pi, or spare PC like Netbook/Laptop, add Android OS onto it, and use the flip phone to get the SMS.


What the Steam mobile authenticator for is to bypass the trade holds, as long the other person trading with also had the Steam mobile authenticator. It can also bypass the market hold as well.

I don't have a phone so I use bluestacks

[Jerry]

As said above, even for setting up a Steam Desktop Authenticator you need the ability to receive at least one SMS on an actual mobile phone (Steam stopped accepting VOIP numbers a couple of years ago). For obvious reasons, using a phone, that does not belong to you, would be an extremely risky way to make this work, as even family members and years long close friends may not be that trustworthy.

On the plus side, as long as you do not have a mobile authenticator, Steam protects your account through measures like enforced confirmations about logins on new devices and trade holds. Spend a week in this forum and count the amount of threads about scams and hijackings, that simply would not work as long as you remain on email only.
I'll keep saying it - a mobile authenticator effectively makes an account less secure these days.

[ShadyCloud]

Originally posted by Jerry:

As said above, even for setting up a Steam Desktop Authenticator you need the ability to receive at least one SMS on an actual mobile phone (Steam stopped accepting VOIP numbers a couple of years ago). For obvious reasons, using a phone, that does not belong to you, would be an extremely risky way to make this work, as even family members and years long close friends may not be that trustworthy.

On the plus side, as long as you do not have a mobile authenticator, Steam protects your account through measures like enforced confirmations about logins on new devices and trade holds. Spend a week in this forum and count the amount of threads about scams and hijackings, that simply would not work as long as you remain on email only.
I'll keep saying it - a mobile authenticator effectively makes an account less secure these days.

I heard 2fa's should not be trusted, but then why does steam do it. And make the people with an email suffer, for not having a phone.

[JPMcMillen]

Originally posted by ShadyCloud:

I heard 2fa's should not be trusted, but then why does steam do it. And make the people with an email suffer, for not having a phone.

The only people that would say 2FA shouldn't be trusted are hackers hoping to keep people using weak or duplicate passwords from better securing their accounts.

And in this day and age, pretty much anyone that can play video games, especially online, can probably get their hands on a cheap prepaid cellphone that can receive text messages. Then you just need some kind of device that can run Android or iOS to run the software on.

[mr]

i constantly buy new 1-time phone numbers for steam, i always use 1 number per acc for safety.
I buy them cheap on numbers city (just google it) and never had a problem. And no it is not advertising, its just what i genuinely use.
Costs like 2.5$ per number and they do work with steam.

If you do buy a 1 time number though, just make sure to save the recovery code.

Also to avoid a phone, just use steam desktop authenticator or WinAuth, both work great.

[Dr.Shadowds 🐉]

Originally posted by ShadyCloud:

I heard 2fa's should not be trusted, but then why does steam do it. And make the people with an email suffer, for not having a phone.

Clearly you heard wrong... 2FA known as Two-Factor Authentication, means it's a 2nd password that changes over a period of time, as well changes everytime you login. Does that sound like a bad thing to you? Adding more security to your account.

2FA needs another source to send you a code, either by app, or text. Hence why you need either smart phone, tablet, or etc... Emails can be easily compromise if they don't have 2FA either, mainly because if you use the same password across all your stuff, then it's likely someone going to try login to your email, and steam account. With 2FA added on email, and Steam account, not only you made it harder for hijackers, but will just trigger getting IP temp ban, and/or locking the account, letting you know someone trying to login, then you can make the changes to your password, and now you made hijacker upset because they now have nothing to go off on since you made it even harder for them to try take your accounts. 2FA is not a fix password, it's a algorithm password that's always changing, hence the reason why it exist.

YouTube™ Video: What is Two-Factor Authentication? (2FA) 

Views: 476,527

Two-factor authentication is one of the best ways to protect against remote attacks such as phishing, credential exploitation and other attempts to takeover your accounts.

Do note it's completely useless if you just hand someone your login details, and a code from your 2FA. FYI 2FA is meant to be on another device, separate from the main device you're trying to login, and use all the time.

Originally posted by ShadyCloud:

I don't have a phone so I use bluestacks

Or.... Use your head, and don't do that... I wouldn't trust bluestacks for number of reasons, ever since they started putting ads into it, and change things up.

Either get a cell phone / smart phone, and do the method of choice if you want 2FA for your account. FYI you can get cheap android phones, low as $25, can even get pre-paid ones and only spend $10 for use of service to get SMS text, and use the phone however you want. You can even add 2FA to your email account, if it supports it as well.