The availability of authenticator apps that work with multiple websites can make it seem as if you can choose your own 2FA. It’s somewhat true — you can choose any authenticator app that is compatible with the website or network service that you’re signing in to. Unfortunately, it won’t work if you try to use an authenticator app that is not compatible. Let’s look at some examples:
If the website sends a code by SMS, then you need an SMS app to read the code. Your phone probably already has iMessage by Apple or Messages by Google. If your phone runs Android, you can also get other SMS apps such as Liberty Messenger. But you wouldn’t be able to use an OTP app in this case because the website is expecting you to input the code that it sent by SMS, and not a code generated by an OTP app. The SMS method isn’t safe against phishing attacks, so please be sure you’re at the right website before you enter that code!
If the website is asking for an OTP code, then you need an OTP app to generate it. There are many OTP apps available, and for generating an OTP code they are generally interchangeable. To use one, you have to link it to your account first so that it has the right secret key that it needs to generate OTP codes for that account. So it wouldn’t work to try and generate a code using an OTP app that isn’t linked to your account. The OTP method isn’t safe against phishing attacks, so please be sure you’re at the right website before you enter that code!
If the website uses LoginShield and you’re looking at the QR code or a message that a push notification has been sent, then you need the LoginShield app to sign in. LoginShield is the only authentication app that is safe against phishing attacks. Unfortunately, you cannot use LoginShield with a website or network service that doesn’t support it. Please contact the sales or customer support address of your most important websites and ask them to add support for LoginShield.