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Gmail two-step verification: Less than 10% of Google users have its most important security feature enabled

It makes it harder for people to break into your account, even if they have your login details

Aatif Sulleyman

Monday 22 January 2018 17:06 GMT

Technicians work on a Hey Google booth in front of the Las Vegas Convention Center in preparation for the 2018 CES in Las Vegas, Nevada, U.S. January 6, 2018 (REUTERS/Steve Marcus)

One of Gmail’s most effective security features is hardly used by anyone, Google has revealed.

Two-factor authentication (2FA) has been enabled on less than 10 per cent of active Google accounts, the company says.

The feature is designed to make it much harder for people to break into your account, even if they have your email address and password.

11 useful Gmail features you didn't know existed

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1/1111 useful Gmail features you didn't know existed

11 useful Gmail features you didn't know existed

Labs

Labs is a testing ground for a number of experimental Gmail features that aren’t quite ready to be rolled out properly. Most of them are really useful, and it’s worth checking them out and enabling the ones you like by going to Settings and hitting the Labs tab. At the time of writing, one of them shows you how many unread messages you have in the Gmail tab on your browser, and another lets you add handy shortcut buttons. The catch is that they can disappear at any moment.

11 useful Gmail features you didn't know existed

Unsend messages

You can unsend sent messages with Gmail, and you don’t even need an add-on. Just go to Settings and check the Enable Undo Send option. You can choose between five, 10, 20 and 30 seconds as your cancellation period. After it’s over, there’s no getting that message back.

11 useful Gmail features you didn't know existed

Colourful stars

The Starred messages feature is already really handy, but you can make it even better. In Settings, scroll down to the Stars section and choose which colour you want to use - you can switch the default golden one for orange, red, purple, blue or green. In fact, you don’t need to use a star at all. Boxes with icons are also available, and you can have lots of them in use at once. It may seem like little more than visual fun, but you can actually make your life easier by using different colours or icons for different types of message, as you can search for each of them individually.

11 useful Gmail features you didn't know existed

Shortcuts

You can see the entire list of Gmail’s shortcuts by going to Settings and scrolling down to the Keyboard Shortcuts section. Learn More will take you to a page with all of the shortcuts on Android, iOS and the desktop. Or, if you’re already on a computer, just open Gmail and hit Shift and /.

11 useful Gmail features you didn't know existed

Hide categories

Gmail automatically sorts your messages into distinct categories, including Primary, Social, Promotions, Updates and Forums. However, you can hide the ones you don’t need by going to Settings, hitting the Labels tab and scrolling down to Categories.

11 useful Gmail features you didn't know existed

Search properly

Don’t be fooled by Gmail’s simple-looking search bar. Click the down arrow just left of the search button to access a load of additional options that make it much easier to sort through your messages.

11 useful Gmail features you didn't know existed

Add other accounts

If you use Gmail and other email providers, like Yahoo, Exchange and Outlook, you can make your life easier by managing all of your messages from one place. In the app, tap the menu button, add an account by hitting the down arrow and pick the type of account you want to add.

11 useful Gmail features you didn't know existed

Smart Replies

You can reply to messages quickly by selecting one of three “smart reply” options Gmail offers. It uses machine learning technology to formulate them, to ensure they’re applicable to the message you’re responding to and sound like something you’d write.

11 useful Gmail features you didn't know existed

Mute threads

Like group conversations on WhatsApp, email threads can get annoying. Fortunately, you can mute them. Open the message, click the More button above it and select Mute.

11 useful Gmail features you didn't know existed

Block annoying people

You can block users you don’t want to hear from anymore by opening an email you’ve received from them, hitting the down arrow next to the reply button (in the top right-hand corner of the message) and selecting Block.

11 useful Gmail features you didn't know existed

Inbox

If you’re feeling inquisitive, it’s worth trying out Google’s Inbox (by Gmail) app. It takes a slightly different approach to Gmail, focusing on de-cluttering your inbox.

With 2FA enabled, you’ll be required to enter an authentication code in addition to your login details.

As Google puts it: “You sign in with something you know (your password) and something you have (a code sent to your phone).”

You can turn it on by clicking this link and following Google’s step-by-step instructions.

“Codes are uniquely crafted for your account when you need them,” says Google.

“If you choose to use verification codes, they will be sent to your phone via text, voice call, or our mobile app. Each code can only be used once.”

Asked why 2FA isn’t mandatory on all accounts, Google software engineer Grzegorz Milka said the company fears the feature could turn users off.

“The answer is usability,” he told The Register. “It’s about how many people would we drive out if we force them to use additional security.”

Google lets you choose not to use two-step verification on a particular computer. When you sign into your Gmail account on that computer, it will only ask for your email address and password.

On other computers, two-step verification will be required.

The company recently revealed the biggest risks to users of Google services.

In the space of 12 months, it found 788,000 login credentials stolen via keyloggers (tools that secretly record every key you press), 12 million stolen via phishing (a method of tricking you into giving up your personal information), and 3.3 billion exposed by third-party data breaches.

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