Two-factor authentication is more or less a necessity these days, and more companies and online services have started to implement it and give it as an option to its users. However it is understandable that some users don’t bother with it as it can be troublesome, where you’d have to key in codes whenever you want to login.
However it seems that Google has decided to make the process easier. Instead of users having to enter a new code everytime they login, they are now giving users the option of simply approving the login via their smartphone. On Android devices, this will appear as a prompt on their screen, while iOS users will require the Google Search app.
The prompt will show up and will ask if you are trying to sign into your account, after which you can say yes or no depending on whether it is really you. This will be a quick solution than entering a code. The option will need to be chosen via the user’s Google account settings and it won’t be enabled by default, so you will need to set it up first.
This move is similar to one that Blizzard did the other day when they updated their Battle.net mobile authenticator with a similar feature. At this rate we wouldn’t be surprised if more companies moved to this system in the future.