Authenticators, how long do they last?

Community General Discussion
1

Hello! Was logging into wow, and I stared at my authenticator and wondered, what’s the lifespan of these… how long do they last?

I’ve never heard of anyone needing a replacement. Have any of you players had a need to have to get a new one, and if so, how long did the old one last ?

Happy gaming !

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2

Mine still works, though i’m actually curious when its gonna fail.

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3

Mine is ten years old, and still working. Tho I’m a little worried about what happens when it stops.

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4

Purchased mine in 2008 after getting hacked through the phone app, it still works to this day! :smiley:

However I just use the authenticator app on my phone these days if need be.

Ironic? :dracthyr_hehe_animated:

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5

I just recently found my physical one after cleaning out a drawer. I’ve had it since Wrath and it still works when I push the button.

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6

I have one that I’ve been using every day (maybe twice a day) for the past 12 years at my job. It’s still going strong. One of my coworkers replaced the battery in his and it works again.

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I’ve kept mine as a souvenir ever since I swapped to the phone version. However I used the keyfob one for a VERY long time before swapping. It was at least 7-8 years old? The reason I swapped is because I noticed it slowing down to create a number when the button was pressed.

But like some in this thread have said, I’ve heard of them lasting much longer!!

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I think mine lasted 14 years before it died on me. But it does give you ample warning that it’s going out. “Batt Low” meant about 1-2 more months and then I had to switch to the app.

I think I used mine multiple times a day, so it ran out of juice faster.

Edit: They don’t make the physical authenticators anymore, so once they go, you HAVE to use the app or just turn off authentication.

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9

i bought mine when it came out as a new thing…so back in wotlk i think?

and it still works, hasn’t been replaced

probably one of my longest lasting devices now that i really think about it

it’s an irl epic item kinda :100:

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I believe I bought mine in late WotLK or early Cata. It died this year and I had to switch to the app and love it.

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I bought one back when they first released them in 2008. The battery finally gave out in the last year or so. I was able to remove it without any problems.

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I don’t have one but my father does and he’s had his for 10 years and he still plays WoW time from time.

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I still have mine from over a decade ago and then darn thing is still working.

I do not use it on my accounts though. I push the button every once and awhile just to see what number it gives me.,

I bought a new one last year off Amazon.

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I got one when they first offered them, still using it. But it’s getting hard to pull up a number (press button several times to get a result) so I guess the battery is on it’s way out. That’s about 13-14 years. They have a watch battery, thought about trying to Dremel the case open and swap in a new battery. When it dies I’ll try that.

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You can replace the battery but it is very tricky.

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How did that even happen? o.o

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I still have my physical one working, think it’s about 8-9 years old. They’re like the old Nokia phones lol.

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the button on mine started going iffy within 3 years, it would take multiple presses to show the code. ran across it in drawer a few weeks ago, it seems totally unresponsive, as i had switched to the mobile version in 2012.

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I’m afraid to say how long I’ve had mine in case I jinx it. I probably really should switch to the mobile version.

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I got mine back in 2009 and the battery just finally died last month. Thank god for the SMS authenticator feature