Duo Mobile's restore functionality lets you back up Duo-protected accounts and third-party OTP accounts (such as Google or Facebook) for recovery to the same device or to a new device.
Backup and restore of third-party accounts requires Duo Mobile version 3.28 or newer. Duo mobile versions 3.17 to 3.27 permit restore of Duo-protected accounts only.
If you are a Duo Mobile end-user (not an administrator) and are looking for help configuring Duo Restore beyond the instructions here, or if you are not sure if your organization permits use of Duo Restore, please contact your organization's IT help desk for assistance.
Enabling Duo Restore
- Make sure you are running the latest version of the Duo Mobile App on your current iOS device.
- Back up your device to iCloud. Nightly iCloud backups will include Duo Restore information. Encrypted iTunes backups will also work.
Due to how apps are automatically backed up in iOS, the backup functionality of Duo Restore is always on for iOS users who have iCloud enabled and they will not see a notification indicating their information is being backed up. However, whether an account can be restored depends upon Duo Restore being enabled by the administrator in the Duo Admin Panel or whether you've set a recovery password for reconnecting third-party accounts.
Enable Duo Restore for Third-Party Accounts
When Duo Mobile 3.28 or later detects you have a third-party account, you'll be prompted to create a recovery password. Tap Enable Now to set one.
Enter a recovery password that has 10-128 characters. Do not lose this password! You'll need to provide it again to recover these accounts. Duo cannot recover this password for you. Be sure to store it securely. If you lose this password you'll need to manually reconnect your third-party accounts by visiting each of those services individually and following their 2FA setup process.
Recovering Third-Party Accounts
- Restore your new or reset iOS device from your iCloud backup.
- Open the Duo Mobile app on your new device.
- If you previously created a third-party account backup, Duo Mobile notifies you that it found accounts to recover. Tap Automatically reconnect to begin the recovery process.
- Enter your recovery password and then tap Reconnect. Duo Mobile restores your third-party accounts.
When you return to the accounts list after a successful third-party accounts restore, you'll be able to tap your third-party accounts to generate passcodes for logging into those services.
Note that this doesn't reconnect your Duo-protected accounts. You'll still need to perform the Duo-protected account recovery steps before you can use those accounts to log in to Duo-protected services with Duo Push or Duo Mobile passcodes.
See third-party account recovery on iOS in action.
Recovering Duo-Protected Accounts
- Restore your new or reset iOS device from your iCloud backup.
- Open the Duo Mobile app on your new device.
- Tap Reconnect next to your Duo account in the main accounts list.
- Log in to the Duo-protected application selected by your IT administrator.
- Authenticate using Duo via a method allowed for this application by your IT administrator. If SMS or hardware token passcode and phone calls are not allowed, you will either need to use a different Duo Push-capable 2FA device, use the Duo Self Service Portal (if available), or contact your IT administrator to restore your account on your new device.
- After authenticating, your new iOS device should be connected to the Duo service.
Frequently Asked Questions
How does the Duo Mobile restore process affect third-party accounts in my Duo Mobile app?
You'll need to visit each third-party site and follow their specific instructions for reactivating 2FA. This usually involves scanning a QA code after using an alternative recovery method like phone call or SMS. Third-party accounts include accounts that were added to Duo Mobile but not directly linked to the Duo service, such as Google Accounts, Amazon, Facebook, Snapchat, Dropbox, etc.
Will Duo Mobile accounts be saved on my device if I delete the app?
It depends on the device's operating system.
- On iOS, all accounts are retained in the device's secure keychain when you delete the app. This means both Duo-protected and third-party accounts will be available if you reinstall Duo Mobile on the same device. Accounts are only deleted when done so explicitly in the app.
- On Android, deleting the Duo Mobile app will delete all accounts from your device. Deleting the Duo Mobile app essentially wipes the potential for unassisted account recovery, as any Duo Restore data backed up to Google Drive, if enabled, will be removed as well.
Is it possible to restore an account once I've deleted it in Duo Mobile?
No. If you manually delete accounts within the app then they are gone and there is no process for restoration.
How large are Duo Mobile backups?
The size of Duo Mobile backup files can vary depending on how many accounts are associated with a device, but generally they are not larger than 500 KB.
Does Duo backup the private key pairs used in any of the accounts in my Duo Mobile App?
If you haven't enabled third-party account restore in Duo Mobile then app backups to Google Drive (Android) or iCloud (iOS) accounts DO NOT contain any private key or other sensitive data. Do note that some third-party accounts use an email address as the primary identifier, and thus will be included in the backup (Amazon, Gmail, and others).
Full device encrypted backups to iTunes will back up both the account listings and private key pairs, but can only be restored on the SAME phone that created the backup.
If you opt-in to third-party account backup and restore, and have set an account recovery password, then the app backups to Google Drive (Android) or iCloud (iOS) do include the private key information for your third-party accounts. The backups are encrypted by the recovery password, which is only known to you and cannot be recovered by Duo. When you restore a backup that contains third-party account information you must enter the recovery password to decrypt the backup.
Users cannot inspect or open backup files. iCloud does not provide a way for users to view the backup file. Google Drive users can view that Duo Mobile is using their Drive to store data and the size of that backup but cannot interact with that file. Duo Mobile only has access to the application-specific folder in Google Drive.
If the private keys are not backed up, how does this work?
Once you restore your account list you'll see a “Reconnect” link next to each account. Reconnecting the account directs you through a reactivation process where the you need to authenticate to a Duo protected application (configured by the Duo account admin) to verify your identity. Once the your identity has been verified, Duo Mobile reactivates account.
Can I restore a backup to a different mobile platform (Android → iOS or iOS → Android)?
No, backups can not be restored across platforms. Duo Mobile can be activated on a new device that uses the same phone number as an old device on a different platform via the self-service device management options in the Duo prompt (if enabled by your Duo admin), or you can contact your IT help desk or Duo admin to request assistance reactivating the accounts on the new device.
Why am I getting an error saying "We couldn't find any accounts backed up on this Google account. Try selecting another Google account or contact your help desk." when attempting Duo Restore?
There are several reasons this could happen:
- The wrong Google account was chosen when attempting Duo Restore.
- If you very recently toggled on Duo Restore on your new phone, it may not be in sync with the backup on your old phone yet.
- The Duo Mobile app was deleted from the old phone, which would have also deleted the Google Drive backup.
- Duo Restore was actually never activated on the old (original) device so no backup is available.