TL/DR: Does anyone know how to make a Google Passkey that works from my Kubuntu PC?
If you turn 2FA on your Google account, it wants a passkey on the 2FA device - my cell phone. This worked great UNTIL my phone broke. Google sent me a new phone, but I was totally unable to log into my Google account and actually use the phone because the phone was the 2FA device. Totally stupid - A true, real life Catch-22.
Finally my wife got Google on the phone (an actual person) and after several hours of back and forth and trying to use my Chrome OS tablet: NOTE, it doesn't work - at least in part because Googles own instructions are totally wrong. The instructions tell to you to go to a menu on the Chrome OS device that does not exist. I suspect the instructions are grossly out-of-date because they're sunsetting ChromeOS in preference to straight Android on tablets.
Finally - the agent elevated the problem to a higher level and they re-set my account to turn off 2FA, thus allowing me to log into my Google account and restore my phone from my backup. There was a great moment at the end (3-4 hours on the phone) when the help desk person asked me if I wanted help turning on 2FA!. I almost lost it. I said "Hell NO, that's what led to all this trouble in the first place!" Anyway, that was like 6 months ago and I honestly would like to use 2FA again because you can access most of my life from my phone. But I simply cannot unless I can somehow be able to have the 2FA passkey on a different device.
I tried today to get Google Chrome on my desktop to do it. But once again - shocker - the instructions are wrong. I managed to find the correct menu location on Chrome Browser to create a Passkey but I got the reply "Your device doesn't support creating passkeys..." so I'm still searching for a solution.
I have considered using Chrome on a Windows VM, but that seems very klunky.
NOTE: AI generated responses to this problem are (as expected based on my experience) even more wrong than Google's. No need to cut-and-paste AI "help" - thanks. For example, Google's own AI lists the steps that get you to the "Your device doesn't support creating passkeys..." message. Stupid. I swear all this AI garbage is making it harder and harder to find real websites that actually have real information.
I'm looked for actual experience with this and instructions that work, or sensible alternatives.
If you turn 2FA on your Google account, it wants a passkey on the 2FA device - my cell phone. This worked great UNTIL my phone broke. Google sent me a new phone, but I was totally unable to log into my Google account and actually use the phone because the phone was the 2FA device. Totally stupid - A true, real life Catch-22.
Finally my wife got Google on the phone (an actual person) and after several hours of back and forth and trying to use my Chrome OS tablet: NOTE, it doesn't work - at least in part because Googles own instructions are totally wrong. The instructions tell to you to go to a menu on the Chrome OS device that does not exist. I suspect the instructions are grossly out-of-date because they're sunsetting ChromeOS in preference to straight Android on tablets.
Finally - the agent elevated the problem to a higher level and they re-set my account to turn off 2FA, thus allowing me to log into my Google account and restore my phone from my backup. There was a great moment at the end (3-4 hours on the phone) when the help desk person asked me if I wanted help turning on 2FA!. I almost lost it. I said "Hell NO, that's what led to all this trouble in the first place!" Anyway, that was like 6 months ago and I honestly would like to use 2FA again because you can access most of my life from my phone. But I simply cannot unless I can somehow be able to have the 2FA passkey on a different device.
I tried today to get Google Chrome on my desktop to do it. But once again - shocker - the instructions are wrong. I managed to find the correct menu location on Chrome Browser to create a Passkey but I got the reply "Your device doesn't support creating passkeys..." so I'm still searching for a solution.
I have considered using Chrome on a Windows VM, but that seems very klunky.
NOTE: AI generated responses to this problem are (as expected based on my experience) even more wrong than Google's. No need to cut-and-paste AI "help" - thanks. For example, Google's own AI lists the steps that get you to the "Your device doesn't support creating passkeys..." message. Stupid. I swear all this AI garbage is making it harder and harder to find real websites that actually have real information.
I'm looked for actual experience with this and instructions that work, or sensible alternatives.