Google API that allows access to account security (re: 2-factor auth)

Question

I am well aware of the security implications of this, so much so that I'm betting it doesn't exist, so before you call me crazy, that's why I'm asking.

I got really tired of having only my phone on me and installing a new app/whatever and finding myself needing to suddenly create a new application-specific password on the fly, and having to navigate Google's decidedly non-mobile-friendly security page to do that. I want to create an app of some kind that allows me to generate an application-specific password, whether by text or an Android app itself or something else. As I see it, there are two options here:

1. Use some Google Account Security API (if it exists) to create the application-specific password
2. Do scraping-type behavior (with proper credentials, of course) to automate its creation. I really don't want to do this.

Does anyone know (a) if this type of API exists, or (b) if there are any other ways to go about doing this? This app would be published on Github for self-hosting, obviously.

Answer 1

There is no official API to generate application-specific passwords.

I've solved this myself by doing a couple of things:

1) printing out the QR Code for the account that can be scanned by the Authenticator app in order to generate codes. I keep it secured in my desk. This allows me to reformat my phone without needing to turn two-step off each time.

2) use the browser sign-in for my Android device. When adding a Google account to an Android phone, just before the screen where you enter your username and password, click the menu button (or 3 dots on the screen if you have no menu button) and choose Browser sign-in. This allows you to login to an Android device with your username, real password and verification code rather than an application specific password.

This saves me from needing to generate application-specific passwords 95% of the time.

Jay