Lodestone Update re software tokens and authenticators

[Valkyrie_Lenneth]

But why? Their own authentication software has worked flawlessly since I put it on my phone almost a decade ago. What advantage does relying on third party software from Google or MS give SE? One would think they’d rather have the main way of accessing their game under their own control.

The authenticator is 3rd party software, just SE branded. And it has known issues of desyncing and being problematic for many.

[DiscordiaEris]

More problems than Google and MS?

Just checked the App Store, and yeah the SE authenticator is an SE product.
Still, why take away a choice that has worked since HW? What advantage does it confer?

[Valkyrie_Lenneth]

More problems than Google and MS? Just checked the App Store, and yeah the SE authenticator is an SE product.

It's maintained by a 3rd party. It's SE branded. They don't maintain it themselves. Probably why it's going away, contract is up.



And yes, way more problems than Google or ms. Change your phone? Have to remove and read the authenticator to your account. Dual Sims? It breaks.

[DiscordiaEris]

Changed my phone three times, never an issue Never even had to uncouple the account to do it. Why would the App Store list SE as the developer if some other company developed it?
Not trying to start an argument, just trying to understand what relying on Google on MS gives them? Reduced maintenance cost on a lightweight Rng generator? Is the cost of that software more than the contract to have Google and MS do that work?
It’s baffling.

[VelKallor]

I had to stop and think about this, but Blizzard used one where it just asked you to confirm the login and it put the OTP in automatically. Thats from memory dont quote me.

[Valkyrie_Lenneth]

Changed my phone three times, never an issue Never even had to uncouple the account to do it. Why would the App Store list SE as the developer if some other company developed it?
Not trying to start an argument, just trying to understand what relying on Google on MS gives them? Reduced maintenance cost on a lightweight Rng generator? Is the cost of that software more than the contract to have Google and MS do that work?
It’s baffling.

Because SE published it on the app store. That just means they presented it to the store, not that they developed it.



And why pay for a company to maintain one when there are a dozen open source or free otp apps?

[Ransu]

And why pay for a company to maintain one when there are a dozen open source or free otp apps?

And personally for me I prefer the MS app because it requires authentication before you can get the code. The software token from SE always glitched out on me.

[Daeriion_Aeradiir]

Changed my phone three times, never an issue Never even had to uncouple the account to do it. Why would the App Store list SE as the developer if some other company developed it?
Not trying to start an argument, just trying to understand what relying on Google on MS gives them? Reduced maintenance cost on a lightweight Rng generator? Is the cost of that software more than the contract to have Google and MS do that work?
It’s baffling.

Firstly, cost effectiveness. No matter how small the running cost may be, maintaining the authenticator app will still cost some $$$. It's a common industry tactic to just use other people's solutions if they're available. I'd also argue Google & MS's authenticator apps are simply better built, considering they're way more wide-used than an app built for a single game. Doesn't really matter whether your own personal experience has been good, I've heard plenty of issues arise from Square's app.

Secondly, ability to sly by any issues. If something ever happened to the SE app like data got leaked or something, they'd be baring the effective full brunt of it. Whereas if the Google or Microsoft authenticators got hacked/data leaked/etc, Square would be taking an immense less amount of flak comparatively due to the easy excuse of 'blame them, its their app.'

Thirdly, as Valkryie mentioned, just because Square has their name listed as the developer on the app doesn't mean they actually developed it. It's easy to outsource projects to other studios and pay to have them waive crediting / creative rights to the code. This happens all the time at large studios since it's much more cost & time efficient to keep your in-house team working on more important aspects of the software while optional or smaller bits are handled by other teams or smaller outsourced companies built for these kinds of tasks / contracted programmers who specialize in what you're looking for. To use FF14 as it's own example, everything in the mogstation is developed by a separate team that outside of approving projects and discussions between Yoshi-P & "The mogstation Empress" as he's called her, are effectively independent from one another and have no bearing on each other's development pipelines.

More than likely, either Square decided that maintaining their own authenticator in the face of ones built by quite frankly, much more powerful and skilled companies like Google & MS was a waste of money, or their contracts with whatever outsourced company has expired and Square has elected to not continue it for financial or other reasons.

[DiscordiaEris]

That’s a much better explanation. Thank you.