AOL sign-in verification code, again and again, and again.

AOL keeps making me get a new verification code, almost every time I try to log in.  No matter which browser.  No matter if regular mode or private/incognito mode. No matter Windows 10 or Vista.

I put in user name, click CONTINUE button or the SIGN IN button, and then

partlyobscuredUserName@whatever.com

We will send you a verification code to verify you're the owner of this email to get you signed in.

----------

I then click SEND ME VERIF CODE

and visit partlyoscured@whatever.com

and take, and put my verification code into the AOL sign in page,

and then

I am let into my AOL account and email.

But then later, either the same account or different account, AOL again force me to get a NEW verification code.

This is annoying as he11.  AOL has no help about this.  I also tried a web search and found nothing.

People here who know, tell me what you can.

n

good morning dear cafejose,

 

i have a similar problem with aol too !

 

for a week now i am trying to contact aol support for help since my problem is with my age verification

 

by mistake i have put a wrong date of birth so i have to verify that i am an adult by submit a photo or an id card r a driving license as a proof !

 

personally i don't want to send any of these documents and i want to delete my aol account but it seems that there is no way ! since no help as you have stated in your post is available

 

my advice is to forget about your aol account and try to find a different email provider to create a new account

 

@mail.com, @gmx.com and yahoo seems to be better at least for me

 

good luck my friend

nickos,

I am very sure my problem has nothing to do with any age verification.  I am starting to suspect that the problem might be dependent on which kind of computer I use for AOL.  Laptop seems to be what I use when all the verification code requirements come up while does not seem to happens when using the direct-wire to the internet, tower form desktop(?) computer.  I should do a careful check for this on all three of the machines to be more certain.  Even so, I still would not like it happening.

I TRIED searching or exploring through both the AOL site and internet searches about this, and found really nothing to tell about this apparent problem.  I am starting to believe that AOL in general enforces two-step verification or two-step authentication and users have no choice about this.  This makes AOL more difficult to use.  I found nothing in Settings to handle or change this.

nickos,  now I really appreciate your emphasis on suggesting other email services.  I've been aware of those you list for a while.

Edited by cafejose, 01 November 2018 - 11:42 PM.

This sounds like simple two-step authentication has been turned on by default by AOL without warning.  You can turn it off (and I keep it off for my e-mail accounts as I find it overkill and a grand PITA - a password is enough).

See:  

 

This sounds like simple two-step authentication has been turned on by default by AOL without warning.  You can turn it off (and I keep it off for my e-mail accounts as I find it overkill and a grand PITA - a password is enough).

 

See:  

2-Step Verification: Stronger than your password alone - AOL Help

 

The option in Security for turning off 2-step verification is missing.  I guess this is because that is how AOL treats free accounts.

 

This sounds like simple two-step authentication has been turned on by default by AOL without warning.  You can turn it off (and I keep it off for my e-mail accounts as I find it overkill and a grand PITA - a password is enough).

 

See:  

2-Step Verification: Stronger than your password alone - AOL Help

 

Now I am looking right at the Security tab of the ... some kind of AOL account settings,...

I see this:

---------------------------

--------------------------

NO WAY TO TURN OFF two step verification.  Only I can add a telephone number or not.  The button to the right, not shown in my quote, is for adding or not adding the additional telephone for two-step verif.  Otherwise, I am stuck with two step verification forcing me to get a code from the alternative email  to be able to sign in to my AOL email.

This is becoming reason enough to arrange to close my AOL accounts.  Two-step verification ----- BIG NUISANCE

That "Two Step Verification" is not a link?  I find that next to impossible to believe or comprehend.

That "Two Step Verification" is not a link?  I find that next to impossible to believe or comprehend.

In post #7,  I tried to put in a quote, but I did not use quotation tags.  There was a picture or image included, but this forum would not accept it, so i deleted it from the quoted text, and just replaced it with "image removed".  

I DID visit the link you gave in post #5.

after going through that, it seems to be that AOL does not let users of free accounts go without two-factor verification.  They cannot turn it off.  This has become very troublesome, and even worse, since signing in to AT&T for mail through their site, is currently failing again, presenting a Yahoo sign in page so need to sign in twice just to reach email there; and all just to find a verification code to use for AOL.  

(ATT is troublesome like that some weeks, and then fine for some weeks.  Separate topic from the aol two-factor vefic.)

That "Two Step Verification" is not a link?  I find that next to impossible to believe or comprehend.

Now I know what you meant.

The link you gave DOES work.  When I go there, I find listings of various topics to read about AOL and some about accounts and two-factor authentication.  

I use AOL as my primary email account because it was the first one I got but they have an alternate email address and a mobile number in case of any problems but I have never been inflicted with 2FA on AOL. Nor, since i set it up, on my Gmail account. I think Brian has the right of it.

Chris Cosgrove

I use AOL as my primary email account because it was the first one I got but they have an alternate email address and a mobile number in case of any problems but I have never been inflicted with 2FA on AOL. Nor, since i set it up, on my Gmail account. I think Brian has the right of it.

 

Chris Cosgrove

I am just not finding the same as you.  I have no way to stop this two-factor verification in my AOL accounts.  NO OPTION TO TURN IT OFF.   The Security page for my accounts shows it to not be enabled yet I am still FORCED to get a new verification code from my other email account in order to sign in to any of my AOL accounts.  If I toggle the button, then AOL asks me for a cell phone number to allow for yet another form of two-factor verification, to get the code from message to a cell phone.

You just don't seem to get that it is not, in any way, unusual to require two-factor authentication to turn existing two-factor authentication off.

For heavens sake, give them a cell number to text you (probably, though some will call) and supply you the code you need to enter to turn it off.

Security has become a much bigger deal, and I, like you, hate 2-factor/2-step authentication, but I have had plenty of experiences where turning off security measures defaulted to on has required me to allow a text to a mobile number or an e-mail to be sent to an alternate e-mail address.

If you want this OFF then for heaven's sake do what's requested to turn it off!

Edited by britechguy, 02 November 2018 - 08:14 PM.

You just don't seem to get that it is not, in any way, unusual to require two-factor authentication to turn existing two-factor authentication off.

 

For heavens sake, give them a cell number to text you (probably, though some will call) and supply you the code you need to enter to turn it off.

 

Security has become a much bigger deal, and I, like you, hate 2-factor/2-step authentication, but I have had plenty of experiences where turning off security measures defaulted to on has required me to allow a text to a mobile number or an e-mail to be sent to an alternate e-mail address.

 

If you want this OFF then for heaven's sake do what's requested to turn it off!

Right.  I do not understand.  The security section of my account already shows that twofactor verification is OFF, but I still need to get a separate code from a different account than AOL, just to sign in to an AOL account.  I do not and never have used cell phone for any email accounts.  AOL is the only service giving this two-factor verification trouble.  Gmail, Yahoo, not forcing it;  just AOL forcing it.

If I really must use some kind of cellular or mobile phone just to turn on and then turn off two-factor authentication, then sooner or later, I must close all of my AOL accounts.

I have this same problem well really my Octogenarian Mother cannot login without going through the authentication protocols over and over again for every login session!  This never happened until today, Sunday, February 16, 2025.  We do not have a wireless account for 2FA!  My Mother does not have a mobile telephone.  I no longer own a wireless account due EXTREME FINANCIAL CONSTRAINTS.  This is very annoying and my Mother needs access to her account with the traditional logon method User ID and Password!   Is there a "TEXT APP" that can be installed on a desktop computer [Windows 10 and Linux Ubuntu] that permits texting between computers and smartphones?