The YouTube App is an Authenticator...and That's a Problem - LowEndBox

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The YouTube App is an Authenticator...and That's a Problem

raindog308

Jun 13, 2026 @ 1:04 pm

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biometric, biometrics, faceid, Security, youtube

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Not long ago, I added a new device to my Google account.  As I signed in, it asked me to authenticate myself by sending an approval message to the YouTube app on my other devices.  Pretty standard fare.<br>But it occurred to me that if one of my devices was ever stolen, this was a dangerous attack path.  I require FaceID on important apps such as authenticators, password vaults, bank apps, and email.  Sure, I have a passcode on my phone and iPad as well, but without biometrics on these applications, the entire security of my digital life relies on a 6-digit number.  If someone shoulder-surfed my PIN – or grabbed my unlocked phone after I’d unlocked it – it would be very easy to lock me out of my accounts, change my passwords, drain my accounts, etc.<br>It’s not a likely scenario, but because the consequences are so catastrophic and the fix is so easy, I use biometrics.<br>I didn’t require FaceID on my YouTube app because…so what?  I don’t require FaceID on the calculator app, either.  If someone were to open my YouTube app, what could they really do?  Leave some angry comments on LowEndBoxTV videos?  Delete my playlists?<br>But when I recently authenticated with the YouTube app to sign into my email on another device, it made me realize that the YouTube app is actually another authenticator.<br>So I required FaceID.<br>And Then the Pain Came<br>OK, admittedly, "pain" is a bit strong.<br>Coincidentally, my AirPods became unpaired from my iPhone shortly thereafter.  I re-paired them – it happens.  Then I noticed that everytime I tapped to unpause, Apple Music launched.<br>No.  Matter.  What.  I’m listening to a Caleb Hammer episode and pause, and then when I unpause, whatever Apple Music song I last listened to started.  I thought it was because of my re-pairing.  I tried killing the Apple Music app.  No change.  Unpausing would actually launch the Apple Music app and start playing the last song.  This was super-irritating, because I often work and hike while listening to YouTube.  Pausing and unpausing those videos with my AirPods is something I do a dozen times a day.<br>I dove into Bluetooth settings.  Nothing.  I asked our AI overlords, and it lead me down a rabbit hole of settings – some of which didn’t exist, in classic AI style – but no change.<br>Took me a couple days, but then I put two and two together and removed FaceID from YouTube.  Instantly things worked as expected again.<br>Security is the Inverse of Convenience<br>So we’re at the classic intersection of convenience and security.  If you want more of the latter, you have to give up some of the former.<br>Hmmm.

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raindog308<br>raindog308 is a longtime community LETizen, technical writer, and self-described techno polymath. With deep roots in the *nix world, he has a passion for systems both modern and vintage, ranging from Unix, Perl, Python, and Golang to shell scripting and mainframe-era operating systems like MVS. He’s equally comfortable with relational database systems, having spent years working with Oracle, PostgreSQL, and MySQL.<br>As an avid user of LowEndBox providers, raindog308 runs an empire of LEBs, from tiny boxes for VPNs, to mid-sized instances for application hosting, and heavyweight servers for data storage and complex databases. He brings both technical rigor and real-world experience to every piece he writes.<br>Beyond the command line, raindog308 has a life-long love of German Shepherd Dogs, high-quality knives, target shooting, theology, tabletop RPGs, playing guitar, and hiking in deep, quiet forests.<br>His goal with every article is to help users, from beginners to seasoned sysadmins, get more value, performance, and enjoyment out of their infrastructure.<br>You can find him daily in the forums at LowEndTalk under the handle @raindog308.

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