Overview
To simplify your login experience, OIT will put Google account access behind Single Sign-On (SSO). The change will happen according to the following schedule:
- Staff: Oct. 15, 2025
- Faculty & Emeriti Faculty: Oct. 22, 2025
- Students: Nov. 5, 2025
- Other (entities, etc.): Nov. 19, 2025
Please note the "related articles" list as well as the list of frequently asked questions below; click a link below to jump to a topic.
If you do not have your device with you, you can obtain a bypass code from the OIT Help Desk.
*If you have lost your device, please report it to the OIT Help Desk. We want to ensure someone else does not maliciously authenticate your account with your device.
Absolutely! Since you're using SSO (and Duo) for most other things and only had to use Google 2-Step Verification for accessing Google apps, it's possible that you'll see the prompts for SSO and Duo and respond to them as you do for other services and not even realize that you're not having to use Google 2-Step Verification anymore.
If you're already logged into myUAH [or another system that uses SSO] before you attempt to access a Google app sometime, you may not realize that you're not being prompted to authenticate.
Logging into Google with SSO will be much more convenient!
It is recommended that you bookmark a page like mail.google.com in your web browser or set that page as one of the default pages that opens when you open your web browser. Otherwise, you could navigate to the login page through menus in myUAH or www.uah.edu (those methods require more steps).
Most, if not all, web browsers are compatible with Gmail and other Workspace apps. Using the web client allows you to engage in Chat and the full suite of applications as designed. While many mail clients can be used, some (such as Microsoft Outlook) can require the use of a synchronization application which slows performance.
Single Sign-On (SSO) is convenient because you typically aren't prompted to log in again when you switch from one SSO system to another. However, there are different timeout settings per system. Accessing your Google account usually does not require you to provide your Charger ID and password as often as most other SSO systems; it has a longer timeout setting (to be consistent with past behavior). It's not indicative of a problem if you're already viewing your email but are prompted to log in when you attempt to access Canvas, myUAH, Banner, etc.
Anyone who had set a password directly in their Google account and doesn't know the UAH password for the account should reset their password. Accessing the account after the change requires the UAH password that's for all SSO systems rather than a password that was set explicitly through the Google account settings.
I'm sorry to say that you'll no longer be able to use a different password for Google after the change affects your group. You'll be logging in with the same password you use for other SSO systems (Canvas, myUAH, etc.) after the change. There's no way around that; we apologize for any inconvenience.
No. You’ll not be prompted to Duo but you will see the login page change from the Google one to the SSO one. This only applies to entity accounts. SSO isn't the same thing as MFA. You can have SSO without MFA if that's how OIT configures the account.
Any "entity" account (otherwise known as a departmental account; examples are helpdesk@uah.edu and telecom@uah.edu) aren't currently forced, by OIT, to use 2-step verification. This change won't start requiring that. On or after November 19th when logging into the account, you'll be prompted for the username and password via the SSO prompt. Entering the current "Google password" (what you were using before OIT made this change) will allow you to access the department email address/account. The login prompt may look different, but there won't be any other change to how you access the account.
Once authentication is via SSO instead of Google, the Google account recovery are moot (not used at all). Past escalations/challenges regarding when someone signs in from a new device will not occur after Google authentication is behind SSO.
No. This change only affects the way you log in. All of your data is safe and will not be affected.
This is expected for apps that need to be updated to the new login method. Please follow the instructions in our guide to remove and re-add your account. If you need assistance with this, please note that you can access your email through a web browser until the problem can be resolved.
Both Duo and Google 2-Step are strong security tools. This change is about standardization. By integrating Google with our central login system, we ensure that the same robust security policies that protect other core campus systems are now consistently applied to your Google account. It also means you only have to use one MFA application—Duo—for all of your UAH services.
That will continue to work the way it did before this change. When you click "Sign in with Google," you will simply be taken to our UAH login page to authenticate.
An App Password is a 16-digit passcode needed for older apps that do not support modern login methods. If removing and re-adding your account doesn't work for a specific application, you may need an App Password. For instructions, see Google's official guide: Create & use App Passwords.
This change has no effect on your personal Google account.
Still Have Questions?
If you have additional questions about this topic, please contact the OIT Help Desk.