It's not always easy juggling digital accounts when you're signed up to dozens of them—or perhaps even hundreds (you know who you are). While password managers can ease some of the strain, we're also big fans of two-factor authentication, which helps those services make sure you are who you say you are. That's where passcodes come in.

These codes might also be called verification codes, OTPs (one-time passcodes), security codes, or any combination of those words. Their function is the same regardless of name: The digital account in question knows what your phone number is, so in theory only you should be able to get at a code sent to that number.

It's a useful extra layer of security and means that if your usernames and passwords escape into the wild, they can't be used—there's another level of verification to get through. That said, you need to make sure that this additional step is well protected from bad actors too, whether that's making sure your registered mobile number is always up to date or making sure you're the only one with access to your cell phone. SMS-based verification codes aren't perfect and aren’t as effective as an authenticator app.

However, some services support only this option, and these passcodes are usually valid only for a short time, which limits the window of opportunity for anyone else but you to use them. Even so, it's still good practice to tidy up after yourself and make sure any codes you receive are wiped once they've been entered. Here's how to do it on Android and iOS.

If your handset is running Android, then you can get passcodes automatically deleted from your phone as long as you're using Google Messages to manage your text messages. Inside the app, tap on your Google account profile picture (top right), then choose Messages settings. Tap on Message organization and then enable Auto-delete OTPs after 24 hrs.