Microsoft Authenticator app for Apple Watch discontinued; here are the best alternatives

As previously announced, Microsoft has dropped support for the Microsoft Authenticator app on Apple Watch. The company blamed this decision on watchOS being “incompatible with Authenticator security features.” There are a couple of other options for Apple Watch users, though…

Microsoft announced its plans to discontinue the Authenticator app for Apple Watch back in December. The app has now been fully removed from the App Store, as spotted by a MacRumors reader. As Microsoft points out, this change has no impact on the Authenticator app on iPhone.

Here’s what Microsoft said when the decision to discontinue the Apple Watch app was announced in December:

In the upcoming Authenticator release in January 2023 for iOS, there will be no companion app for watchOS due to it being incompatible with Authenticator security features. This means you won’t be able to install or use Authenticator on Apple Watch. We therefore recommend that you delete Authenticator from your Apple Watch. This change only impacts Apple Watch, so you will still be able to use Authenticator on your other devices.

Microsoft Authenticator alternatives for Apple Watch

As a number of people on Reddit have pointed out, the Microsoft Authenticator app for Apple Watch has been unreliable for years. There are, however, a couple of two-factor app alternatives that are worth considering with dedicated Apple Watch apps.

• Authenticator App by 2Stable
• Twilio Authy

One thing to note, however, is that the Microsoft Authenticator app itself is the only app that supports approving enterprise logins for Microsoft 365 and Azure. This means that if you’re using these Microsoft services in an enterprise environment, you can’t fully ditch your reliance on the Microsoft Authenticator app.

Do you have a favorite two-factor app for iPhone and Apple Watch? Are you using Apple’s own password manager for two-factor? Let us know down in the comments.