Microsoft Authenticator Discontinues Apple Watch App

Microsoft Authenticator is no longer available on the Apple Watch following an update to the app released on the App Store today.

Microsoft Authenticator
"This update removes Microsoft Authenticator from Apple Watch," reads the release notes for the update. Microsoft notes that in the Apple Watch's notification settings, you can still choose to mirror iPhone alerts from the app to your Apple Watch.

Primarily used for signing into Microsoft accounts with two-step verification enabled, the Microsoft Authenticator for iOS gained an Apple Watch companion app in 2018. Microsoft previously announced that the Apple Watch app would be discontinued in early 2023.

Those looking for an alternative two-factor authentication app on the Apple Watch can check out the Authenticator App by 2Stable and Authy by Twilio.

The Microsoft Authenticator app for Apple Watch joins a long list of third-party watchOS apps that have been discontinued over the last few years, either because of perceived redundancy or lack of user uptake. Other notable Apple Watch apps that have been discontinued include Twitter, Instagram, Target, Trello, Slack, Hulu, and Uber.

(Thanks, Aaron!)

Popular Stories

Apple Logo Zoomed

Tim Cook Teases Plans for Apple's Upcoming 50th Anniversary

Thursday February 5, 2026 12:54 pm PST by
Apple turns 50 this year, and its CEO Tim Cook has promised to celebrate the milestone. The big day falls on April 1, 2026. "I've been unusually reflective lately about Apple because we have been working on what do we do to mark this moment," Cook told employees today, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. "When you really stop and pause and think about the last 50 years, it makes your heart ...
wwdc sans text feature

Apple Rumored to Announce New Product on February 19

Thursday February 5, 2026 12:22 pm PST by
Apple plans to announce the iPhone 17e on Thursday, February 19, according to Macwelt, the German equivalent of Macworld. The report, citing industry sources, is available in English on Macworld. Apple announced the iPhone 16e on Wednesday, February 19 last year, so the iPhone 17e would be unveiled exactly one year later if this rumor is accurate. It is quite uncommon for Apple to unveil...
Finder Siri Feature

Why Apple's iOS 26.4 Siri Upgrade Will Be Bigger Than Originally Promised

Friday February 6, 2026 3:06 pm PST by
In the iOS 26.4 update that's coming this spring, Apple will introduce a new version of Siri that's going to overhaul how we interact with the personal assistant and what it's able to do. The iOS 26.4 version of Siri won't work like ChatGPT or Claude, but it will rely on large language models (LLMs) and has been updated from the ground up. Upgraded Architecture The next-generation...
maxresdefault

Apple Shows Off a Key Reason to Upgrade to the iPhone 17

Saturday February 7, 2026 9:26 am PST by
Apple today shared an ad that shows how the upgraded Center Stage front camera on the latest iPhones improves the process of taking a group selfie. "Watch how the new front facing camera on iPhone 17 Pro takes group selfies that automatically expand and rotate as more people come into frame," says Apple. While the ad is focused on the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max, the regular iPhone...
iOS 26

iOS 26.3 and iOS 26.4 Will Add These New Features to Your iPhone

Tuesday February 3, 2026 7:47 am PST by
While the iOS 26.3 Release Candidate is now available ahead of a public release, the first iOS 26.4 beta is likely still at least a week away. Following beta testing, iOS 26.4 will likely be released to the general public in March or April. Below, we have recapped known or rumored iOS 26.3 and iOS 26.4 features so far. iOS 26.3 iPhone to Android Transfer Tool iOS 26.3 makes it easier...

Top Rated Comments

xpxp2002 Avatar
39 months ago

LoL who needs MS Authenticator when a competitive authenticator is already built into iOS? (I suppose folks still stuck on PCs.)

But ultimately I wonder if authenticators in general will be depreciated as the move to passwordless login increases.
The Microsoft Authenticator provides seamless and passwordless authentication to personal Microsoft accounts, Azure, Office 365, and a number of other popular Microsoft services. That doesn't work natively with iOS (or Android, for that matter).

Being able to approve requests and even do number matching directly from the watch was very convenient.
Score: 49 Votes (Like | Disagree)
TheLisnakFactor Avatar
39 months ago
This sucks. I use the watch app all day with work. I have a bunch of Microsoft accounts that require the dumb app - and the watch app makes it so much easier as I just click an approve button over the iPhone app that requires me to open the app, FaceID and then click - and the worst part is its clicking in a different place on the screen every time because the notifications aren't always the same size.

Microsoft should bring this back - their added feature of number clicking can easily be implemented on the watch screen - the watch screens can display 3 2-digit numbers easily.
Score: 43 Votes (Like | Disagree)
jakey rolling Avatar
39 months ago

LoL who needs MS Authenticator when a competitive authenticator is already built into iOS? (I suppose folks still stuck on PCs.)
People who use their computers for work, perhaps?
Score: 41 Votes (Like | Disagree)
dtlee1974 Avatar
39 months ago

People who use their computers for work, perhaps?
Exactly. That post was another example of the "Well if I don't use it, no one does" attitude. I don't use Spotify for example, but I understand a lot of people do.
Score: 28 Votes (Like | Disagree)
gank41 Avatar
39 months ago

LoL who needs MS Authenticator when a competitive authenticator is already built into iOS? (I suppose folks still stuck on PCs.)

But ultimately I wonder if authenticators in general will be depreciated as the move to passwordless login increases.
We use all Microsoft Apps for our work (very large healthcare org) and have no choice but to use MS Authenticator.
Score: 21 Votes (Like | Disagree)
bluespark Avatar
39 months ago
This is too bad. The Apple Watch is the perfect platform for authenticator apps, since it’s attached to you. It would almost always be easier to authenticate through the Watch than through the phone.
Score: 13 Votes (Like | Disagree)