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

2024 iPhone Boxes Feature

Apple Adjusts Trade-In Values for iPhones, iPads, Macs, and More

Thursday November 6, 2025 11:12 am PST by
Apple today updated its trade-in values for select iPhone, iPad, Mac, and Apple Watch models. Trade-ins can be completed on Apple's website, or at an Apple Store. The charts below provide an overview of Apple's current and previous trade-in values in the U.S., according to its website. Maximum values for most devices either decreased or saw no change, but the iPad Air received a slight bump. ...
Finder Siri Feature

Apple's New Siri Will Be Powered By Google Gemini

Wednesday November 5, 2025 11:57 am PST by
The smarter, more capable version of Siri that Apple is developing will be powered by Google Gemini, reports Bloomberg. Apple will pay Google approximately $1 billion per year for a 1.2 trillion parameter artificial intelligence model that was developed by Google. For context, parameters are a measure of how a model understands and responds to queries. More parameters generally means more...
iOS 26

iOS 26.1 Available Now With These 8 New Features

Monday November 3, 2025 5:54 am PST by
Following more than a month of beta testing, Apple released iOS 26.1 on Monday, November 3. The update includes a handful of new features and changes, including the ability to adjust the look of Liquid Glass and more. Below, we outline iOS 26.1's key new features. Liquid Glass Toggle iOS 26.1 lets you choose your preferred look for Liquid Glass. In the Settings app, under Display...
Liquid Glass General Feature

Apple Shares Liquid Glass Design Gallery

Thursday November 6, 2025 2:45 pm PST by
Apple is promoting the new Liquid Glass design in iOS 26, showing off the ways that third-party developers are embracing the aesthetic in their apps. On its developer website, Apple is featuring a visual gallery that demonstrates how "teams of all sizes" are creating Liquid Glass experiences. The gallery features examples of Liquid Glass in apps for iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, and Mac. Apple...
apple watch se 3 always on

Apple to Remove iPhone-Apple Watch Wi-Fi Sync in EU With iOS 26.2

Thursday November 6, 2025 4:37 am PST by
Apple in iOS 26.2 will disable automatic Wi-Fi network syncing between iPhone and Apple Watch in the European Union to comply with the bloc's regulations, suggests a new report. Normally, when an iPhone connects to a new Wi-Fi network, it automatically shares the network credentials with the paired Apple Watch. This allows the watch to connect to the same network independently – for...
airtag purple

Apple's Website Lists AirTag 4-Pack at Shockingly Low Price [Updated]

Friday November 7, 2025 6:40 am PST by
Apple's online store in the U.S. is suddenly offering a pack of four AirTags for just $29, which is the same price as a single AirTag. This is likely a pricing error, and it is unclear if orders will be fulfilled. Apple has not discounted the AirTag four-pack in any other countries that we checked. Delivery estimates are already pushing into late November to early December, suggesting...
ikea smart home devices

IKEA Debuts 21 HomeKit-Compatible Smart Bulbs, Sensors, and Controls

Thursday November 6, 2025 4:08 pm PST by
IKEA today announced the upcoming launch of 21 new Matter-compatible smart home products that will be able to interface with HomeKit and the Apple Home app. There are sensors, lights, and control options, all of which will be reasonably priced. Some of the products are new, while some are updates to existing lines that IKEA previously offered. There are a series of new smart bulbs that are...
Home Hub Command Center with Dome Base Feature

Apple's 2026 Smart Home Revamp: All the Rumors

Wednesday November 5, 2025 3:54 pm PST by
It's been over a decade since Apple's HomeKit smart home platform launched, and it is overdue for an update. HomeKit and the Home app can no longer keep up with AI-powered solutions from other companies like Google and Amazon, but that's set to change with a smart home revamp that Apple has planned for 2026. Home Hub Apple is working on a home hub or "command center" that will serve as a...

Top Rated Comments

xpxp2002 Avatar
36 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
36 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
36 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
36 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
36 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
36 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)