14 DAY TRIAL // Microsoft will soon retire the Microsoft Authenticator app for the Apple Watch, with the company telling users that they can very well delete it right now from their smartwatches.
The reason the software giant is ditching this application is as simple as it could be: watchOS is no longer compatible with the security features bundled with Authentication, so the easy way for Microsoft is to simply retire its tool once and for all.
On a support page, the company notes that the next update for Microsoft Authentication, which is due in January, will be the first to go live without support for the Apple Watch.
“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 says.
Truth be told, the experience with Microsoft Authenticator on the Apple Watch has been limited, to say the least.
For example, the smartwatch wasn’t able to display all Authenticator notifications, with users prompted to approve a request on their iPhones.
“Apple watch does not support some Authenticator notifications. These notifications are number matching, passwordless sign-in for enterprise accounts, and Location-based access notifications for enterprise accounts. For these unsupported notifications, the message that's displayed reads "Request type not supported on watch. Open your phone to approve,” Microsoft explains.
Needless to say, keeping the app installed on your Apple Watch and avoiding the update doesn’t make any sense, especially because the experience isn’t necessarily the best in the first place.