Finally something new after 2 years of stagnation

A full two years after its last major update, Google Authenticator for Android is equipped with a new update. If not really ambitious, it allows you to add an extra dose of privacy.

Slack like its logo, the Google Authenticator app benefits from new features in dribs and dribs // Source: Google

Its last major update is of May 2020. Two years later, Google is bringing some minor new features to its Google Authenticator authentication application. The appeal cannot therefore be made, so the application evolves through its version 5.20, still being deployed for Android users. Failing to revolutionize the formula, this minor update offers an extra layer of privacy especially when it comes to using single-use code.

Started off slowly over the past few weeks, Google Authenticator 5.20 now hides the six-digit PIN codes of the accounts it hosts. To reveal a code, the user simply has to click on it, then click on it again to hide it again if needed.

A new code transfer function in the menu

We also learn that it is possible to automatically transfer a masked code to a login that is waiting to be completed. To do this, simply click and hold on the relevant code. However, this functionality is worth refining, as the hidden codes that are transferred thus unfortunately appear in clear text in overlays of Android 13’s clipboard, notes AndroidPolice.

The media also notes that Google Authenticator 5.20 is not yet provided to all users, which however began to be deployed by Google on 23 May. If the update should be rolled out everywhere around the world soon, it’s likely your turn hasn’t come yet. If you haven’t been served and don’t want to wait any longer, then installing the application via its APK can also be a solution.

Anyway note that Google Authenticator is starting to lag behind competing two-factor authentication applications. More sophisticated, some of them offer better organization of codes or some welcome additional features, such as biometric connections.

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