iPhone users will see a new way to back up and restore Authenticator accounts from September 2025.
Read the news here: https://admin.microsoft.com/Adminportal/Home#/MessageCenter/:/messages/MC1111780
TLDR:
- Old Microsoft account backup option retired.
- No Microsoft personal account needed anymore to back up your credentials.
- Authenticator will now use iCloud + iCloud Keychain for backup and restore.
- Account names and third-party TOTP credentials (e.g., Google, Amazon) will be backed up automatically.
- On new iOS devices (iOS 16+), account names will auto-appear in Authenticator
- Backups can be turned off anytime in iCloud settings.
This improves reliability and makes the backup experience feel more natural for iOS users while keeping data secure under iCloud. Honestly, it’s a change that feels way more natural for iOS users.
I’d call this a win for both simplicity and security. 💡