Google’s Authenticator app for Android has received a major update with several new features and an all-new Material You design.
Google Authenticator now has a search bar that lets you view all of your accounts, as well as a privacy screen that automatically locks the app when you’re not using it, either immediately or after a set amount of time.
The Google Authenticator app previously introduced a feature that prevents users from taking screenshots of the app.
New material U UI
Google Authenticator 7.0 also gets a major redesign, with the hamburger menu and account switcher now housed in a pill-shaped button at the top of the app. User experience features like the How it Works guide, Settings, and Help & Feedback buttons have been moved to the navigation drawer.
Additionally, the QR code scanner has received a major UI overhaul, with a new flash option for scanning QR codes in low-light conditions. This is powered by Google Play Services and does not store any data, with Authenticator stating that “no image data is shared, only the scan results. Scanning is performed on your device and Google does not store image data or the scanned codes.”
These new updates were added to the iOS app for iPhone and iPad earlier this year, while version 7.0 of Google Authenticator for Android is not yet fully available via the Play Store.
Google Authenticator previously received criticism to not encrypt the apps’ traffic end-to-end, allowing for the generation of one-time codes by intercepting traffic and stealing 2FA seeds.
Via 9to5Google
