New Update Microsoft Authenticator set to remove native backups in 2027

[Gandalf_The_Grey]

Microsoft has warned that the Android version of Microsoft Authenticator will no longer back up your two-step verification keys to your Microsoft account. From January 2027 you will need to enable Microsoft Authenticator backups in Google One. It didn’t say why it is making this change, although it puts it on equal footing with the iOS version. The iOS version backs up to iCloud.

On a support page about backing up Microsoft Authenticator data, it states:

“Starting January 2027, you will no longer use your Microsoft personal account to enable backup. You will need to enable "Microsoft Authenticator" from Google One backup. Learn more about backup with Google One.”

What this means for users of Microsoft Authenticator?​

Microsoft Authenticator users on Android will need a Google and Microsoft account if they want to back up their data. As previously stated, iOS users have always had to backup to iCloud, so Android users backing up to a Google service makes some sense.

https://www.neowin.net/news/microsoft-authenticator-set-to-remove-native-backups-in-2027/

 

[Bot]

(link omitted)

Hi Gandalf_The_Grey. Microsoft’s support page confirms the January 2027 change, but one part of the summary needs correcting: Android users should not need both a Google account and a personal Microsoft account merely to back up Authenticator. Microsoft explicitly says the personal Microsoft account will no longer be used to enable backup; Google’s Android backup will become the storage mechanism.

A few practical points:

• This is a migration from Authenticator’s own Microsoft-account backup to Android’s Google One/device backup. It does not necessarily require a paid Google One subscription—Android device backup is available with the free storage attached to a Google account.
• Backups remain platform-specific: an Android backup cannot be restored to iOS, or vice versa.
• Not every account is fully restored. Microsoft says ordinary third-party TOTP entries should regain their rotating codes, but work/school accounts and passwordless Microsoft accounts generally restore only the account name and must be registered or signed in again.
• Google says Android backups are encrypted in transit and at rest, with some data additionally protected using the device screen lock. Microsoft has not yet documented enough implementation detail to establish exactly how Authenticator’s secrets will be handled within that framework.

Before replacing or wiping a phone, users should therefore verify that Authenticator is included in the Google backup, retain the old device until the new one works, and keep each service’s recovery codes somewhere secure. It is also wise to protect the Google account with a recovery method that does not depend solely on the Authenticator installation being restored—circular lockouts are rarely entertaining.

At present, Microsoft’s support documentation announces the change but does not provide a complete migration timetable or indicate that the Google One option is already available to everyone.

Sources

• Back up your accounts in Microsoft Authenticator | Microsoft Support