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              Authy Desktop to Reach End-of-Life on 19 March 2024

   Adam Engst

   Twilio, the company that owns the [1]Authy two-factor authentication
   ecosystem, has announced its Authy Desktop apps for macOS, Windows, and
   Linux will [2]reach end-of-life on 19 March 2024. It's unclear whether
   Authy Desktop will stop working or just cease receiving updates. Twilio
   will continue maintaining its mobile apps, and the company recommends
   switching to them. Given how basic the Authy Desktop app was, it's
   unimpressive that Twilio didn't feel up to keeping it alive. Authy
   Desktop was worthwhile because it's easier to copy an authentication
   code from a Mac app than to retype it from an iPhone app.
   I've never before encountered a standalone app that couldn't be
   captured with a screenshot, so this photo is meant to show the
   pointlessness of such a feature.

   I switched to Authy's apps long ago after discovering that the Google
   Authenticator app of the time couldn't transfer its data to a new
   iPhone (it can now). But after LastPass suffered multiple data
   breaches, I switched to 1Password and started relying on its two-factor
   authentication capabilities, maintaining Authy only as a backup (see
   '[3]LastPass Publishes More Details about Its Data Breaches,' 3 March
   2023).

   What should you do to retain access to two-factor authentication codes
   on your Mac? If you're using a Mac with Apple silicon, the most
   straightforward workaround would be to run the [4]iPhone version of
   Authy on your Mac and sync your tokens using Authy's [5]Backups
   feature. For those using Intel-based Macs or who want to jump ship to a
   company that cares about the Mac, Twilio lists a handful of desktop
   apps that provide two-factor authentication.

   All are full-fledged password managers other than the [6]Authenticator
   Chrome extension and [7]Step Two, which looks like the closest direct
   replacement for Authy Desktop. It appears to be free for up to 10
   accounts; you can unlock unlimited accounts for a $9.99 in-app
   purchase. Step Two syncs over iCloud, but its mobile version seems to
   be a separate $9.99 purchase. It may be most attractive to those who
   subscribe to the [8]Setapp app library, where both versions are
   available. Personally, I recommend a password manager that also
   supports two-factor authentication, such as Apple's built-in Passwords
   (see '[9]Add Two-Factor Codes to Password Entries in iOS 15, iPadOS 15,
   and Safari 15,' 7 October 2021), [10]1Password, [11]KeePassXC, or
   [12]Secrets.

References

   Visible links
   1. https://authy.com/
   2. https://help.twilio.com/articles/22771146070299-End-user-guide-End-of-Life-EOL-for-Twilio-Authy-Desktop-app
   3. https://tidbits.com/2023/03/03/lastpass-publishes-more-details-about-its-data-breaches/
   4. https://apps.apple.com/us/app/twilio-authy/id494168017
   5. https://authy.com/features/backup/
   6. https://authenticator.cc/
   7. https://steptwo.app/
   8. https://setapp.com/apps/step-two
   9. https://tidbits.com/2021/10/07/add-two-factor-codes-to-password-entries-in-ios-15-ipados-15-and-safari-15/
  10. https://1password.com/
  11. https://keepassxc.org/download/#macos
  12. https://secrets.app/

   Hidden links:
  13. https://tidbits.com/wp/../uploads/2024/02/Authy-Desktop-photo-scaled.jpg

.