Google Authenticator for Android can finally move accounts between devices

Google hasn’t significantly tweaked Authenticator on Android for years (Android Police notes the last big upgrade was in 2017), but it’s about to get a much-needed refresh. The company is rolling out an update that, most notably, lets you transfer accounts between devices. You’ll now find an export/import tool that moves accounts by creating a QR code you scan on the destination device. It should now be considerably easier to migrate a work email account or your social networks while keeping them locked down with two-factor authentication.

The new revision also makes the leap to Google’s modern design aesthetic and supports a true dark theme if that’s more your style. Google typically takes a while to push updates on its own, but it’s available through APK Mirror if you just can’t wait.

Update (5/7): Google has officially announced the rollout, so you should see the new app sooner rather than later. In the blog post revealing it, software engineers explain that your secrets are transferred directly without going to Google’s servers, and “a variety of alerting mechanisms and in-app logs” are in place to make sure your keys can’t get moved without you knowing about it.