Google Authenticator 7.0 rolls out Material You redesign, search, & more

In a rollout that has spanned over three months for some reason, Google Authenticator 7.0 is now widely available on Android with a Material You redesign and other new features. 

Some Android users got version 7.0 in August. At the start of November, Google started rolling out the update again. As of today, Google Authenticator 7.0 is widely available via the Play Store. 

In terms of new functionality, you get the ability to search through your accounts instead of having to scroll. (This capability arrived in Google Authenticator for iOS last year.) The new search field integrates the hamburger menu, account switcher, and cloud sync status.

The “Scan a QR code” UI has been updated and adds flash, while being powered by Google Play services. An app shortcut also lets you quickly access the camera scanner from the Android homescreen. 

There’s a new “Privacy screen” that can be enabled in Settings to require a PIN, biometric, or other form of screen lock to access your 2-factor authentication (2FA) codes. You can set the “Require unlock after app is invisible” increment to: Immediately, After 10 seconds, After 1 minute, or After 10 minutes.

In Settings, we’re no longer seeing the “Time correction for codes” feature. Similarly, Google has removed the manual light/dark mode switcher from the navigation drawer.

Meanwhile, the app gets various Material 3 elements in version 7.0, like Dynamic Color theming on the homepage for the rotating codes and countdown indicator. Google Authenticator’s nav drawer has curved corners, though the four menu items randomly have a pretty big font size. The FAB (floating action button) is now a rounded square, but still uses the old multi-color ‘plus’ sign.

Google rarely updates Authenticator. The last release came in April/May of 2023 with the four-color asterisk icon and Google Account sync.