Bitwarden announces authentication app for Apple Watch

Bitwarden announces its authentication app for the Apple Watch and makes a beta version available through Apple’s TestFlight program. The app allows Premium users to request login codes for two-step verification.

It is not yet known when the app will officially appear for the Apple Watch. Bitwarden wants to test the app first and collect feedback from beta testers, the company writes. To beta test the app, users will need a Premium account with Bitwarden in addition to an Apple Watch and the TestFlight app. The authentication app is part of the paid subscription of the password manager.

With the authentication app on the Apple Watch, time-based one-time passwords for two-step verification can be requested. Instead of having to open the app on their phone, users can read the top codes directly from their smartwatch.

On Reddit, a Bitwarden employee writes that the authentication app in the future also wants to bring to other smartwatches. Google’s Wear OS, among others, is mentioned as a possible platform for Bitwarden Authenticator.

Bitwarden is not the first to bring an authentication app to the Apple Watch. Microsoft also released its Authenticator for the Apple Watch, but decided to discontinue it early this month.