Google Authenticator Returns With Remedial Update Following Version 2.0 Fail
September 7, 2013
After a brief, unplanned absence in the App Store, Google Authenticator for iOS is now back and available to download again.
A few days ago, the app received its 2.0 update. According to its release notes, Google Authenticator 2.0 added full-resolution support for iPhone 5, introduced a new interface, improved the app's accessibility, and delivered some bug fixes.
Unbeknown to users and, more notably, the development team behind Google Authenticator, the update somehow gave rise to a new bug that ended up deleting the existing user data in the app.
This required users who installed the update to set up their accounts anew in order to get the two-step verification codes that the app is designed to provide.
To prevent other users from installing the faulty update, Google decided to pull Google Authenticator from the App Store until further notice.
Well, that notice has arrived in the form of a newly issued follow-up update, which, according to its release notes, "restores entries that were not displayed due to a bug in version 2.0."
The new version of Google Authenticator is available now in the App Store for free. The app is optimized for iPhone and iPod touch running iOS 5.0 or later.