One of themost popular two-factor authentication services, Authy, will get less unique in the near future. Twilio, the company behind the 2FA app, already announced that it was getting rid of the service’s desktop apps, but now the shutdown date has been moved forward to March. The Authy desktop versions were initially slated to be discontinued in summer.

Authy user@gergelyorosz_ shared on Threadsthat they received an email noting the earlier shutdown. The company also updated itsbusiness support pagediscussing the end-of-life date for the desktop authenticator. In it, Twilio now says that the apps will be shut down on June 10, 2025. The company notes that it previously planned to get rid of them in August.

gergelyorosz_ writes on Threads: “On one end: what were we expecting. How long would a company with massive losses (Twilio) spend money on an authenticator app that is not core to its business? On the other: the mobile + desktop app was very good. I used it. Migration will be a pain. Another ZIPR casuality."

Twilio added the same new details to thecustomer support pagefor its desktop apps, noting the March 19 shutdown date. In it, the company recommends users to switch to its mobile apps and notes that if backups are enabled, tokens are automatically synced between desktop and mobile devices.

The company has good news for Mac users, noting that the iOS app is compatible with MacBook models using M chips. This is similar to how Authy’s Android app works on Chromebooks.

For those who prefer a desktop app and don’t have hardware that supports mobile apps, Authy recommends a few products from competitors, including 1Password and the free and open-source KeePass. There are more recommendations, but they are not cross-platform compatible.

With Authy shutting down its desktop apps and even pulling forward the date, the question arises if the popular 2FA app’s days are numbered. It seems that Twilio is committed to improving its mobile apps, though, with abig redesign recently popping up. Many standalone 2FA apps are only available on mobile devices, so with Authy shutting down its desktop apps, it’s losing an important advantage over its competitors. Then again, the service is free to use for consumers, so there isn’t much business incentive to keep the lights on.

Authy was originally a startup offering 2FA services to consumers and enterprises. In 2015, it was bought by Twilio, which equips businesses with tools to communicate with customers through SMS, calls, and more.