If you're protecting your Battle.net account via the Battle.net Authenticator, you'll have to take a manual action to not lose your two-factor authentication until early January. We'll explain what's going on and what you have to do.
Account hacking has become a common problem for all kinds of digital services, and Battle.net accounts are no exception. One of the most effective ways to protect an account is the two-factor authentication ("2FA"), which is why Blizzard created the Battle.net Authenticator many years ago.
The two-factor authentication adds a second access request to log into an account. The first factor is your password, the second factor is usually a unique code. While a password works on any device, the code will be exclusively sent to you (usually on your smartphone), which makes it a lot more difficult for anyone to hack you.
If you've already enabled the 2FA for your Battle.net account, well done! Nevertheless, there's a slight change incoming that will force you to react: Blizzard has announced that the old Authenticator App will be retired on January 5, 2024.
This doesn't mean Blizzard will abandon the 2FA option; instead, the feature will be available in the Battle.net mobile app (it actually has been available for quite a while). Fortunately, migrating from the old app to the new one isn't very difficult – here's what you have to do.
2FA: How To Migrate From The Authentication App To The Battle.net Mobile App
If you haven't installed the Battle.net mobile app yet, do so – get it here for Android and here for iOS. As soon as the app is installed, open it and log in with your account credentials.
Once you're logged in, the app might automatically offer you to set up the 2FA; if not, click on the "Authenticator" option in the app (marked in the screenshot above) to start the process. Completing it is basically entering a unique code that will be sent to you during the setup process. And that's it.
To speed up future logins, we recommend authorizing the Battle.net app to be able to send you push notifications.
Why You Shouldn't Ignore The 2FA Activation In The Battle.net Mobile App
If you're still using the old Authenticator app, and you don't migrate to the Battle.net app until January 5, the 2FA feature for your account will be disabled, increasing the risk of getting hacked. You'll also get an email with a forced password reset and lose some special in-game perks and benefits, like the extra bag slot in World of Warcraft.
Migrating your 2FA from the Authenticator app to the Battle.net mobile app shouldn't take you more than 5 minutes (rather less) and ensures your account stays secure – so we strongly recommend doing so as soon as possible to avoid any potential future problems or annoyance.
Source: Blizzard