• General
  • Some apps' battery usage cannot be restricted?

Hey everyone,
Recently my work place asked us to use 2FA and they used a custom Authenticator app for that. What I found surprising is that I cannot restrict this application as I do with most of the other non essential apps. I was under the impression that given the design of this OS, one can overrule most settings other systems will try to enact on you.
Here is a screenshot:
https://freeimage.host/i/HCj7cog
Any ideas how this can be circumvented or changed? Appreciated.

This looks like a system app, not a user-installed app. Are you sure you're looking at the correct app?

As far as I know, you should indeed be able to adjust battery usage settings for user-installed non-system apps at will.

I think I read somewhere that there are special configurations that can be made for a user application to request no battery optimizations, so that isn't surprising me.

Now about battery optimizations; in a lot of cases, it really won't make any difference. Basic applications that simply don't do any background processing won't change at all if subject to restrictions, or given free reign. I can't think of a single use for background processing on an authenticator application, so I really doubt it would make any difference.

Regarding the choice of application; many times, someone will tell you that you have to use "their" authenticator application, but when it really comes down to it, their application is just using regular run of the mill TOTP. Do you have access to the details? QR code? If it uses a QR code, you should try to just add it to a different TOTP program, like AndOTP.

    abcZ Regarding the choice of application; many times, someone will tell you that you have to use "their" authenticator application, but when it really comes down to it, their application is just using regular run of the mill TOTP. Do you have access to the details? QR code? If it uses a QR code, you should try to just add it to a different TOTP program, like AndOTP.

    A better (in my opinion) and more up to date alternative is Aegis as well. As long as a service adheres to the standard, the choice of app largely doesn't matter.