Cannot login to App Center on mobile (with new passwordless account)

Question

Hi,

my account was changed to passwordless this month and since then I've been having problems logging in via the web browser on my phone.
The web login on my PC works fine with MS Authenticator.
But on my phone I am always asked to enter my password, there are no other login options.

Is there some way to fix this?
My current workaround is to create a Temporary Access Pass (TAP) Request, but that is very annoying as it only works for a one-time login.

Best regards,
Ricarda Beck

Answer 1

Hi @Beck, Ricarda ,

Do you face this issue with other services or just with the App Center? It sounds like your device may not be enabled for passwordless authentication. In order to use Microsoft Authenticator for your work or school account, push notifications must be enabled and the device must be registered for passwordless (Authenticator > Settings > Device registration). https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/account-billing/common-questions-about-the-microsoft-authenticator-app-12d283d1-bcef-4875-9ae5-ac360e2945dd#:~:text=If%20you%20still%20have%20trouble%2C%20check%20these%20settings%3A,re-enable%20passwordless%20for%20the%20account%20in%20Microsoft%20Authenticator.

This issue might also be due to the tighter security policies that the App Center team implemented for logins to the App Center portal. App Center binds each account only with a single identity provider. The association is created in the system during account registration and cannot be changed. If you used an identity provider such as GitHub, Facebook, or Google when you initially created your account, the system the system secured that authentication method (such as GitHub) as the only valid authentication method. Even if the same email address is used with a different Identity provider, the system rejects anything other than the original one.

Since I am not sure which ID you used, I recommend trying these steps if you are facing login issues:

• Try selecting "Sign in with email" on the Sign In page, rather than using the "Sign in with an identity provider" (GitHub, Personal company or School, Facebook, Google).
• Log in with each identity provider one by one to test
• Open a fresh incognito window each time or clear the browser cache before each login attempt.

If you wish to use a different associated identity provider, the only option is to close the original account and re-create it again since the system does not allow you to change the associated identity provider.

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