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I am having an issue with the Authenticator App working on my Apple Watch. I am enabling the app on my iphone then go to my watch and enable the app there. My watch then shows the message “Keep the app open on your phone and respond to any prompts.” No prompts appear on my phone to respond to. When I shut down the app on the watch and restart I am being told I am required to set up my accounts and to open the Authenticator App on my phone and the message screen described above appears and no prompts appear on my phone. I have tried rebooting both the watch and the phone. I have also removed the app from the watch and reinstalled. What am I doing wrong here?
Hello @Michael Antonelli , I'm reaching within the product team and will come back to you.
Try open authenticatior in your iphone, go to settings in authenticator application and disable application lock in security. Authentication stay waiting unlock by face id in iphone, by it the error in apple watch.
It works, you deactivate the application lock in the app and the approval on the clock works again, can not believe it... thanks
It works as well, cannot believe the setting is such a confuse to other users.
Just wanted to come on and say this is what fixed my issue. Thank you! Please note that it's called "App Lock" in the settings (I had a duh half a second and didn't see it at first, so figured I'd help out others like me ;))
The problem is this is actually.a security feature that I think must have worked at some point, and now doesn't. I started having problems since my last iOS and watchOS updates. Turned off app lock and it now authenticates OK, but it also means the app isn't using FaceID to approve token requests now.
Thank you, this fixed my issue. Come on Microsoft... this is in no way a design feature.
Thanks, was looking for this for months after upgrading to Iphone with face recognition. Seems to me that the security level is lower now it does not use face recognition anymore. Strange that the watch app cannot overrule the face recognition.
Hello how are you?
I'm new here, but I have the same problems.
I disabled the application lock in the app as mentioned but even so I can't release my access to enter Outlook through Apple Watch, I always need to authorize directly through the iPhone.
Now in the month of April still with this same problem?
I think it's designed this way and you won't have to unlock the device and then unlock the app. (I'm assuming it's to save time. Those notifications time out fast.)
To use your device, you have to unlock it. So maybe that feature is built to open as your device unlocks.
For example, in order to use your apple watch, even with wrist detection, you will have to put in your passcode. On your phone with Face ID, when the notification comes up on your lock screen, your device has to be unlocked first. If it pops up on your phone screen, while it's already unlocked then you have already passed the security part by unlocking your device to use it.
Let me know if I sound crazy.
Any updates on this working with the "App Lock" enabled?
Microsoft has withdrawn support for Microsoft Authenticator on Apple Watch.
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Q: Is Apple Watch supported for Authenticator on iOS?
A: In the upcoming Authenticator release in January 2023 for iOS, there will be no companion app for watchOS due to it being incompatible with Authenticator security features. This means you won't be able to install or use Authenticator on Apple Watch. We therefore recommend that you delete Authenticator from your Apple Watch. This change only impacts Apple Watch, so you will still be able to use Authenticator on your other devices.
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For more information, see:
and scroll down to Apple Watch Support
That's one way to solve app connection problems.
Well that's a load of CRAP. Seriously, so it's safe for credit card handling and such yet Microsoft can't fix the Face ID scan bypass when watch is validated so.... the fix is remove the app all together. What a joke... Microsoft, seriously try reconsidering this decision its a step backwards and NOT forwards.
I'm also saddened to see this go as once everything was working it worked without issue. I have to use it quite frequently for my work account and it was extremely handy to simply click the approve on my watch vice grabbing my phone. I've only just found out this morning that support is gone when it stopped working.
One can only hope that maybe this feature may return once any issues or bugs have been remedied or is this now gone for good...
Edit/Update: After I posted, later that day noticed that since I had not deleted the app from my watch, it is actually still working....hmm
This is so sad. It was very handy to aithenticate on apple watch.
Please reconsider.
Thanks.
I'm back @Michael Antonelli , there are known connectivity issues with Apple Watch. Please refer to our FAQs for mitigation steps. There's also an Apple bug on watchOS 7 that is breaking some flows, which we're still waiting to hear back from Apple on.
Please let me know if you need more help. If the answer was helpful to you, please accept it it so that other members in the community can benefit from it.
Is this still an issue? I am having this same problem right now with regard to resetting the Authenticator app on the watch not syncing and authentication on Apple Watch hasn't been working for months now. What's going on?
@Marco Aurélio suggestion below worked for me. I just moved from android to iphone 12 with a new apple watch. I was experiencing this issue and after removing 'app lock' on the microsoft authenticator, I can now successfully approve MFA request through the app on the watch vs the phone. Thank you @Marco Aurélio
I appreciate it, but the main problem is that my passwordless accounts have disappeared off of the Watch. Is the only way to get them back on there to delete them from the phone and re-add them? Is there no syncing function?
They FINALLY synced, after waiting way too long. Not a good experience.
I have the issue with my Apple Watch, with app lock disabled and when number matching is not required... Is it a "no fix" ?
Hello @Alfredo Revilla (MSFT) , we would like for you to bring this to the attention of the Microsoft Authenticator product group and PMs. The solution working for most is disabling the application lock under security within Authenticator on the phone. This introduces a security concern.
The way Apple designed the Apple Watch, take Apple Pay as an example... Once the Watch is unlocked on a user's wrist, the Watch is 'trusted' to bypass authentication prompts to interact with items on the phone because it is considered secure. In the same way, if the Watch Approves or Disapproves a Microsoft Authenticator authentication challenge, even with application lock enabled within Authenticator, it should treat the Approval/Disapproval from the Watch as though the user already unlocked Authenticator for this interaction.
At some point, having the application lock enabled DID work, but the watch indicated that it must remain active util the authentication had succeeded. An acceptable delay for the added security.
However I am now ONLy able to unlock or accept prompt from the watch if the authenticator app lock feature is disabled.
Why is it taking so long for Microsoft to fix this bug? None of the other authentication apps on my Apple Watch have such blatant errors.
I agree, pretty disappointing after all this time is it still so badly broken. It would be better if they just pulled it.
Any updates on this working with the "App Lock" enabled?
Any updates on this working with the "App Lock" enabled?
Any updates on this working with the "App Lock" enabled?
For anyone else having this issue, I needed to setup a pin on my watch before it allowed me to sync them, otherwise it would just sit on a loading screen forever.
This is so frustrating. I removed an reinstalled my personal account and it worked exactly once. New phone, only the work account transferred, add personal account which showed up in the watch but not the work account. I don't understand how people can have so little pride in the quality of their work.
I’m still having this same issue after several watch updates. May of 2021. It used to work just fine.
Any updates on this guys? The Duo Security app works seamlessly with Apple Watch 7 which is what I have. How come this is taking so long for you guys to get it working?
Checked in 8/30/2022, the problem still exists.
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