Modern authentication on Huawei phones in China

Question

Hi,

We have two branch offices in Mainland China. Actually, we use iPhones with Microsoft Authenticator app to authenticate our users; they use Outlook, Teams, SharePoint Online. Due to requirements of our customers, iPhones should no longer be used. Instead, Huawei phones are preferred, but you cannot download MS Authenticator app because Huawei has no longer access to Google Play Store. Is there any chance, e.g. to connect another Authenticator app (e.G. Huawei Authenticator) to Microsoft Azure/M365 so that our Chinese colleagues can continue using Microsoft Cloud solutions?

Thanks a lot in advance!

Brgds, Sven

Answer 1

Hello @Vorwerk, Sven Hendrik,

Thank you for posting your query on Microsoft Q&A.

I understand that due to customer requirements, users in China were moved from iOS to Android devices. On iOS devices, they were able to set up MFA by downloading the Microsoft Authenticator app from the Apple App Store. However, in China, where the Google Play Store is not available, users have been unable to download Microsoft Authenticator on their Android devices and are seeking an alternative solution to set up MFA.

Users can download Microsoft Authenticator from the following stores:

• association
• Oppo – Search for the Oppo store where you want to download Microsoft Authenticator.
• Samsung

After installing the Microsoft Authenticator app from the mentioned stores, users can set up MFA.

Note: On Android devices in China, users cannot use push notifications. They can only use one-time passcodes for multi-factor authentication.

Please refer to the following Microsoft public document for more information about authentication methods available in China: Download Microsoft Authenticator in China

I hope this information is helpful. Please feel free to reach out if you have any further questions.

If this answers your query, do click Accept Answer and Yes for was this answer helpful. And, if you have any further query do let us know. Thanks,
Raja Pothuraju.