Microsoft Services on Android (Authentication)

Question

having problems with various Microsoft services being accessed through the browser on Android.

Similar behavior on 3 different Android browsers:

Chrome

Edge

Bing

Currently trying to access Microsoft Learn on an Android tablet to complete different certification courses. When I log in, it keeps redirecting me to the sign in page. Other Microsoft services work fine on the tablet (at the moment) including MSN news.

Another thing is that MSN news was working properly on Android Mobile (phone) but it started doing the redirect thing on the phone. I cleared cookies and cache. So I can't comment on news items through Android Mobile but the tablet seems to be working for MSN news but not for the learn site. The learn site works on Android Mobile but not on Android Tablet.

Additionally, when searching on Bing.com on Android and clicking on a map it redirects to maps.google.com.

All of this seems like unfair competition, corporate sabotage, possibly harassment of Microsoft users who have purchased Android devices.

Can Microsoft test these 3 things on various Android Phones and Android Tablets?

Sign in to MSN News

Sign in to Learn.Microsoft.com

Search for a location or address on bing.com and click the map which says Microsoft on it. Does it redirect to Bing Maps or Google Maps? Why?

To me this is particularly concerning because of Google **** that Chromium should be included in the OS at the Congressional hearing. I'm hoping not to have to deal with these childish coding practices for the rest of the foreseeable future and hope these problems can be promptly remediated.

Tagging the OS as Windows 11 because it includes the Android subsystem when the Amazon App is installed. Why? Does the Microsoft user get a notification about this? Is this also true when the Kindle app is installed on Windows 11?

Problem is on Android accessing Microsoft services through Android Browser.

* Moved from Virus & Malware

Answer 1

If you're looking for Microsoft to respond to this issue, you're in the wrong place. These are Microsoft 'Community' forums, which means they're manned by volunteers like me or a few others with an MSFT tag within their moniker, but those are likely just contractors and not truly Microsoft employees, which have dwindled over the years.

So your final question about fixing a programming error, isn't going to ever receive any real attention here.

I've told you my personal feeling about your issues. If you want an official response, you'll need to contact Microsoft directly, which in my experience has become very difficult in recent years, though it may still be possible.

Personally, I wouldn't waste my time and instead focus on using Microsoft only solutions whenever possible, since issues between multiple developers like Microsoft and Google have been a problem forever and have only gotten worse as time goes on. That's why I only use email from the Android phone using the Outlok.com app and otherwise do all of my Microsoft specific operations like this website from a Windows device only.

You can choose to fight this if you wish, but you'll likely find very few others doing this and so very little real interest in trying to fix the problems that cross-platform operations are likely to display, either by Microsoft or their other customers.

Rob

Answer 2

I got some more info to share:

Searching for Home Depot 90210 shows me the map which on my device, that location is mapped by Tom Tom.

https://www.bing.com/search?q=home+depot+90210

When I click there it redirects me to Microsoft Maps using entity explorer. Awesome! Great!

https://www.bing.com/entityexplore?q=home%20depot%2090210&filters=segment%3a%22local%22&isChain=1&chainId=55250&maxTotalCount=30&entityListType=Retail&carouselRead=True&ypids=YN873x124175529%252cYN75x890338%252cYN873x124175595%252cYN873x14632345410945083688&eeptype=LocalListing&CommonCat=90628&RefEnabled=1&mapview=1

Now I search for the LAX Green Line Station which requires a Shuttle and still doesn't go to LAX Terminal 1 underneath the airport.

https://www.bing.com/search?q=greenline%20lax%20station

When I click on that map, it takes me to Google. Why? I'm using Bing.

Adding a zip code still also takes me to Google. https://www.bing.com/search?q=greenline%20lax%20station%2090045

So to me it seems that the Bing Team should check if a recommended location is in entity explorer and if not put it in there before rendering the page and linking to entity explorer.

What is the priority at Microsoft to fix this programming error?

Answer 3

The 'new' Edge browser was created based on the Chromium open-source browser before Windows 11, back before that browser was officially released on January 15, 2020. I've been using it on this Windows 10 S Mode system since it released there a few months later and in developer versions from before that time on both Windows 8.1 and 10 legacy versions.

I've never had any authentication problems with the Outlook email app on Android, so I can't say why the other apps might have problems. but since I also use the Microsoft Authenticator exclusively and avoid the Google authentication systems for anything other than the phone itself including the associated Google account, I may be avoiding or bypassing the issues you're experiencing.

Most of my phone apps are for banking or other 3rd-party website purposes, so the Microsoft Authenticator provides that service for anything not within the device itself. This has generally avoided authentication issues in my case, since I depend on Google for almost nothing beyond running the apps.

Rob

Answer 4

thanks for the reply, it's quite helpful. The issue appears to be related to oAuth across Microsoft Services. These Live/Hotmail/Outlook accounts are like permanent phone numbers and permanent addresses now so it would be helpful for the services to work properly. Commenting on news article registers an opinion tied to a phone number on account.microsoft.com and that can steer Congresses and Parliaments if that is tied to an actual person.

For the "hacky crowd" they can not log in, use throw away phones, make a new email every day or their other strange behaviours.

So maybe better testing at Microsoft regarding logging on latest versions of Android, iPhone and Edge. I agree about Edge. Both Edge and Chrome now use the Chromium Web Engine in their browser as of Windows 11.

Hopefully they get this fixed soon. Shouldn't take more than a week or two at most IT shops.

Answer 5

Not sure myself since I don't try to directly access Microsoft services, really just Outlook.com email in my case, via Android native apps.

Instead, I've always used the Microsoft provided Outlook app on my Google Pixel phone, though there are a few minor annoyances with contacts even when using that.

I've never used news anywhere but my Surface Go tablet, but don't do comments, so I'd never have an authentication issue anyway.

I do so little browsing on the phone in fact, that I've never bothered to install the free Microsoft Edge browser for Android either. However, since that's Microsoft's solution for the security, privacy and other issues inherent to Google, I'd assume that's what they'd tell if you if you talked with them directly.

I'll end by stating you're wasting your time here trying to talk to Microsoft, since these are community forums run by contractors or volunteers like me, so you're not talking to anyone from Microsoft even when the moniker might seem to imply that. But as I mentioned, I assume anyone at Microsoft would direct you to their own apps, since they created them to avoid these very types of flaky issues cross-platform support are likely to cause.

Rob

< EDIT > Oops. missed the portion about the 3 different browsers, but I'd focus on Edge for the very reasons I mentioned above, since I doubt Microsoft tries to support Chrome. I've never heard of the Bing browser, but I suppose that group might have created one to support things like rewards, etc. Though I'd still focus on Edge as the primary supported Microsoft browser.

You should be looking for a forum where those are supported, since these virus and malware forums have nothing to do with those apps.

< EDIT 2 > Here's the Microsoft Edge w. Android OS selected via pulldown on these Community forums.

Results in Microsoft Edge - Microsoft Community

I think I see posts under 'Show All' Topics there that might be related to your problems.