Authenticator issue

Question

Hi so I’m trying to make my notifications to open my account through my phone instead of my iPad because I’m trading it in soon and I need it for college and also i tried doing the push notification thing and it still won’t pull up on my phone

Answer 1

Hi @AJ Ford,

I hope you're doing well.

To help better understand the issue and provide the most accurate troubleshooting steps, could you please provide a bit more information?

• As you mentioned you need this account for college, can you help me confirm if this account is provided by your school/college, or is it a personal Microsoft account using a public email domain such as Outlook.com, Hotmail.com, Live.com, Gmail.com, Yahoo.com, etc.?
• Are you the end user of the account, or do you have administrator access to admin center?
• Do you still have access to the old iPad that is currently registered with Microsoft Authenticator?
• If you still have the iPad, do sign-in approval requests or push notifications appear there when you attempt to sign in?
• What type of phone are you trying to move Authenticator to (iPhone or Android), and what operating system version is it running?

This information will help us determine whether the issue is related to the account type, MFA registration, device enrollment, or notification settings.

Thank you, and I look forward to your response.

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Answer 2

If notifications are still going to the iPad, the old device is likely still registered for Microsoft Authenticator. Adding Authenticator on the phone does not automatically remove the old device.

Try this:

1. Check the iPad once more During sign-in, the push may still be sent to the device where Authenticator was last used.
2. Remove the old device registration
   • For a personal Microsoft account: go to the two-step verification area of Account Security and turn off verification for the old device.
   • For a work or school account: go to the two-step verification area of My Apps or the organization’s company portal and turn off verification for the old device.
3. Make sure notifications are enabled on the phone In the phone’s Settings, confirm Microsoft Authenticator is allowed to send push notifications and that the phone has network connectivity.
4. Check common notification blockers
   • Turn off Do Not Disturb or Quiet mode.
   • If no apps are getting notifications, check the phone’s network connection.
5. If only this account fails on the phone Remove that account from Microsoft Authenticator on the phone, then add it again and allow notifications.
6. If the sign-in says “Authentication did not complete” Check these on the phone:
   • Authenticator is unlocked
   • Notifications are not silent or disabled
   • The app is updated to the latest version
   • Internet connection is working
   • Date and time are set correctly
7. Use another verification method if available If access to the iPad is ending soon and the phone still does not receive the prompt, choose another method such as SMS if it is offered.

If this is a personal Microsoft account and the phone still will not receive push notifications after re-adding the account, contact Support. If this is a work or school account, contact the IT admin.

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References:

• Microsoft Authenticator FAQs
• Troubleshoot problems with Microsoft Authenticator
• Authentication did not complete