New phone authenticator setup

Question

i brought a new android phone and i installed the authenticator app in the new phone but i am still getting the access codes to my old phone what should I do

Answer 1

Register the account on the new Android phone, test that it receives approvals or generates valid codes, and only then unregister the old phone.

Installing Authenticator alone does not move the device registration. Adding a new device also does not automatically remove the old one, and merely uninstalling Authenticator from the old phone is insufficient.^1^

If this is a work or school account

1. Keep the old phone available temporarily.
2. Open Security info at https://aka.ms/mysecurityinfo and sign in. Approve the request on the old phone if prompted.
3. Select Add sign-in method → Authenticator app → Add.
4. On the new phone, open Microsoft Authenticator and select: Add account → Work or school account → Scan QR code.
5. Scan the QR code displayed on the Security info page and complete the test approval.
6. Sign out and perform a fresh sign-in to verify that the request reaches the new phone.
7. After the new phone works, return to Security info and remove the Authenticator entry or device associated with the old phone.

These are the documented registration steps for work or school accounts.^2^ If the account was restored from backup, seeing “Sign in to add your account” is expected: only the account name is restored for work or school accounts, so it must be signed in and configured again.^3^

If the organization uses passkeys, create and test a passkey on the new phone before removing the old passkey or device.^3^

If this is a personal Microsoft account

1. Open the Microsoft account Account Security page from the Authenticator FAQ.
2. Go to the two-step verification area.
3. Register Authenticator on the new phone and sign in to complete its setup.
4. Test a new sign-in on the new phone.
5. Turn off verification for or remove the old device only after the test succeeds.

For a personal account using passwordless sign-in, restoring a backup restores only the account name; signing in again is required to finish setup. A basic 30-second verification-code entry can be restored from backup.^3^

If you cannot access the security page

• Select Sign in another way and use an available backup method such as SMS.
• For a work or school account with no usable alternative, contact the organization’s IT administrator or help desk and request an MFA registration reset or an approved recovery method. If supported by the organization, an administrator can provide a Temporary Access Pass for registration on the new phone.^2^
• Do not erase, trade in, or reset the old phone until sign-in has been tested successfully on the new one.^3^

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References

1. Microsoft Authenticator FAQs | Microsoft Support
2. Enable passwordless sign-in with Authenticator
3. Transfer Microsoft Authenticator account entries to a new phone