Authenticator app requires me to use authenticator app to log in

Question

Hello

My accounts recently started requiring me to use authenticator app, but it was not working on the authenticator app itself (never got approve or deny, never got codes) so i deleted and reinstalled the app which means i needed to add all my accounts again, but to add an account I still need the approval of the authenticator app. So im stuck in limbo locked out of my email because I need the authenticator app to access the authenticator app.

Answer 1

so i deleted and reinstalled the app

This might have been fatal.

You can restore from backup (assuming there was one) but make sure no accounts have been added to the newly install app. Then sign on with recovery account to do the restore.

You can recover your account credentials from your cloud account, but you must first make sure that the account you're recovering doesn't exist in the Microsoft Authenticator app. For example, if you're recovering your personal Microsoft account, you must make sure you don't have a personal Microsoft account already set up in the authenticator app. This check is important so we can be sure we're not overwriting or erasing an existing account by mistake.
https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/account-billing/back-up-and-recover-account-credentials-in-the-authenticator-app-bb939936-7a8d-4e88-bc43-49bc1a700a40

--please don't forget to upvote and Accept as answer if the reply is helpful--

Answer 2

I just want to throw out there (since I found this while searching, and I wouldn't want to leave a DenverCoder situation) that the user may not realize their phone is not connected to the account properly, because the MS Auth app doesn't look particularly different in some cases.

I had a user that migrated to a new phone, and the MS Authenticator App picked up on the Office 365 account from the other apps on the phone, and the email showed up as a "Connected Account" when we tapped into the account but would not receive notifications or provide One-Time Passcodes for the account, even though it was listed.

Outlook Mobile was prompting to "switch to authenticator" and then once we were IN authenticator it offered the same prompt to "Switch to authenticator" again, endlessly. Presumably because it was not finding the matching account in the app.

After we re-setup their MS Authenticator, we got more options shown when we tapped into the account, and it showed options including

• "Notifications Enabled"
• One-Time password
• Change Password
• Update Security info
• Review Recent activity

or slightly different language if they are enabled for passwordless login