Troubleshooting 2FA – IT Contact

Who is this for?

This help article is intended to be used by designated contacts at our clients to assist them in troubleshooting 2FA related problems. Below will follow the most likely scenarios that will occur

User has lost, had their device stolen or does not have access to their 2FA device

There are only two ways to recover from this option, either the user finds the device or 2FA needs to be set back up again from scratch. You will need to contact GRS Technology Solutions who will assist in resetting the 2FA. If the device has been stolen please let us know as a matter of priority so we can force a password reset too. GRS Technology Solutions cannot take direct instruction from an end user to reset 2FA. This has to come from one of the designated contacts.

Outlook is not receiving new e-mail

  1. Make sure the user is using a supported version of Outlook (2013 or above)
  2. Close the Outlook application, restart the machine and re-open Outlook. It may prompt for authentication and a 2FA code
  3. Log the user in with the same credentials to https://office.com - this does two things, it verifies that 2FA is working and it verifies that the credentials being entered are correct
  4. If Outlook is still not working, the designated contact should raise a ticket with us directly

The user is no longer receiving e-mail on their phone

In all cases, regardless of whether the phone is an Android/Apple device we recommend that the official Outlook app is used to process e-mail. The older and more out of date the device, the more chance there is of having problems.

  1. If the device is an Apple device, please ensure it is on the latest version of iOS. Though the built in mail app does support 2FA, the phone has to be up to date and the built in mail app may not work on older Apple devices when 2FA is enabled
  2. If the device is an Android device we should suggest using the official Microsoft Outlook app for e-mail. Though the build in mail app may work with Office 365, we cannot guarantee this or support it if it doesn't work. We would recommend using Google to search for the make and model of your phone, IE: "samsung galaxy s9 office 365 setup". This may give an indication of how to set this up in the built in mail apps
  3. For any other device please install the official Microsoft Outlook app. If that app is not available on the device, then please follow the instructions in Step 2 to find out what settings need to be entered
  4. If the official Microsoft Outlook app is installed and not working, the designated contact should raise a ticket with GRS Technology Solutions.

The user is not getting the verification code sent to their mobile phone

Not getting your verification code is a common problem and it's typically related to your mobile device and its settings. Some possible things to try:

  • Restart your mobile device. Sometimes your device just needs a refresh. Restarting your device ends any background processes or services that are currently running and could cause problems, along with refreshing your device's core components, restarting them in case they crashed at some point.
  • Verify your security information is correct. Make sure your security verification method information is accurate, especially your phone numbers. If you put in the wrong phone number, all of your alerts will go to that incorrect number. Fortunately, that user won't be able to do anything with the alerts, but it also won't help you sign in to your account. To make sure your information is correct, see the instructions in the Manage your two-factor verification method settings article.
  • Verify your notifications are turned on. Make sure your mobile device has notifications turned on and that you've selected a notification method that allows phone calls, your authentication app, and your messaging app (for text messages) to send visible alert notifications to your mobile device.
  • Make sure you have a device signal and Internet connection. Make sure your phone calls and text messages are getting through to your mobile device. Have a friend call you and send you a text message to make sure you receive both. If you don't, first check to make sure your mobile device is turned on. If your device is turned on, but you're still not getting the call or text, it's most likely a problem with your network and you'll need to talk to your provider. If you often have signal-related problems, we recommend you install and use the Microsoft Authenticator app on your mobile device. The authenticator app can generate random security codes for sign-in, without requiring any cell signal or Internet connection.
  • Turn off Do not disturb. Make sure you haven't turned on the Do not disturb feature for your mobile device. When this feature is turned on, notifications aren't allowed to alert you on your mobile device. Refer to your mobile device's manual for instructions about how to turn off this feature.
  • Check your battery-related settings. This one seems a bit odd on the surface, but if you've set up your battery optimization to stop lesser-used apps from remaining active in the background, your notification system has most-likely been affected. To try to fix this problem, turn off battery optimization for your authentication app and your messaging app, and then try signing in to your account again.

The user has a new mobile device

If they have gotten a new mobile device, you'll need to set it up to work with two-factor verification. This is a multi-step solution:

  1. Set up their device to work with their work or school account by following the steps in the Set up my account for two-step verification article.
  2. Update their account and device information in the Additional security verification page, deleting their old device and adding their new one. For more information, see the Manage your two-factor verification method settings article
  3. Optional. Download, install, and set up the Microsoft Authenticator app on their mobile device by following the steps in the Download and install the Microsoft Authenticator app article.
  4. Optional. Turn on two-factor verification for your trusted devices by following the steps in the Turn on two-factor verification prompts on a trusted deviceb> section of the Manage your two-factor verification method settings article.