Review Insights · App Store
Microsoft Authenticator
Microsoft Corporation · 660,695 ratings · ★ 4.7
4.7
★★★★★
660,695 ratings
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Top complaints - extracted from 81 negative reviews
Recurring phrases mined from 1-2★ reviews. The bigger the percentage, the more users have the same problem. Fix the top 2-3 in your version and you have product-market fit on day one.
1
"authenticator"
24 negative reviews mention this · 30% of all complaints
★★★★★ "Codes Rarely Work. App was good at first, but now it seems every time I input a code it is invalid. Had to switch to a more reliable Authenticator app." - Scott Smith 5432
2
"phone"
19 negative reviews mention this · 23% of all complaints
★★★★★ "Warning: this will break and lock you out of your MS account. If you upgrade your phone with this app installed, you will not be able to log back into Microsoft afterwards. An authentication loop will result. This is a known issue and Microsoft will not help you if this happens, saying “we do not supp…" - Aaaaaaaaa heeeeeelp
3
"code"
18 negative reviews mention this · 22% of all complaints
★★★★★ "i hate it. it's so bad i can't get my accounts back and it won't let me enter codes without having to close the app to see the code it's very poorly made" - Honest question 1
4
"work"
17 negative reviews mention this · 21% of all complaints
★★★★★ "Worst piece of trash app prevents me from using Microsoft. I cannot unlock the app because it doesn’t accept my Touch ID even though other apps do and won’t allow me to change to PIN. The only way to get around this is to redownload the app.despite this the app won’t work. Computer wants me to ente…" - Smurf Z
5
"account"
16 negative reviews mention this · 20% of all complaints
★★★★★ "i hate it. it's so bad i can't get my accounts back and it won't let me enter codes without having to close the app to see the code it's very poorly made" - Honest question 1
6
"into"
14 negative reviews mention this · 17% of all complaints
★★★★★ "Warning: this will break and lock you out of your MS account. If you upgrade your phone with this app installed, you will not be able to log back into Microsoft afterwards. An authentication loop will result. This is a known issue and Microsoft will not help you if this happens, saying “we do not supp…" - Aaaaaaaaa heeeeeelp
7
"sign"
14 negative reviews mention this · 17% of all complaints
★★★★★ "Endless Authenticator Loop. Every time I try to log into an app on my phone that I previously used (needs password reset) I get caught in an endless loop where Authenticator asks me to approve the sign-in number. The problem is the app I am trying to setup redirects m…" - GregD2026!!!
8
"loop"
13 negative reviews mention this · 16% of all complaints
★★★★★ "Warning: this will break and lock you out of your MS account. If you upgrade your phone with this app installed, you will not be able to log back into Microsoft afterwards. An authentication loop will result. This is a known issue and Microsoft will not help you if this happens, saying “we do not supp…" - Aaaaaaaaa heeeeeelp
9
"trying"
13 negative reviews mention this · 16% of all complaints
★★★★★ "Endless Authenticator Loop. Every time I try to log into an app on my phone that I previously used (needs password reset) I get caught in an endless loop where Authenticator asks me to approve the sign-in number. The problem is the app I am trying to setup redirects m…" - GregD2026!!!
10
"microsoft"
9 negative reviews mention this · 11% of all complaints
★★★★★ "Worst piece of trash app prevents me from using Microsoft. I cannot unlock the app because it doesn’t accept my Touch ID even though other apps do and won’t allow me to change to PIN. The only way to get around this is to redownload the app.despite this the app won’t work. Computer wants me to ente…" - Smurf Z
11
"doesn"
9 negative reviews mention this · 11% of all complaints
★★★★★ "Worst piece of trash app prevents me from using Microsoft. I cannot unlock the app because it doesn’t accept my Touch ID even though other apps do and won’t allow me to change to PIN. The only way to get around this is to redownload the app.despite this the app won’t work. Computer wants me to ente…" - Smurf Z
12
"makes"
9 negative reviews mention this · 11% of all complaints
★★★★★ "Most frustrating app. It makes everything more difficult. Rarely works as planned. It’s fantastic if you want to increase anxiety in your life. Otherwise stay away." - Idontwantone3456
📋 All 81 negative reviews
Every 1-2★ review we fetched. Use the copy button to grab them all for your own analysis (paste into ChatGPT/Claude with a prompt like "summarize core user problems, group by theme, ignore bugs, focus on missing features").
Worst piece of trash app prevents me from using Microsoft
I cannot unlock the app because it doesn’t accept my Touch ID even though other apps do and won’t allow me to change to PIN. The only way to get around this is to redownload the app.despite this the app won’t work. Computer wants me to enter a number to authenticate but there is no where in the app to enter said number even after refreshing the app.
i hate it
it's so bad i can't get my accounts back and it won't let me enter codes without having to close the app to see the code it's very poorly made
Warning: this will break and lock you out of your MS account
If you upgrade your phone with this app installed, you will not be able to log back into Microsoft afterwards. An authentication loop will result. This is a known issue and Microsoft will not help you if this happens, saying “we do not support this application on apple devices”
Login to App Requires Authentication code??
How can anyone login to this app but then need a code, when the code is supposed to be on the app? This app is very contradictory…..
Loops
This app literally is the definition of insanity
Codes Rarely Work
App was good at first, but now it seems every time I input a code it is invalid. Had to switch to a more reliable Authenticator app.
Such a headache
It is such a hassle to make this work between my iPad and my phone
Most frustrating app
It makes everything more difficult. Rarely works as planned. It’s fantastic if you want to increase anxiety in your life. Otherwise stay away.
2026 No Dark Theme
This might be the one single app on my phone with no dark theme. How? What's going on in Redmond? Who's flying the plane??
Too complicated
Doesn’t work well and NOT USER FRIENDLY. Makes it impossible to use my Microsoft products. Would give it ZERO STARS IF I COULD. Or negative stars would be more appropriate
BAD FOR SCHOOL
Incredibly hard to use
Endless Authenticator Loop
Every time I try to log into an app on my phone that I previously used (needs password reset) I get caught in an endless loop where Authenticator asks me to approve the sign-in number. The problem is the app I am trying to setup redirects me to Authenticator during the setup so when I go into the Authenticator app to approve the sign-in I get redirected to the same page I was just on saying go to Authenticator to approve the sign-in number. One endless loop and I have not had access to my work apps for months.
Inconvenience
I’ve had my hotmail account FOREVER. But whenever I add a work account to my outlook profile, it kicks my hotmail account out of the Authenticator. This is an annoying and predictable inconvenience. Please make it stop.
Forced to download another app.
Why do I need an “authentication” app on my personal phone to sign in to my new email address that my work made me. They force me to download this app. There was no other way to sign in to the email account. Makes zero sense, and I don’t see how it makes anything more secure. stop making me download apps that I use one time for one specific thing.
App is not working
I have been trying for days to add my work account to this app and I’m in an endless loop of get a code and paste it here but there is no code to get to paste there. This used to be so simple and easy to use. What happened?
The worst
Never works locked out of a bunch of apps because of the ridiculous app can never upload correctly always has some type of error basically sucks in every way you can think of tired wasting my time with it.
Help
Authorization stuck in a loop
2FA code invalid
The code start invalid for my google account, I haven’t reset it for years.
Garbage
Garbage company makes garbage app
Difficult to figure out
It is not intuitive
Terrible!!! Use DUO its way better
My microsoft authenticator has locked me out of my work and school accounts when I try to log in it tells me to open my authenticator app but I’m already on the authenticator app! Never had this problem when my school used DUO.
Security Breach
Fix whatever bug yall got.
Somebody trying to access my account and I keep changing my password word
Somebody trying to access my account and I keep changing my password word
Haywire
This app has recently gone haywire with numerous requests for sign-in approvals every day, even when I’m nowhere near my computer. I don’t think it’s fraudulent requests, because when I click on the sign-in request after it’s expired, the app says it’s locked and won’t let me open it even with facial I.d. I think it’s a malfunctioning glitch in the app. I’ve used this app many years and it’s never acted like this.
Not easy to remove old accounts
The Microsoft MFA Authenticator does not make it easy to remove old accounts that you do not have the sign in information for anymore.
Use Anything Else
With Microslop’s questionable record of late with vibe-coded updates, they more often than not tend to break basic functionality. If possible, go with literally any other authenticator, especially if you intend on upgrading your phone any time soon.
Sucks
Everything about this app sucks. From getting kicked out of you accounts to it not taking codes it send me. Horrible. Always has been
Please fix this
I got a new phone and I can’t log back in despite having the password.
Needs Additional Settings and Logging
The backup of codes to iCloud is a huge improvement and helps with migrating to a new phone. What I don’t understand is why the settings are so sparse. I’m currently under an MFA fatigue attack and there’s nothing I can do to prevent it from within the application. For over a month I’m getting constant push notifications to approve or deny sign-in requests (No, my PW isn’t compromised. No, I don’t want to make an alias right now). Also, these password-less login attempts don’t appear to be logged. I know one of the attempts were from France supposedly, but there’s no indication of that once the notification is gone. I don’t know if this application is dumbed down on purpose, but come on… Microsoft.
Annoying
Most annoying thing you are forced to have this app to do anything
Unusable
Got a new phone and now I’m locked out of my work email. Authenticator app is asking me to verify my log in via the Authenticator app which is obviously not logged in, sending me in an eternal loop. When I asked our ITS dept, they told me it’s a well known problem that apparently everyone in the IT field is aware of except the people who design this app. Took almost an hour and multiple IT people to get me back in the app. How is that useable??
Tệ
Đăng nhập vào để có thể lấy mã, xong nó đòi lấy mã trong khi đã đăng nhập được đâu mà lấy???? Rất vớ vẩn
WTF?!?
Update deleted my authenticator app then it requires my authenticator code to sign in but won’t give me the number because I have to sign in to access it then won’t let me access it because I’m not signed in.
Doesn’t make any sense
You want me to authenticate the Authenticator app from within the Authenticator app? How am I to authenticate it in the app while in the app? I changed phones and has been locked out since.
Bad
Bad
Confusing and requires many steps that often require the Authenticator to approve the Authenticator
It's like they didn't even test the app to see if the app would need the app to already be approved to approve anything. You can't get hacked because you can't even get into your own account
Subject to Hacking
My account keeps getting hacked and someone keeps accessing it. Seven times in one day and now it’s locked and I cannot save it.
YOU MORONS
How are you going to ask me for a code when I’m signing into a new account ON YOUR AUTH APP?????? Why would you ask me for a code??? Makes no sense!!!! I don’t have the auth app on anything else but my phone and I can’t even add a new account because you ask me for a code after signing in. Morons. AND THEN to make it even better, when I say “I can’t use my auth app” to sign into, the only 2 options YOU GIVE ME ARE TO USE YOUR DUMB *** ******** APP.
Awful
Terrible app with unnecessary loops that can only be resolved through hours on the phone with IT. I’ve never logged into the authenticator app so how can i possibly enter a code from the app im TRYING TO LOG INTO?!?! And theres no back up way to log in like email/phone verification. Hundreds of people have had this issue for years and it has never been resolved
Problem when I swapped my phone.
When you swap phones, nothing transfers over
Circular access loop
Trying to religion on new phone via Authenticator but I can’t log in without the Authenticator setup
DO NOT USE
HORRIBLE TECHNICAL ISSUES
Frustrating!
I get a notice, in the Authenticator app, to approve access by selecting the number shown. But I'm already in the Authenticator app and I can't go anywhere that shows the list of numbers to choose from! It is very frustrating and I have to jump through many hoops to gain access to my account.
Horrid app
Keeps sending me to the Authenticator app to approve setting up the account. But I AM IN the Authenticator app.
Log in
I can’t even log in because yall are asking for it to be approved, but it can’t be approved because it’s in the app and I can’t get in with my email because yall aren’t letting me log in
FIX YOUR APP MICROSOFT
Whenever I try to log in to my work account, it says to type in a code, I go to my authenticator app MANUALLY (because i can’t receive notifications for this app on my phone despite me having them on) and when I do get to the code. It says the code doesn’t work and now I’m permanently locked out of my work account…
Sign In Loop
It’s literally just sending me in a crazy circle. It’s asking for a code that I’m not getting. I try to sign in to my work account on my app and it’s still asking me to enter a code from the app I’m trying to login to. like are you freaking kidding me!? Smh
Wtf
Did you seriously just override my phone’s manual update settings??? I saw that! That’s super intrusive wtf!
Terrible when locked out
How the hell am I supposed to get a code from Microsoft Authenticator while trying to authenticate Microsoft Authenticator
Horrible
This app makes me use the QR code I’m trying to reach by using to app to sign into the app. 1/5 stars. Absolutely horrible.
Stupid stupid app
If you once delete this app then you’re locked in a verification loop where the app is asking for a verification code. So so SO stupid
+ 31 more in the clipboard copy
Sentiment summary
93%
Positive (4-5★)
2%
Neutral (3★)
5%
Negative (1-2★)