Move Authenticator FROM Iphone TO Android

Question

Move Authenticator FROM Iphone TO Android

Peter McCrackan 16

Hi, I have backed up my Auth App on my Iphone using the associated email address.
I have installed the Auth enticator app on the new Android device and press Begin Recovery. I enter the email address used on the Iphone Auth backup, I have to authenticate on the old Iphone device.
The Android device then starts the recovery process, but ends up failing with:

Unable to Recover. Your backup data is not stored with <Email address I entered> Try signing in with a different personal account.

I have toggled the backup Off on On again on the Iphone, verified the address used in the recovery account and also can see the backup data is there and dated today. Yet the Android device does not see any backup data.

Can an Android device access an Iphones Authenticator app backup?

Thanks for any assistance!

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Michael ML8585 1 Reputation point

2023-04-11T13:36:34.31+00:00

After installing authenticator on Android and touch Begin Recovery I get a Microsoft prompt to choose an account to login but no accounts are listed and there is no option to enter one.

Answer recommended by moderator

Peter McCrackan 16

Hi there. well it turned out the backup was on another account. I tried using the other account on the off chance and it restored fine on the android device.
But on the Iphone it definitely said the backup was using the 'first' account.
Wierd.. but the main thing is I got it!

Thanks and seasons greetings!

risolis 8,806 Reputation points

2022-01-05T05:40:30.447+00:00

Great!

2 additional answers

Michael ML8585 1 Reputation point

2023-04-11T13:36:34.31+00:00

After installing authenticator on Android and touch Begin Recovery I get a Microsoft prompt to choose an account to login but no accounts are listed and there is no option to enter one.
risolis 8,806 Reputation points

2022-01-05T05:40:30.447+00:00

Great!

Answer 1

Jason Duval 21

I know this is not the answer you want, however if you switch between operating systems, iOS to Android or vise-versa, it is NOT possible to recover your backup in authenticator. The reason is because each OS uses a different storage platform for the backups and where to recover them from.

This is NOT an issue from Microsoft, but rather an issue from the device manufacturers and how their integration was developed for the Authenticator application.

Sorry to be the bearer of bad new, but you will have to resetup each code you had on the previous device.

Jason

D.Berger 21 Reputation points

2022-11-07T22:25:53.733+00:00

Waht you say is true, if you are using the MS authenticator (which is great for many reasons) there is no simple way to move your accounts from one platform to another.

However, the reason is completely ... I will not say it because it would not be polite at all, I will not use adjectives in this response because nobody should defend this, why would MS even use iCloud when they have OneDrive? which is arguably better.

All other authenticators have some way to move to different platforms, MS could offer to do this using their own cloud system, like they do with VS code and other applications. It would be just as good if they did what Google does and allow you to scan a Qr code.

Now what I have to do it go to all my accounts, unregister the authenticator and re-enable it on the other device.

It is completely an issue with MS, and this is the reason I use this product only for my work account--I have no choice in this case.
Ed Randall 6 Reputation points

2022-12-04T09:10:12.617+00:00

It's the same with Whatsapp messages.
No way to migrate from iPhone to Android because iPhone backs up to iCloud, Android to google drive.
(Caveat: unless you have latest Android 12 or a high-end Samsung grrrr!)

And yet - you can migrate easily in the other direction, Android to iPhone - proving that the software is perfectly capable of accessing both clouds.

The software vendors must be living in cloud cuckoo land.

Back to solving the original problem - is there any way to easily migrate my authenticator configs - it's an open standard (Google and Microsoft authenticators are both interchangable) - even if it was scanning a bunchof QR codes from one phone to the other I wouldn't mind so much.
Wahid, Tash 1 Reputation point

2024-08-21T16:09:02.61+00:00

Why cant MS authenticator back up to your Microsoft Account and use that to restore so its iOS or Android platform agnostic.
Tayseer Abdulaal 0 Reputation points

2026-10-13T14:36:47.24+00:00

same issue, can not

Answer 2

risolis 8,806

Hello Team

Happy new year!

Question.... I just wanted to clarify some points here before proceeding further to answer you.

1- Did you use your Icloud account or cloud account to set it up your back up data on the old one?
2-Do you still have your MS authenticator app on your Iphone or by any chance did you erase the authenticator app on the old phone?

Cheers,

Richard Davey 6 Reputation points

2022-04-02T23:23:33.663+00:00
Right Question - I get the same.

In reply to the two questions,

yes, I set up my old iPhone to back up to iCloud

yes, I still have my old iPhone

Please give us an answer!
Nick Holt 1 Reputation point

2022-04-10T13:51:00.817+00:00

I have the same issue ... I can't figure out what the O.P. did to resolve this! :(

On the iPhone (Grrrrr!) the backup is only saved to the iCloud ... with the Microsoft Personal Account as "an extra layer of security" ... on Android, I still get the Unable to Recover. Your backup data is not stored with <Email address I entered> Try signing in with a different personal account. message ... and since I only have 1 personal accout it being on another account is highly unlikely.

Why Microsoft can't follow Google's easy transfer process and use a QR Code to do the transfer is beyond me ... but so far I've not found any easy way to do this.

Anyone else with a fix would be most appreciated ... although when I did the Android to iPhone route it was equally painful, and involved me redoing all the (work) accounts by long-hand
Heidy Montes de Oca 6 Reputation points

2022-08-17T19:45:13.66+00:00

I'm having the same issue, can you please give us an answer? :(