While attempting to connect Samsung Contacts to Outlook, an authentication error occurred after approving the connection via MS Authenticator

Question

While attempting to connect Samsung Contacts to Outlook, an authentication error occurred after approving the connection via MS Authenticator

Keith Williams 20

The error message is:

Correlation Id: [Moderator Note: Personal Info Removed]

Timestamp: [Moderator Note: Personal Info Removed]

DPTI: [Moderator Note: Personal Info Removed]

Message: The operation attempted is invalid.

Tag: 5ssai

Code: -[Moderator Note: Personal Info Removed]

0 comments

Answer accepted by question author

AI answer

For a Samsung device showing an authentication error after approving in Microsoft Authenticator, the supported fixes are:

Make sure Microsoft Authenticator is unlocked before starting the sign-in again. If the app is locked, the authentication entry box might not appear.
Enable notifications for Microsoft Authenticator and check for silently delivered prompts or texted authentication codes.
Update Microsoft Authenticator to the latest version.
Check network connectivity on the phone. Switching between Wi‑Fi and mobile data can resolve authentication failures.
Set date and time correctly on the device.
If another Microsoft app such as Authenticator or Company Portal is installed, disable power optimization for that app and make sure it is allowed to run in the background. On affected Android devices, power-saving settings can block Outlook sign-in or sync.
Open Authenticator first, then open Outlook or the Samsung app again so the authentication app is already running.
In the Samsung Email/contacts sync scenario, if the account was added as IMAP, remove it and re-add it as Exchange for Microsoft 365/Exchange accounts or Outlook.com. IMAP does not provide calendar and contacts sync.
If the issue continues, in Samsung account settings go to Settings > tap the email address and confirm Sync Contacts is enabled. If there is no contacts option, remove the account and add it again as Exchange or Outlook.com.
If all of the above fail, send logs from Microsoft Authenticator using Send feedback in the app. For personal accounts, contact Microsoft Support or the Microsoft Authenticator app forum.

If the account is a work or school account, the next step is to contact the Microsoft 365 admin or IT support.

References:

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2 additional answers

Your answer

Answer 1

Keith Williams 20

thank y ou for your assistance. I will close this question.

Keith Williams 20 Reputation points

2026-11-02T12:50:23.66+00:00

Thank you for your assistance Chloe. I have devised a work around that fills the greater part of my need, in that making a call or starting a text from Outlook allows the contact information to be added Samsung Contacts after which their name will be shown when the contact either phones or texts you, which was the primary purpose of adding them.
Keith Williams 20 Reputation points

2026-11-02T14:16:21.3466667+00:00

I have decided to simply start a phone call or SMS from outlook contacts and then add it to Samsung Contacts.
Keith Williams 20 Reputation points

2026-11-02T14:17:32.14+00:00

I am trying to accept / create the answer I am using without success. Hopefully this "answer" will allow me to close the query.
Chloe-V 15,075 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2026-11-02T23:35:30.7933333+00:00

Hi Keith Williams

Thank you for the update. I’m glad to hear that you’ve found a workaround that meets your needs.

I appreciate you sharing the solution as well, as it may be helpful to others experiencing the same issue.

Answer 2

Chloe-V 15,075 Microsoft External Staff Moderator

Hi @Keith Williams

Please note that our forum is a public platform, and we will modify your question to hide your personal information in the description. Kindly ensure that you hide any personal or organizational information the next time you post an error or other details to protect personal data.

I understand that the approval in Microsoft Authenticator completes, but Samsung Contacts then returns “The operation attempted is invalid” with the tag 5ss1.

To narrow this down, could you confirm the following?

Is this a personal Microsoft account or a Microsoft 365 work or school account?
Can the account be added and used normally in the Outlook mobile app?
Is the Samsung device managed through Company Portal or another work-profile application?
Are you adding the account from Samsung Contacts or from the device’s account settings?

If this is a work or school account, your organization may restrict Samsung Contacts or require contact synchronization through the Outlook app. In that case, please provide the correlation ID and timestamp privately to your Microsoft 365 administrator. The administrator can use those details to review the sign-in record and identify what prevented the connection from being completed.

Note: Please follow the steps in our documentation to enable e-mail notifications if you want to receive the related email notification for this thread.

Keith Williams 0 Reputation points

2026-10-29T01:57:12.0866667+00:00
I did not realize the redacted information was personally identifiable. I just copied and pasted the error message.

it is a personal account

the Outlook app is running successfully on this machine.

No, this a personal, unmanaged device.

I am adding it from Samsung Contacts
Chloe-V 15,075 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2026-10-29T23:41:30.48+00:00

Hi @Keith Williams

Thank you for confirming these details, and no worries regarding the error message. I understand that you copied and pasted the information without realizing that some of it could be personally identifiable.

Since this is a personal Microsoft account, the device is unmanaged, and the account works successfully in the Outlook app, the issue appears to be specific to adding the account through Samsung Contacts.

Please try adding the account through Settings > Accounts and backup > Manage accounts > Add account instead of directly through Samsung Contacts. Before doing so, please make sure that Samsung Contacts, Microsoft Authenticator, Outlook, and the device software are up to date.

If the same error continues only when using Samsung Contacts, I recommend contacting Samsung Support, as the Microsoft account itself is working normally in Outlook.
Chloe-V 15,075 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2026-10-29T23:41:54.0933333+00:00

Hi @Keith Williams

Is there any update from you?

If yes, please feel free to let us know.
Keith Williams 0 Reputation points

2026-10-30T03:15:26.88+00:00

Thank you for your continued interest. I have tried adding it through the path you have suggested. This is a brand new device, so all the software is as up to date as you can get via the stores.
Keith Williams 0 Reputation points

2026-10-30T03:16:31.9733333+00:00

also, I had originally contacted Samsung support who told me to contact Microsoft.
Chloe-V 15,075 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2026-11-01T23:40:25.0166667+00:00
Hi @Keith Williams

Thank you for the update. Since you have already tried adding the account through the device settings and Samsung Support has referred you to Microsoft, the next step would be to contact Microsoft Support so they can investigate the authentication error further.

Please follow these steps:

Go to Contact Microsoft Support.

Select Show expanded list of products.

Select Outlook > Get Home support.

Enter “Outlook live chat”, then select Get Help > Contact Support.

Sign in with the affected account. If that is not possible, use another Microsoft account to view the available support options.

Under Ask our Support Assistant, type “Talk to live chat agent”, then select Contact Support.

Under Products & Services, select Other Products > Outlook, then choose Chat with a support agent in your web browser.

Please note that this is a user-to-user support forum. Moderators, contributors including external Microsoft employees cannot directly intervene in Microsoft product features or access back-end systems. Our role is limited to providing technical guidance on reported issues, requests, or ideas only.

I hope the support team can assist you in identifying what is preventing the connection from being completed.