Apps won't open on my new Samsung+ phone.

Contact your employer’s IT help desk and ask them to require MFA re-registration for your work account, because work-account Authenticator credentials do not transfer to a new Android phone and the current approval loop cannot be completed on that phone.

What your IT administrator needs to do

Send the administrator this request:

“I replaced my phone and Microsoft Authenticator is asking me to approve the setup from Authenticator itself. Please require MFA re-registration for my account so I can register the new phone.”

An Authentication Administrator should:

1. Sign in to the Microsoft Entra admin center.
2. Open Entra ID → Users.
3. Select your account.
4. Select Authentication methods.
5. Select Require re-register MFA.

This removes the existing Authenticator, phone-number, and software-token methods and prompts you to configure MFA again at your next sign-in. The administrator may also need to select Revoke sessions to force applications to authenticate again.^1^

A closely matching new-phone lockout is resolved through the organization’s administrator because community support cannot reset a company-managed account.^2^

Register Authenticator on the new Samsung phone

After IT confirms the reset:

1. Open a Microsoft work app or your organization’s sign-in page and enter your work email and password.
2. When prompted to set up security information, choose Microsoft Authenticator.
3. On the Samsung phone, open Authenticator.
4. Select Add account → Work or school account → Scan QR code.
5. Scan the QR code displayed by the registration page.
6. Approve the test notification.
7. Test access to your work email or another work app before removing anything from the old phone.

Restoring an Authenticator backup only restores the account name for work or school accounts—not the credential used to approve sign-ins. The account must still be signed in and registered on the new device.^3^

If another verification option appears

If the sign-in page offers Sign in another way, use an already-registered text message, phone call, security key, or other available method. Then open:

https://aka.ms/mysecurityinfo

Remove the old Authenticator entry, select Add sign-in method, and register Authenticator on the new phone. Do not remove the old method until the new one has passed its test notification. If no alternative method works, return to the IT-admin reset above.

Android checks after registration

If registration succeeds but notifications do not arrive:

• In Samsung Settings → Notifications → App notifications → Authenticator, allow notifications.
• Set Date and time to automatic.
• Confirm Google Play Store and Google Play Services are enabled.
• Ensure the phone has a PIN, fingerprint, or other screen lock.
• In Authenticator, check Settings → Device Registration for the work account.

These settings are required or recommended for Authenticator operation on Android.^4^

The other phone problems are separate

Apps failing to transfer and the text box moving before input is complete are not established as Authenticator problems. First complete the work-account registration above. If unrelated apps or typing still malfunction afterward, document:

• The exact app names
• Any displayed error messages
• Whether the keyboard closes, the page scrolls, or the app itself exits
• Whether the problem occurs in every app or only the browser

Use that information with Samsung/device support or the affected app’s support channel. Avoid factory-resetting the new phone while the work account is unresolved, and retain the old phone if it is still available until sign-in works on the new one.^3^

References

1. Manage user authentication methods for Microsoft Entra multifactor authentication
2. Cannot sign back into authenticator app - Microsoft Q&A
3. Transfer Microsoft Authenticator account entries to a new phone
4. Troubleshoot problems with Microsoft Authenticator | Microsoft Support