Accessing and using Microsoft Teams on smartphones and tablets across platforms
You generally cannot disable organization-required MFA yourself; ask your IT administrator to inspect the failed Entra sign-in and, if the registered Authenticator method is unusable, require MFA re-registration for your work account.
What the pattern-lock prompt means
Authenticator App Lock uses the device PIN, pattern, or biometric before opening the app or approving a notification. On Android Work Profile, the profile may have separate security settings, so personal-profile biometrics do not necessarily carry over.^1^
Verify, with IT assistance if needed, that a PIN or biometric is enabled for the Android work profile. Microsoft specifically requires this for Authenticator in Android for Work/Work Profile.^2^
Turning off Authenticator App Lock is different from disabling MFA. Your organization may require two-step verification, in which case you cannot turn it off yourself.^3^
Recover the account
- On the verification screen, look for I can’t use my Microsoft Authenticator app right now, Sign in another way, or a similar option.
- Use SMS, phone, or another method only if it was previously registered and is offered.
- If no alternative works, contact your organization’s IT help desk or Microsoft 365 administrator.
- Ask an appropriately privileged administrator—such as an Authentication Administrator for a regular user—to review your Entra sign-in event and then, if it shows the registered Authenticator method is the problem, perform:
- Microsoft Entra admin center → Entra ID → Users
- Select your account
- Select Authentication methods
- Select Require re-register MFA
- Optionally select Revoke sessions to force fresh authentication
Require re-register MFA removes the registered Authenticator apps, phone numbers, and software OATH methods. At the next sign-in, you will be prompted to register an allowed method again.^4^
Do not remove the Authenticator account from the phone before IT confirms the reset unless another working verification method is available; otherwise, recovery can become more difficult.
Check AADSTS50000 separately
AADSTS50000 is not specific to Authenticator or MFA. It can have multiple causes, including password synchronization or expiration, token-request configuration, application consent, and application signing-key issues.^5^
Ask the administrator to examine the failed event in Microsoft Entra admin center → Identity/Entra ID → Monitoring & health → Sign-in logs before changing tenant-wide MFA settings:
- If the event indicates an MFA or authentication-method failure: use Require re-register MFA as described above.
- If the work-account password is expired, invalid, or potentially out of sync in a hybrid Active Directory environment: reset the password, then verify that the new password authenticates successfully to Microsoft Entra ID.^5^
- If the event points to consent, token-flow, or application configuration: the identity/application administrator must correct that issue; resetting Authenticator will not resolve it.
An administrator can also run the Teams Sign-in diagnostic from the Microsoft 365 admin center using the affected username. This diagnostic requires a Microsoft 365 administrator and is unavailable in certain government, 21Vianet, and Germany environments.^6^
If you are the only administrator
If this is your organization’s tenant and you are the only Global Administrator who is locked out, another user cannot reset your authentication method. Contact Microsoft business support and request tenant/account recovery after ownership verification.^7^
References
- Microsoft Authenticator FAQs | Microsoft Support
- Troubleshoot problems with Microsoft Authenticator | Microsoft Support
- Sign in to your work or school account using two-step verification | Microsoft Support
- Manage user authentication methods for Microsoft Entra multifactor authentication
- Error AADSTS50000 getting a token or signing in to an Azure app
- Resolve sign-in errors in Teams
- Unable to log into Teams account due to issues with MFA - Microsoft Q&A