A Microsoft app for iOS and Android devices that enables authentication with two-factor verification, phone sign-in, and code generation
Based on the described behavior and the completed troubleshooting, the remaining actionable steps are:
- Confirm all iOS iCloud prerequisites for Authenticator backup
- Ensure the following are all enabled on the iPhone (Apple ID > iCloud):
- iCloud Drive
- iCloud Keychain
- iCloud Backup
- In the iCloud settings, go to the Saved to iCloud list, search for Authenticator, and make sure the toggle for Authenticator is turned on.
- Ensure the following are all enabled on the iPhone (Apple ID > iCloud):
- Verify Authenticator backup configuration
- Open Microsoft Authenticator.
- Go to Settings.
- Under Backup, confirm that iCloud backup is turned on.
- If it is already on and still shows the “Something went wrong” error, toggle it off and back on once more to force a new attempt.
- Ensure supported backup/restore scenario
- Backup and restore must be on the same device type. Accounts backed up using an iOS device cannot be restored on an Android device, and vice versa. Make sure the scenario in use is iOS-to-iOS only.
- Do not uninstall Authenticator until backup is confirmed
- Since important authentication accounts are stored in the app, do not uninstall or clear the app until the backup status in Settings > Backup shows as successfully backed up. Uninstalling before that would require re-adding accounts manually.
- Use the existing incident ID with Microsoft Support
- Logs have already been sent using Send feedback and an incident ID (Q7NAKQ8H) has been generated. That is the correct process for this type of issue. Support can use that incident ID and the uploaded logs to investigate why the app cannot complete the iCloud backup despite correct configuration.
If, after support review, iCloud backup still cannot be enabled, accounts can always be re-added manually on a future device using each service’s MFA recovery or reset process, but that should only be done after coordinating with support to avoid lockout.
References:
- Back up account credentials in Microsoft Authenticator
- Back up your accounts in Microsoft Authenticator
- Restore account credentials from Microsoft Authenticator
- Send Microsoft Authenticator logs and get an incident ID
- Migrate to a new iPhone for work
- Troubleshoot problems with Microsoft Authenticator
- Microsoft Authenticator FAQs