Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra (Android 16 / One UI 8.5) - Microsoft account setup fails after successful MFA authentication

Question

Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra (Android 16 / One UI 8.5) - Microsoft account setup fails after successful MFA authentication

Cristiano Sapori 0

Dear Microsoft Support,

I am experiencing a persistent Microsoft account integration issue on a Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra (SM-S918B/DS).

Device information

Model: Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra (SM-S918B/DS)

Android version: 16 One UI version: 8.5 Firmware build: S918BXXSAFZF5 Security patch: June 5, 2026

The phone has been factory reset and configured completely from scratch.

No applications, accounts, settings, or data were restored from Smart Switch, Google backup, or any other migration tool.

Problem 1 – Microsoft Account provider

When I navigate to:

Settings → Accounts and backup → Manage accounts → Add account → Microsoft account

or

Settings → Accounts and backup → Manage accounts → Add account → Work or school account

nothing happens.

As soon as I tap either option, Android immediately returns to the previous screen without opening the Microsoft sign-in page and without displaying any error message.

Problem 2 – Exchange account setup

If I add the same Microsoft 365 work account using Exchange, the authentication process behaves differently.

The flow is:

Enter email address. Enter password. Microsoft Authenticator requests MFA approval. MFA is successfully approved. Instead of completing the account setup, Android returns to the password screen and repeats the authentication process indefinitely.

The password is correct because Microsoft accepts it and proceeds to multi-factor authentication.

The MFA approval is also successful.

The account setup never completes and the process loops back to the password prompt.

Additional information

Microsoft Authenticator works correctly. Outlook, OneDrive, Word, Excel and Teams authenticate normally when used individually. The Samsung device is already registered in Microsoft Entra ID. The issue is fully reproducible on a freshly factory-reset device before installing or restoring Microsoft applications. The problem persists even after a complete factory reset and a manual device configuration.

Could you please advise whether this is a known issue with Microsoft account integration on Samsung devices running Android 16 / One UI 8.5, or suggest additional troubleshooting steps?

Thank you for your assistance.

Kind regards,

Cristiano SaporiDear Microsoft Support,

I am experiencing a persistent Microsoft account integration issue on a Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra (SM-S918B/DS).

Device information

Model: Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra (SM-S918B/DS)

Android version: 16

One UI version: 8.5

Firmware build: S918BXXSAFZF5

Security patch: June 5, 2026

The phone has been factory reset and configured completely from scratch.

No applications, accounts, settings, or data were restored from Smart Switch, Google backup, or any other migration tool.

Problem 1 – Microsoft Account provider

When I navigate to:

Settings → Accounts and backup → Manage accounts → Add account → Microsoft account

or

Settings → Accounts and backup → Manage accounts → Add account → Work or school account

nothing happens.

As soon as I tap either option, Android immediately returns to the previous screen without opening the Microsoft sign-in page and without displaying any error message.

Problem 2 – Exchange account setup

If I add the same Microsoft 365 work account using Exchange, the authentication process behaves differently.

The flow is:

Enter email address.

Enter password.

Microsoft Authenticator requests MFA approval.

MFA is successfully approved.

Instead of completing the account setup, Android returns to the password screen and repeats the authentication process indefinitely.

The password is correct because Microsoft accepts it and proceeds to multi-factor authentication.

The MFA approval is also successful.

The account setup never completes and the process loops back to the password prompt.

Additional information

Microsoft Authenticator works correctly.

Outlook, OneDrive, Word, Excel and Teams authenticate normally when used individually.

The Samsung device is already registered in Microsoft Entra ID.

The issue is fully reproducible on a freshly factory-reset device before installing or restoring Microsoft applications.

The problem persists even after a complete factory reset and a manual device configuration.

Could you please advise whether this is a known issue with Microsoft account integration on Samsung devices running Android 16 / One UI 8.5, or suggest additional troubleshooting steps?

Thank you for your assistance.

Kind regards,

Cristiano Sapori

0 comments

1 answer

Your answer

Answer 1

Dear @Cristiano Sapori,

Good day! Welcome to Microsoft Q&A forum!

Based on your description, I understand that you're unable to add your Microsoft 365 work account on a Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra running Android 16 / One UI 8.5. When selecting Microsoft account or Work or school account in Android settings, the sign-in page does not open and immediately returns to the previous screen. When adding the account via Exchange, authentication and MFA complete successfully, but the setup loops back to the password prompt instead of finishing. The issue persists after a factory reset on a clean device, while Microsoft apps such as Outlook, OneDrive, Teams, Office apps, and Authenticator continue to sign in successfully.

To understand the situation better and provide you with the most suitable support, could you confirm the following information:

Is this issue affecting only this specific Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra, or have you tested another Android device with the same Microsoft 365 account?
Does the issue occur on both Wi-Fi and mobile data connections?

Your confirmation would be very helpful in ensuring you receive the most suitable support!

According to the App info on Play Store, Authenticator is compatible with Android OS 8.0 and and up so your Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra running Android 16 should be able to use it normally.

In the meantime, kindly try the following suggestions to check what might have caused the issue:

If you could see the work or school account in the list of accounts in Authenticator, you could reach out to your IT Admin so that they could revoke and re-register your authentication so that you could add your account again in Authenticator. (For reference: Manage user authentication methods for Microsoft Entra multifactor authentication)
- Since the device is already registered in Microsoft Entra ID, an existing registration object may be interfering with the enrollment flow.
- If permitted by your organization's administrator:
  - Remove the device registration from Microsoft Entra ID
  - Remove any existing work accounts from the phone
  - Reboot the device
  - Attempt the account enrollment again
If the account is not there, retry adding the account to see if the issue persists

Kindly let me know when there are updates or if you need further assistance. Any updates you’re able to share would be really helpful.

I'm here and happy to help! Thank you for your kindness and patience!

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