SMU Office365 Account Setup With Google Authenticator App
Note: It is recommended that you setup Microsoft Authenticator App instead. You can only setup Passwordless authentication with the Microsoft Authenticator.
Follow the step-by-step instructions to setup your SMU email account with Google Authenticator App.
Step 1: On your mobile phone, open the app store and search for Google Authenticator and download it
Step 2.1: On your computer, visit portal.office.com and login with your SMU email. When you see the screen shown below, click Next.
Step 2.2: At the next screen as shown below, click "I want to use a different authenticator app" to setup the Google Authenticator app
Please note that if you've already logged in and the screen below didn't show up right after you login, click on your Initials in the top right corner. Click 'view account' and under Security info, click 'update info' Select 'Add sign-in method' and select 'Authenticator app' from the drop down menu. Selecting 'Add' and you will see the screen shown below.
Step 2.3: Click 'Next' in the next screen
Step 3.1: When you get to Scan the QR code shown below, open the Google Authenticator app you downloaded on your phone and follow through step 3.2. (Don't click next yet)
Step 3.2: On your mobile phone, open Google Authenticator app and select 'Scan a QR code'
Step 3.3: Use your phone camera to scan the QR code on your computer in step 3.1. Once you scan the QR code, the account will be added on your mobile Google Authenticator app. Hit Next on your computer with the screen showing in step 3.1.
Step 4: Google Authenticator will start to generate a random 6-digit code every 30 seconds for your SMU account similar to what is shown below. Please proceed to step 5 in a quick timely manner once the code is generated as it expires every 30 seconds.
Step 5: On your computer, enter the 6-digit code that appears on your Google Authenticator App then hit Next
Step 6: Once you get the screen below stating 'success', hit 'Done.
Congratulations - You have setup your account with the Google Authenticator app. You will be asked to enter the 6-digit code from your mobile Google Authenticator app when you sign in to your SMU account weekly or to a new device.
What to Expect/How Many Times Do I Need To Authenticate
MFA will ask you to authenticate once a week when using installed apps such as Word/Excel/PowerPoint on the same device. It will ask you to authenticate on other devices you use or to a new device you never used before.
-Teams/OneDrive app and Outlook app can be separate authentications once a week also.
Therefore, it can be up to three authentications once a week. You would know that Outlook or Word apps need to be authenticated when you see an exclamation mark next to your name on the top-right of the app.
-For office365 activity in a web browser, it will ask you to authenticate every time you sign in to a web browser because browsers don't hold token keys. If you login to the browser often, checking the following on the login screen may help. (ensure the box is ticked and click yes. It doesn't work in incognito)
-If Teams need to be authenticated, it may miss calls unless it is authenticated only once a week on the same device for the locally installed teams app.