USU Drops Phone Call Verification for Microsoft Authenticator

Utah State University (USU) will stop supporting phone call verification for Microsoft Authenticator by December 21, 2026. According to Madonna Bortle, director of USU's Information Technology department, this decision was made by Microsoft.

The company is moving towards more secure methods of multifactor authentication, such as passkeys. These are considered safer because they tie a user's phone directly to their computer, unlike phone call verification which can be easily bypassed with just a simple key press.

Bortle recommends that users set up at least two backup methods for verification, including push notifications and six-digit codes. She also suggested using YubiKeys or the Microsoft Authenticator app as additional options.