Can't add second (main) business account

Question

Can't add second (main) business account

Lukas 50

I am logged into the Teams app on my Android phone using a guest account (provided by a business partner and client).

I am unable to add a second account (my main account) to Teams. When I try to add another account and enter my email address (which is identical to the guest account), only the guest account is opened.
This guest account often asks me to verify my identity. How frequently does this happen, and what does it depend on? Is it possible to extend the verification period or disable it altogether?

Answer accepted by question author

1 additional answer

Your answer

Answer 1

Hi @Lukas,

Welcome to the Microsoft Q&A forum.

Thank you for sharing the details of your experience. I understand that managing multiple accounts in Microsoft Teams can be challenging, especially when one of them is a guest account provided by a business partner.

Here’s some information that may help clarify your questions:

When your guest account and main account use the same email address, Teams treats them as the same identity. This is why the app opens the guest account instead of allowing you to add another account. Currently, Teams does not support adding two accounts with the same email address on mobile.

The verification prompts you see are based on security policies set by the organization that invited you as a guest. These policies can include Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) and sign-in frequency requirements. The timing and frequency depend on their settings, not on your device or app.

As a guest user, you cannot change these settings. Only the organization’s IT administrator can adjust sign-in frequency or MFA requirements.

However, here are a few alternative approaches you can consider:

Use a different email address for your main account if possible.
Switch accounts by signing out of the guest account and signing in with your main account when needed.
Use the desktop or web version of Teams, which makes switching between accounts easier.
If verification is too frequent, you can ask the partner’s IT admin to review their sign-in frequency policy.

For reference:

I hope this information is helpful. Please follow these steps and let me know if it works for you. If not, we can work together to resolve this.

Thank you for your patience and your understanding. If you have any questions or need further assistance, please feel free to share them in the comments on this post so I can continue to support you.

I look forward to your thoughts on this.

If the answer is helpful, please click "Accept Answer" and kindly upvote it. If you have extra questions about this answer, please click "Comment".

Note: Please follow the steps in our documentation to enable e-mail notifications if you want to receive the related email notification for this thread.

Answer 2

When using the Teams app on mobile devices, if you are logged in with a guest account and try to add another account with the same email address, the app will typically only open the guest account. This is because the Teams app recognizes the email as already associated with the guest account, preventing you from adding it as a second (main) business account. To manage multiple accounts effectively, ensure that you are using different email addresses for the guest and your main account.
The frequency of identity verification for guest accounts can vary based on your organization's security policies and settings configured for mobile sign-in. This may include factors like the type of authentication method used (single-factor or multi-factor authentication) and the organization's security requirements. Unfortunately, it is generally not possible to extend the verification period or disable it altogether, as these settings are determined by your organization’s IT policies.

References:

Share via

Can't add second (main) business account

1 additional answer

Your answer