| Duo Mobile version 4 was released on October 11, 2021. Duo Mobile version 3 information remains available for users on older Android versions who can't upgrade to the latest Duo Mobile release. View the Duo Mobile v3 Android Guide |  |
The Duo Mobile application makes it easy to authenticate — just tap “Approve” on the login request sent to your Android device. You can also quickly generate login passcodes, even without an internet connection or cell service.
If you need assistance installing or using Duo Mobile, please contact your organization's IT Help Desk or Duo administrator.
Contents
- Changes to Duo Mobile
- Install Duo Mobile
- Activate Duo Mobile for the First Time
- Duo Push
- Duo Push and Notifications
- Fingerprint Verification
- Duo Verified Push
- Passcodes
- Add More Accounts to Duo Mobile
- Security Checkup
- Third-Party Accounts
- Edit Accounts
- Duo Mobile Appearance
- Adaptive View
- Dark Theme
- Troubleshooting
- Push Troubleshooting
- Encryption Troubleshooting
Changes to Duo Mobile
We've redesigned Duo Mobile to give you an updated login experience. Learn more about what's new to Duo Mobile version 4 in this video walkthrough:
Install Duo Mobile
Find the latest version of Duo Mobile in Google Play.
Supported Platforms: The current version of Duo Mobile supports Android 8 and greater.
Duo does not provide official support for non-standard custom Android distributions like OnePlus, LineageOS, or ColorOS, nor is Duo Mobile supported for use on ChromeOS.
To see which version of Duo Mobile is installed on your device, go to the Android Settings menu, tap Apps, then scroll down and tap Duo Mobile. The "App Info" screen shows the version.
Activate Duo Mobile for the First Time
When you enroll in Duo for the first time and choose to add an Android device or use Duo Push, you're shown a QR code to scan with the Duo Mobile app to complete activation.
Launch Duo Mobile and tap Set up account.
To proceed with adding your initial Duo account to Duo Mobile, tap Use a QR code.
Use your camera to scan the QR code shown by Duo Enrollment in your browser. If you're prompted to allow Duo Mobile permission to take pictures and record video, please grant it.
Give the new account a name to complete adding it to Duo Mobile.
It's a good idea to take a few minutes to practice approving and denying Duo authentication requests if you haven't used Duo before. Tap Practice now to go through some training screens like this one. If you feel comfortable using Duo Mobile to log in to applications you can tap Skip.
You'll see your newly-added Duo account in the accounts list. Now you're able to respond to Duo Push authentication requests, or generate passcodes to log in to applications.
Duo Push
If you choose to authenticate with Duo Push, you'll get a login request sent to your phone — just press Approve to authenticate.
If you get a login request that you weren't expecting, press Deny to reject the request. You’ll be asked if this was a suspicious login. If you aren't trying to log into an application or service protected by Duo and don't recognize the request, tap Yes to notify your organization's Duo administrator. If you made a mistake or the login isn't suspicious, tap No to deny the request without reporting it.
Duo Push and Notifications
When the Duo Push notification shows up on your screen, tap where indicated to view the available actions: Approve or Deny.
Tap Approve in the notification to finish logging in to the Duo-protected application.
Tapping on the push request notification itself (instead of tapping the notification actions) takes you to the full Duo Push screen in Duo Mobile.
If your phone is running Android 13 or later, you may need to enable Duo Push notifications.
To enable Duo Push notifications:
- Press and hold on the Duo Mobile app icon and then select App info. On the following Duo Mobile app information screen, tap Notifications. Toggle All Duo Mobile notifications to on.
Fingerprint Verification
Duo Mobile also supports fingerprint verification for Duo Push-based logins as an additional layer of security to verify your user identity. If you're using a device with a fingerprint reader you'll need to scan your finger each time you authenticate via Duo Mobile (if required by your administrator).
If you're not able to scan your fingerprint using the sensor you can also approve the Duo authentication request using the device's passcode (the same one you use on the Android lock screen).
Duo Verified Push
Your organization may wish for you to enter a verification code shown within the Duo Universal Prompt into Duo Mobile when you approve a Duo Push request. This protects you from approving login requests not made by you and helps keep your accounts and information safe.
You will need Duo Mobile version 4.16.0 or later installed on Android 8 or newer to verify a Duo Push request with a code.
If your organization requires Duo Push verification, Duo Universal Prompt displays a six-digit code on-screen when you choose to use Duo Push to log in to that application.
Enter the code shown on your screen into Duo Mobile and tap Verify to approve the login request.
If you enter an incorrect code, tap OK on your phone, and return to the Duo Universal Prompt where you can click or tap Other options to choose a different way to log in or to try Duo Push again.
If you receive a Duo Push request on your phone and you aren't trying to log in to that application tap I'm not logging in to deny the request. You’ll be asked if this was a suspicious login. Tap Yes to notify your organization's Duo administrator or tap No if you made a mistake or the login isn't suspicious.
Passcodes
Tap an account to get a one-time passcode for login. This works anywhere, even in places where you don't have an internet connection or can't get cell service.
If the account is for a Duo-protected service or application (meaning you enrolled this device into Duo and activated the app for Duo Push), then the passcode shown is valid until used. Tap Refresh Passcode to generate a new Duo passcode.
If the account is a third-party OTP account (meaning you logged into another service like Gmail and added this device as an authenticator app), then you'll see a 30 second countdown indicator underneath the passcode. If you don't use that passcode before it expires then the account refreshes with a new passcode and the countdown begins again.
If you need to use the passcode shown in Duo Mobile in another mobile app tap Copy and paste it into the other app.
Add More Accounts to Duo Mobile
To add additional accounts to Duo mobile, tap Add in the upper right of your accounts list to go to the account type selector.
If the new account you want to add shows you a QR code to scan with an authenticator app, tap Use QR code from the Add account list. Scan the QR code with your camera to add the account to Duo Mobile.
You can also choose the type of account you want to add from the list, and then choose to add that account by scanning a QR code or by entering an activation code you receive from that application. Learn more about adding third-party accounts to Duo Mobile
Security Checkup
Duo Mobile's Security Checkup verifies device settings against Duo's recommended security settings, and lets you know if any of your device's settings don't match.
This Android device has up-to-date software and all of Duo's recommended security settings configured:
This Android device is a few Android versions behind the latest:
Tap on any detected issue to learn more about that particular setting and how you can update your device with the recommended configuration.
Tap the menu and go to Security Checkup in Duo Mobile to view your device's security status at any time.
Third-Party Accounts
Duo Mobile supports passcode generation for logging in to third-party TOTP accounts, like Google and Dropbox. Learn more »
Edit Accounts
To make changes to an account in your accounts list, tap the account to expand it, and then tap the three dots in the upper-right corner of the account card to bring up the account options.
Tap Move to reorder your accounts list (shown when you have more than one account in Duo Mobile). Use the up or down arrows shown to the left of each account's name (or tap and hold the icon on the right side of the account card) to change an account's position in the list. Tap Done when you've finished reordering your accounts.
Tap Rename to change the name of an account. Enter a new name for the account and then tap Save to apply the new name.
Remove an account by tapping Delete. When you delete an account you can no longer use it to log in, and it's also removed from your Duo Mobile backup so you can't restore it later. If you're sure you want to remove this account, tap Delete on the confirmation message. Tap Cancel if you don't want to delete the account.
Backup & Restore
If your administrator enabled Duo Mobile's backup and restore functionality and you previously backed up your Duo-protected accounts from the app to Google Drive you can restore your accounts to Duo Mobile on a new Android device via the guided recovery process. You can also perform third-party account recovery if you previously opted-in to third-party account restore. Start the account recovery process by tapping I have existing accounts on the Duo Mobile welcome screen.
See the full Duo Restore guide for Android.
Duo Mobile Appearance
Adaptive View
The accounts list in Duo Mobile adapts to you. If you rotate your device into a landscape view, your Duo Mobile accounts list rotates as well.
The individual accounts shown in the list change appearance as well, showing the full account information when you just have a few accounts, and switching to a minimized account view when you have many accounts to minimize scrolling in the app.
Dark Theme
Duo Mobile's dark theme depends on your Android system settings. There is no in-app toggle to enable dark theme. If your device has the system-wide dark setting enabled, Duo Mobile automatically switches to dark theme.
You can enable dark theme on Android in a few different ways:
- Go to Settings → Display → Theme and select Dark Theme.
- Pull down the Android settings from the notification tray and tap Dark Theme.
Troubleshooting
See the Common Issues guide for additional troubleshooting tips, or visit the Duo Knowledge Base. If you aren't able to resolve your Duo Mobile issue, contact your organization's Duo administrator or Help Desk.
Push Troubleshooting
If your phone is running Android 13 or later, you may need to enable Duo Push notifications.
To enable Duo Push notifications:
- Press and hold on the Duo Mobile app icon and then select App info. On the following Duo Mobile app information screen, tap Notifications. Toggle All Duo Mobile notifications to on.
If you are logging in to a Duo-protected application, but you aren't receiving an expected Duo Push authentication request, try closing Duo Mobile and reopening it. Duo Mobile checks for pending push requests whenever it's opened. If this doesn't fix it, see the Duo Knowledge Base for additional Android troubleshooting steps.
Encryption Troubleshooting
Mobile device encryption helps keep the data on your device secure.
Duo considers your device encrypted when you enable password, PIN, or pattern authentication at startup. Without this setting, your device encryption is less secure, and you might not be able to access Duo-protected services or applications.
To enable encryption on your Android Device:
- Navigate to Settings → Security → Screen Lock.
- Enable password, PIN, or pattern to be required upon device startup.
- If you have a Samsung Device, you will additionally need to enable "Secure startup" or "Strong Protection" from your device's settings and require a PIN at device startup.
- Close and reopen Duo Mobile.
If you still experience issues with the Disk Encryption error displaying in Duo Mobile, even after completing the steps above, try to disable this setting and then re-enable it again. This can happen because some Android device manufacturers will set a default password to encrypt the phone. Although your phone might say it’s encrypted, technically it isn’t fully encrypted until you set your own PIN/password/pattern at startup via your phone’s settings. Encrypting with your own password is the most secure option.
Additional items to note:
- On Samsung devices, "Secure startup" or "Strong Protection" will automatically turn off any time you enable an accessibility permission.
- Some newer devices (such as the Google Pixel) on Android 7.0 and higher support file-based encryption and can be considered encrypted by Duo without a PIN at startup.
Jump to top
FAQs
How do I turn on two factor authentication on my Duo Mobile? ›
- Navigate to the Preferences section of your community profile. ...
- Scroll down to Two-Factor Authentication and click Manage Two-Factor Authentication.
- Enter your password and click Continue.
- Under Token-Based Authenticators, click New Authenticator.
Open Duo Mobile on your old phone, and tap the menu icon in the top right to open Settings. Locate the "Connect a new phone" settings item, and tap View QR code to display a QR code on the screen.
How do I set up Duo Mobile authentication? ›To activate Duo on your device, open the Duo app on your smartphone, tap the “+” button, and use your smartphone to scan the QR code on the computer screen. On iPhone and Android, activate Duo Mobile by scanning the barcode code with the app's built-in scanner.
Where do I get the QR code for Duo Mobile? ›Open Duo Mobile and tap Add in the upper right of your accounts list to go to the account type selector. If the new account you want to add shows you a QR code to scan with an authenticator app, tap Use QR code from Duo Mobile's Add account list. Scan the QR code with your camera to add the account.
How do I setup my duos on my Android phone? ›- Step 1: Install Duo. Duo is available on Android phones and tablets. ...
- Step 2: Verify your phone number. You can skip phone number verification. ...
- Step 3: Connect your Google Account. To connect your Google Account, tap Agree. ...
- After you verify your number on Duo. ...
- Use Duo to call your contacts.
Make sure you are running the latest version of Duo Mobile. If tapping “Open Duo Mobile” doesn't launch Duo Mobile, reboot your phone and try to authenticate again. If you have a personal profile and a work profile on your device, verify which profile Duo Mobile is installed on.
How can I bypass Duo code? ›To generate a bypass code: Log in to the Duo Admin Panel and click Users in the left sidebar. Select a user by clicking their username. Scroll down to the bottom of the user properties page and click the Add Bypass Code button.
What is my Google Authenticator code? ›What is the “Google Authenticator Key”? The key for Google Authenticator is the QR code or the 32-digit code provided in the 2-factor authentication settings of the online account you are trying to secure. This key can either be scanned or manually entered into the Authenticator app.
How does Duo work on Android? ›How It Works. Once you've enrolled in Duo you're ready to go: You'll login as usual with your username and password, and then use your device to verify that it's you. Your administrator can set up the system to do this via SMS, voice call, one-time passcode, the Duo Mobile smartphone app, and so on.
Do you need a Gmail account to use Duo? ›No. Duo needs your phone number. The app lets you reach people in your phone's contacts list. No separate account is required.
How do I log into Duo push on my new phone? ›
- Login to Duo.
- Click the button to Send Activation Code. Result: You will receive a text message with a link to the application. ...
- You will also receive a second text message with the activation link.
And now, you can enroll multiple devices – cell phones, tablets, or landlines - to ensure that you can log in when you need to on the device you have at hand. 1. The next time DUO prompts you (for example, when you're logging in to WebConnect), click the Add a new device link at left.
How do I change the authentication method in Duo? ›Set a Default Authentication Method
On the My Settings & Devices screen, click the drop-down next to “When I log in:” and change the selection to either automatically send a push notification (recommended) or automatically call the device.
Changing Global Settings
To access these features, log in to the Duo Admin Panel and click Settings on the left. Once on the "Settings" page, use the left side navigation to access different sections on the page. Be sure to click the Save Changes button at the top of the page after updating any settings.
Two-factor authentication (2FA) adds an extra layer of security to your online accounts. Verifying your identity using a second factor, like your phone or other mobile device, prevents anyone but you from accessing your account, even if they know your password.
Does Duo Mobile transfer to new phone? ›While the app transfers from device to device, the configuration of each device is specific and will need to be reactivated on new devices.