Removal of MFA text message delivery via WhatsApp in India

Originally posted by Microsoft Jan 26, 2024 Uncategorized 0 Comments

Note: If your organization does not have users in India you can safely disregard this message.

Meta has announced that due to an updated regulation in India not allowing over-the-top (OTT) apps like WhatsApp to be used for business communication, they will block the ability to send authentication messages via WhatsApp to users in India starting March 1st, 2024. 

Back in September 2023, Microsoft Entra began delivering one-time passcodes (OTP) for multifactor authentication (MFA) via WhatsApp for some users in India, Indonesia and New Zealand. While data showed this improved authentication completion rates for users, to comply with Meta’s update we will be removing support for WhatsApp in India by March 1st, 2024. 

When this will happen:

Starting mid-February 2024, users in India who’ve been receiving OTP messages via WhatsApp will start receiving them via SMS as they did before.

What you need to do to prepare:

There is no action required by either end users or organizations. Microsoft will ensure all traffic is diverted back to the SMS channel by March 1st, 2024.

You may consider updating training and documentation as appropriate.

Message ID: MC710214