Microsoft Entra: Choose your own telephony provider for SMS and voice authentication

Starting October 30, 2026, Microsoft Entra ID allows organizations to choose a supported third-party telephony provider for SMS and voice authentication via Microsoft Security Store. Microsoft-provided SMS/voice authentication retires by February 1, 2027, except for some users until July 1, 2027. Organizations manage provider relationships directly. Starting October 30, 2026, Microsoft Entra ID will make Choose Your Own Telephony Provider (CYOT) generally available. CYOT enables organizations to use a supported third-party telecommunications provider for SMS and voice authentication. Organizations select a supported provider through Microsoft Security Store and manage their commercial relationship directly with the provider. Microsoft recommends phishing-resistant authentication methods, such as passkeys, instead of SMS or voice authentication. Organizations should use a telephony provider only for user populations that have a business, regulatory, or technical requirement for telephony-based authentication.  Rollout schedule General Availability (Worldwide): Beginning October 30, 2026 Impact on your organization Who is affected Organizations with users who require SMS or voice authentication for business, regulatory, or technical reasons Platforms and services Microsoft Entra ID Microsoft Security Store What will happen Starting October 30, 2026, organizations can choose to configure a supported telephony provider for SMS and voice authentication. Your selected provider will deliver the SMS messages or voice calls users need to complete authentication. Microsoft Entra ID will continue to enforce authentication method policies and coordinate the authentication experience. Your organization will manage its commercial relationship with the selected provider. Microsoft-provided SMS and voice authentication is scheduled to be retired on February 1, 2027, for all users except Global Administrators and external users. The retirement date for Global Administrators and external users is July 1, 2027. Internal guest users remain subject to the February 1, 2027 retirement date. After the applicable retirement date, users whose only available MFA method is SMS or voice must register a passkey during sign-in unless the organization has configured a supported telephony provider. This registration prompt is blocking. Action required and recommendations If your organization plans to adopt CYOT: Identify affected users. Determine which users have a documented business, regulatory, or technical requirement for SMS or voice authentication. Evaluate phishing-resistant alternatives. […]

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