You’re staring at the approval screen.
The site says: “Check your authentication app.”
You open it.
Nothing happens.
No push notification. No blinking request. No approval button.
At this point most people assume their account has been locked.
It usually hasn’t.
This Is Where the Sync Breaks
Authentication apps don’t actually “approve” accounts.
They generate time-based signals that must match the server exactly.
If your phone’s clock drifted by even 30 seconds,
the generated code will look valid — but the server will reject it.
Push-based approvals fail for a different reason.
If the app was force-closed, background refresh disabled,
or the device switched networks mid-request,
the approval signal simply never reaches you.
The login request expires quietly.
You’re not banned.
The system just never completed the handshake.
Before you reset your password or contact support,
check your device time settings, reopen the authenticator,
and try again on a stable connection.
When an authentication app won’t approve login,
it’s usually a device sync failure — not an account restriction.