ONE of my hotmail accounts won't work on ONE of my Android devices

[Android Central Question]

I have 2 hotmail accounts and 2 Samsung devices: a Galaxy S5 Neo (cell) and a Galaxy Tab 2 (tablet).

Both hotmail accounts work fine on the tablet, but only one on the cell. I've tried everything: restarting the cell, changing the password, nothing works. In desperation, I removed the faulty account to try and reinstall it but no luck: the Neo won't connect to the server for THAT PARTICULAR account (and that account ONLY). What gives?

Thanks for any assistance you can provide.

Frustrated

 

[me just saying]

did it ever work because it sounds like you got the settings wrong.

 

[Arch-Stanton]

Reply to me just saying: worked for years. Until last night.

 

[B. Diddy]

Welcome to Android Central! Are you using 2-step authentication for your Hotmail/Outlook account?

 

[Arch-Stanton]

Yes, I use the 2-step authentication process.
The problematic account worked for a couple of hours yesterday but it's down again today (still talking cell ONLY. Both hotmail accounts work fine on the tablet and laptop). Maybe a hard reset is the solution...

 

[B. Diddy]

Are you using an app password instead of the password you created for the Hotmail account? https://support.microsoft.com/en-us...fication-5896ed9b-4263-e681-128a-a6f2979a7944

 

[Arch-Stanton]

Hi again, B. Diddy. Thank you for your suggestions.

I don't use an app password, I didn't know such a thing existed. A couple of questions, if you don't mind:
- I've had 2-step authentication for months, if not years. No recent upgrade. Why did my regular passwords suddenly stopped working?
- Should I use the app password(s) on both hotmail accounts, or only on the one that keeps bugging?
- What about my other devices - will the app password(s) sync automatically?

Thanks in advance.

 

[B. Diddy]

For increased security, more and more webmail accounts are requiring you to use 2-step authentication and app passwords when accessing the email through an email client (like the stock Email app of a phone). The app password is a randomly generated code from the webmail service that you have to use instead of the usual password you created for that account. I know that Yahoo Mail recently made it mandatory, so the same may be the case for Hotmail/Outlook Mail. (This is all pretty much because of Yahoo's major security breaches a few years ago.)

First, see if it works if you generate an app password and then use it in the email account's credentials in your email app.