Troubleshooting Duo Push notification issues on iOS devices

Table of Contents

• Pull-To-Refresh

• If Pull-To-Refresh Works

• If Pull-To-Refresh Does Not Work

Pull-To-Refresh

Duo Push delivery issues are most often resolved by pulling down on the screen (pull-to-refresh) to check for notifications in the Duo Mobile app:

When you do this, the Duo Mobile application will reach out to our cloud service directly to check for login requests rather than using the push notification services. This is generally the most reliable way of receiving a login request and should work if the app and account are functioning properly.

If Pull-To-Refresh Works

If you are able to pull-to-refresh successfully but still don't receive push notifications, here are the likely potential reasons for the issue:
 

Notifications Not Enabled

If you can approve a request by manually pulling to refresh and tapping the Approve button in the Duo Mobile app, but no push notifications are received, it is most likely because you selected not to receive notifications when installing the application. The following process will also resolve a bug in iOS 10 that may require push notifications to be toggled off and back on for applications.

The first time a push-enabled app registers for push notifications, iOS asks if you want to receive notifications for that app. Once you select an option, the option is not presented again unless the device is restored or the app has been uninstalled for at least a day.

To check if push notifications are enabled for Duo Mobile and re-enable them if needed, follow these steps:

1. On the iPhone, open Settings.

2. Scroll down and select Duo Mobile.

3. Select Notifications.

4. If "Allow Notifications" box is already checked, uncheck and then re-check it. If it was not yet checked, check it. Verify that notifications are configured how you want them.

5. Fully close (double-tap home button and swipe up) Duo Mobile.

6. Open Duo Mobile again.

Issues with Apple Push Notification Service (APNs)

Another reason push notifications may not be working is due to an issue connecting to Apple Push Notification Service (APNs).

In the following support articles http://support.apple.com/kb/ht3576 and http://support.apple.com/kb/TS4264, Apple suggests disabling cellular data and testing pushes. This would help narrow whether the carrier is having an issue with the APNs and finding the phone.

You can force wifi to test cellular issues by doing the following:

• Navigate to Settings > Cellular > Cellular Data Off, then connect to WiFi.

Your wireless network must also allow the following ports for proper communication with Apple's servers:

• TCP port 5223 (used by devices to communicate to the APNs servers) 

• TCP port 2195 (used to send notifications to the APNs)

• TCP port 2196 (used by the APNs feedback service)

• TCP Port 443 (used as a fallback on Wi-fi only, when devices are unable to communicate to APNs on port 5223)

Issues Caused by Wi-Fi Assist & VPN Usage

The Wi-Fi Assist feature, which is enabled by default and will automatically switch to cellular data when you have a poor Wi-Fi connection, can cause Duo Push issues if you are using a VPN on your iOS device.

If you use a VPN on your device and get connection errors from Duo Mobile, you can disable Wi-Fi assist by doing the following:

• Navigate to Settings > Cellular or Settings > Mobile Data. Then scroll down and tap the slider for Wi-Fi Assist.

If Pull-To-Refresh Does Not Work

This occurs because something has happened on the device that has caused the Duo account to be unlinked from our servers.

• Make sure the system time is set automatically and that the timezone is correct on the phone via Settings > General > Date & Time.

• If the previous suggestion didn't appear to help, next we recommend reactivating the affected Duo Mobile account. Here's how to do that:

  • If you don't have access to the self-service portal, please contact the ITS Help Desk for assistance.

  • Reference this guide to reactivate your Duo account via the self-service portal.

Other Installed Applications on iOS

We've received reports from customers that when PIA-VPN is installed on an iOS device, the device is unable to receive push notifications over WiFi. If you have PIA-VPN installed and need to use Push for authentications over WiFi, F-Secure Freedome is an alternative that has been confirmed to work with Push notifications regardless of cellular network settings. 

If none of the above steps resolve your issue, and you receive an error message, please gather this message and send it to help@sfasu.edu or itsecurity@sfasu.edu along with what happened right before the message appeared, and we'll help troubleshoot.

For help with Push issues on Apple Watch, see this article.
 

Duo Push & Third-Party Accounts

Please note that Duo Push does not support third-party accounts (e.g. Amazon, Instagram, Facebook, Slack, Dropbox, etc.). Third-party accounts require the use of Duo Mobile passcodes as a second factor when logging in. Learn more about third-party accounts in our end-user guide and in this Knowledge Base article.