Inconsistent Duo Notifications Behavior on Android Watch

[dfgalletta]

I’ve always been curious about why my Mobvoi TicWatch Pro most of the time provides the Duo 2-factor authentication notification “tap to view actions” but sometimes provides the notification “show on mobile device/show on phone.” The first is most convenient. But the last requires digging out my phone (of course). Both buttons “show on mobile” and “show on phone” curiously seem the same. Is there some other action that would lead the watch to stick with the first “tap to view actions” choice?

[timshores1]

Hello @dfgalletta, thank you for writing!

At a glance, it sounds like the lock state of your phone is what would determine the two smartwatch 2FA behaviors:

https://help.duo.com/s/article/3393

In other words, you can 2FA from your smartwatch only when your phone is unlocked.