Addressing "Need Admin Approval" Error: Microsoft 365 Calendar Sync

Overview

If you're seeing a "Need admin approval" pop-up when trying to sync your Outlook calendar with Motion, don't worry; this is a common step needed with Microsoft 365 organizations. This guide explains why this happens and how to fix it.

The good news: this is a one-time setup that your IT administrator can complete in just a few minutes.

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Why You're Seeing "Need Admin Approval"

When Motion connects to your Outlook calendar, it needs to access Microsoft Graph APIs that require organizational-level consent from your IT administrator.

Here's what's happening:

• Motion requires permissions to read and write to your Outlook calendar

• These permissions fall under Microsoft Graph delegated permissions

• Microsoft 365 requires a Global Admin or Cloud Application Administrator to approve these permissions for the entire organization

• Even if you grant permission as an individual user, the organization-level approval is still needed

Bottom line: This isn't a bug; it's Microsoft's security model. Your IT admin needs to grant Motion access once, and then all users in your organization can use calendar sync without seeing this message again.

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What Your IT Admin Needs to Do

If you're seeing the "Need admin approval" message, share these steps with your IT administrator. The process takes about 5 minutes.

Step 1: Log In to Motion (Admin Account)

Your IT admin should:

1. Visit https://app.usemotion.com on their desktop browser

2. Log in to their Motion account (or create one if they don't have one—no subscription needed)

Note: If they don't have a Motion account yet, they can create one just for this approval process. No subscription is required.

Step 2: Go to the Add Account Page

1. Navigate to https://app.usemotion.com/add-account

2. This is where they'll authorize Motion to access Outlook

Step 3: Click "Continue with Microsoft"

1. Click the "Continue with Microsoft" button

2. A Microsoft login pop-up will appear

Step 4: Important: Check for Admin Account Option

This step is critical:

1. In the Microsoft pop-up, sign in with their admin credentials

2. This ensures they're granting consent with the proper administrative permissions

Step 5: Grant Organizational Consent

1. After signing in with admin credentials, a permissions screen will appear

2. Look for a checkbox that says: "Consent on behalf of your organization"

3. Check this box — this is what grants Motion access for everyone in your organization

4. Click "Accept"

Step 6: Verify Approval

Once your IT admin completes these steps:

• Motion should now be accessible for your entire organization

• All users should see a green checkmark next to the calendar sync permission

• The "Need admin approval" message should no longer appear

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What Permissions is Motion Requesting?

When your IT admin grants consent, Motion will request access to:

• Calendars.ReadWrite — Read and write to your Outlook calendar

• MailboxSettings.Read — Read your mailbox settings

• User.Read — Read your user profile information

• offline_access — Maintain access even when you're not actively using Motion

• email — Access your email address

These are standard permissions needed for calendar sync to work properly. Your IT admin can review these permissions before approving them. Motion will need all of these approved to work correctly.

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For IT Administrators: Advanced Setup (Optional)

If your organization uses Microsoft Entra Admin Center and wants more control over the approval process, here are additional steps:

Enable Admin Consent Workflow (Optional)

This allows non-admin users to request approval instead of hitting a dead end:

1. Go to Microsoft Entra Admin Center (https://entra.microsoft.com)

2. Navigate to: Identity → Applications → Enterprise applications → User settings

3. Scroll to Admin consent requests

4. Turn ON:

• Users can request admin consent

• Select reviewers (Global Admins, App Admins, or Cloud App Admins)

1. Save

This enables a smoother workflow for your organization.

Check User Consent Settings

1. In Entra Admin Center, go to: Identity → Applications → Enterprise applications → User settings

2. Look at User consent for applications

3. Recommended setting: "Allow user consent for apps from verified publishers for selected permissions"

This prevents users from seeing a blank approval screen.

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Troubleshooting

Q: My IT admin completed the steps but I'm still seeing "Need admin approval"

A: Try these steps:

• Log out of Motion and log back in

• Try a different browser

• Wait 15-30 minutes for the changes to propagate through Microsoft's systems

• Contact Motion support if the issue persists

Q: My IT admin doesn't have a Motion account

A: That's fine! They can create one just for this approval process. No subscription is needed—it's only to grant organizational consent.

Q: Can a regular user grant this approval?

A: No, only a Global Admin or Cloud Application Administrator can grant organizational-level consent for Microsoft Graph permissions.

Q: What if our organization has disabled user consent?

A: Your IT admin will need to enable the admin consent workflow (see "Advanced Setup" section above) or manually grant consent through the Entra Admin Center.

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After Approval: Using Calendar Sync

Once your IT admin grants approval, you can:

1. Log in to Motion

2. Go to Settings → Calendars

3. Click + Add Account

4. Click Add Outlook Calendar

5. Sign in with your Microsoft account

6. Your Outlook calendar will now sync with Motion

You should not see the "Need admin approval" message anymore.