Microsoft Authenticator - after toggling Screen Lock on Phone

Hello all,

I am going crazy over this and really need help urgently. I made my account 'passwordless' and depended on 'MS Authenticator App' to login.

I was trying to take back up of my phone and thus turned off screen lock temporarily. When I turned it On again, MS Auth app won't let me sign-in. So, I tried to use the copilot and it asked me to use my 'account recovery code'... which I did and then this is the message I get:

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Because you turned on two-step verification, you need up-to-date security info to sign in to your account. During the waiting period you will not be able to sign in to sites or services with your Microsoft account, but will be able to sign in to devices or use your existing app passwords.

You can avoid the wait by:

Using a trusted device. If you have a device that doesn't require codes, use it now and update your security info.

Finding your security info. Any chance it isn't entirely lost? [I just need to reattach/re-enable phone auth/my account using a QR scan]

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Copilot also asked me to remove the hotmail account from my auth-app, restart the phone and try to access the security page to scan the QR code and re-enable the auth through phone. 

Now here's the thing. Although I am in my email account [it was already open in my browser - and it did not log-off automatically] I am unable to access the security page on my microsoft account unless I approve it via my Auth App. And my Auth App doesn't have the Hotmail account, because Copilot asked me to remove it and re-attach it. I'm stuck in a loop. 

Text Messages are limited to few attempts, so no luck there either.