Two-factor authentication: authenticator app and backup codes

Turn on 2FA in Settings → Security → Two-factor authentication (2FA). Scan the QR code with an authenticator app and save the 8 backup codes — they get you in if you lose your phone.

From then on, after your password or email code, sign-in also asks for a 6-digit code from the app. A browser where you’ve passed 2FA won’t ask for a code for 3 days after that sign-in. The sign-in screens call 2FA “two-step sign-in”.

How to turn it on

1. Open Settings → Security. On a computer, click “Add 2FA Method” in the Two-factor authentication (2FA) block; on a phone, tap the Two-factor authentication (2FA) row.
2. Confirm your password and click “Continue”.
3. Next to “Authenticator app”, click “Add” (on a phone, tap that row).
4. Scan the QR code with the authenticator app on your phone and click “Continue”. If it won’t scan, enter the key by hand: “Can’t scan? Enter this key manually (time-based, 6 digits)”.
5. Enter the 6-digit code from the app and click “Verify”.
6. Save your backup codes: “Download codes”, then “I’ve saved these codes”. You’ll see “Two-factor authentication enabled”.

If you see “Could not load the two-factor authentication state.” or “Could not save the changes. Please try again.”, close the window, refresh the page and start again.

Backup codes

• There are 8 codes in the XXXX-XXXX format, and each one works once.
• As Bookly puts it: “If you lose access to your phone, you can use these codes to sign in. Each code can be used once.” Keep them somewhere other than your phone.
• You can see how many are left in the list of 2FA methods: “… of 8 unused”.
• New codes: next to “Backup codes”, click “Regenerate”, enter a code from the app and click “Generate codes”. Your current backup codes will stop working.

Signing in with 2FA

1. Sign in as usual — with your password or an email code.
2. On the “Enter your authentication code” screen, enter the code from the app and click “Confirm and sign in”.
3. Phone not at hand? Click “Use a recovery code”. If SMS codes are on too, you can click “Get a code by SMS”.

You have 5 minutes and 5 tries to enter the code.

How to turn it off

Open Settings → Security → Two-factor authentication (2FA) — on a computer, the “Add 2FA Method” button opens the list of methods. Next to “Authenticator app”, click “Turn off” and confirm with your password and a code from the app or a backup code.

If something goes wrong

The code from the app doesn’t work

“Codes change every 30 seconds. Make sure the time on your phone is correct.” Bookly accepts a code only within ±30 seconds, so if your phone’s clock is behind or ahead, the codes won’t match. Turn on automatic time on your phone and enter a fresh code.

“Wrong code. Please try again.”

Enter the code the app shows right now, not one that has already changed. Make sure it’s the code for Bookly and not for another service in the app.

“The time to enter the code has run out. Please sign in again.”

The code step lasts 5 minutes. Start signing in again and enter the code right away.

“Too many failed attempts. Please sign in again.”

Each code entry allows 5 tries. Start signing in again. If the codes fail because of your phone’s clock, see “The code from the app doesn’t work” above.

“An authenticator app is already connected.”

An app is already connected to your account. To move it to another phone, first turn off the old one (with your password and a code or a backup code), then connect the app again.

“Two-step sign-in is not enabled.”

Two-factor authentication is off for your account — turn it on with the steps above.

Nothing helped

Contact support. Write any time — we reply during working hours. Never send your password, codes or backup codes: support doesn’t need them.

Related articles

• 2FA codes by SMS
• Lost the phone with 2FA: how to sign in
• Active sessions: where you are signed in and how to sign out elsewhere