Amazon 2FA: how to set up an authenticator app

Your Amazon account is the one you shop with, and the one your Kindle and other Amazon devices sign in to. Amazon calls its two-factor authentication Two-Step Verification (2SV). The code comes by text message, by voice call, or from an authenticator app (Amazon, Amazon KDP).

Two things are unusual. Amazon's help pages mention no backup codes, so your fallback is a second method, usually a phone number. And on devices that can't show a code screen, you type the code onto the end of your password. This guide uses Authenticator App - Novaz on iPhone, but any authenticator app works the same way.

How we checked this guide: the Amazon steps come from Amazon's own help pages and one post by Amazon staff on its seller forums, all linked below, which we read on October 19, 2026. We haven't tested them on an Amazon account, and labels vary between Amazon's country sites, so what you see may differ slightly. The Novaz steps are checked against the app, version 1.0.5.

Do you need it?

For shopping, 2SV is optional. Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP) requires it to open its Your Account page, and one setup covers both accounts if they share an email and password (Amazon KDP). The Amazon Developer Console requires it to change payment information (Amazon Developer).

Codes Amazon sends by email or text to confirm an unusual sign-in are a separate check, not 2SV (Amazon).

Turn on 2SV with an authenticator app

From Amazon's Developer FAQ, updated February 2026 (Amazon Developer, Amazon):

1. Go to Your Account and select Login & security.
2. Under 2-Step verification, select Turn on. Some Amazon pages call it Get Started, or start from Edit next to Two-Step Verification (2SV) Settings.
3. Choose Authenticator App.
4. Amazon shows a QR code. In Novaz, tap +, then Scan QR code. If the QR code is on the same iPhone, take a screenshot, tap +, then Choose a photo. See scanning a QR code on the same iPhone.
5. Type the code from Novaz on Amazon's page, verify it, and follow the remaining on-screen steps.

Amazon's customer pages don't describe this screen. A 2023 post by Amazon staff on its seller forums, for seller accounts, shows a Can't scan the bar code? link that reveals the key as text (Amazon Seller Forums). In Novaz, tap +, then Enter key manually, and paste it as the Setup key (What is a 2FA setup key?). Amazon doesn't say how long its codes are or how often they change, so scanning is the safer choice.

Already using a phone number? Add the app from Enrolled 2SV Authenticators with Add new phone or Authenticator App (Amazon KDP). To get codes from the app by default, the Developer FAQ says to make it your preferred method.

Your backup is a phone number

With no backup codes, Amazon's recovery page says to try a registered backup method or a trusted device first (Amazon). KDP's help recommends another phone number or authenticator app as a backup, and allows up to 2 phone numbers (Amazon KDP). Novaz keeps its keys on your iPhone unless you make a Novaz backup, so add a phone number you'll keep.

When Amazon asks for a code

You enter the code with your password at sign-in (Amazon). Amazon's Australian page adds that devices you trust can skip it: tick Do not require codes on this device (Amazon AU).

Some devices, such as a first-generation Kindle, never show a code page (Amazon AU). Sign in, wait for the error, then sign in again with the current code typed right after your password (Amazon). With the password sunflower and the code 123456, you'd type sunflower123456. A device signed in this way can't be saved as trusted.

If Amazon rejects your code

KDP's help says to wait for the app's next code and enter that one, or choose Didn't receive the OTP? to get a code another way (Amazon KDP). The Developer FAQ warns that 10 wrong codes in a row lock the account (Amazon Developer).

The usual cause is the iPhone's clock: open Settings > General > Date & Time and turn on Set Automatically. Novaz warns you when the clock is 15 seconds or more off. More in Authenticator code not working?

Changing phones

While you can still sign in, add Novaz on the new iPhone with Add new phone or Authenticator App. Amazon's pages explain removing a phone number, not an old app (Amazon KDP). With a Novaz iCloud backup or backup file, you can instead restore your accounts on the new iPhone and keep the same codes. See How to transfer your authenticator app to a new iPhone.

If you lose your authenticator

Sign in with your backup phone number or from a trusted device. If neither works (Amazon):

1. Sign in with your email or phone number and password (or a passkey or sign-in code).
2. On the 2SV code screen, select Didn't Receive the Code.
3. Select Two-Step Verification Account Recovery and follow the steps to verify your identity.

Amazon doesn't say what proof it asks for or how long it takes. More in Lost the phone with your authenticator app?

Turning 2SV off

In Your Account, select Login & security, then Disable next to Two-Step Verification (Amazon). Amazon's Canadian page adds that you confirm with a code (Amazon CA).

Official Amazon help

• What is Two-Step Verification? (also the Australian and Canadian versions)
• Recover Your Account after Two-Step Verification Fails
• Fix Amazon Two-Step Verification Issues
• About Multi-Factor Authentication
• Two-Step Verification (Kindle Direct Publishing)
• Two-Step Verification FAQ (Amazon Developer)
• Quick Tip: Authenticator App for Two Step Verification (Amazon staff, Seller Forums)