Bitbns 2FA: how to set up an authenticator app
By the Novaz team · Updated October 29, 2026
Novaz steps checked against version 1.0.5
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Bitbns is an Indian cryptocurrency exchange, run by Buyhatke Internet Private Ltd. Its homepage now often calls it BNS. Its help center doesn't say two-factor authentication (2FA) is required, but it recommends it to every user (Bitbns). Once it's on, the app code replaces the SMS one-time password when you sign in, on the website and in the mobile app alike (Bitbns).
Bitbns's help names Google Authenticator and Authy (Bitbns), but the setup is a standard QR code and key. This guide uses Authenticator App - Novaz on iPhone. Any authenticator app works the same way.
How we checked this guide: the Bitbns steps come from Bitbns's own help center (bitbns.freshdesk.com, linked from the bitbns.com homepage), which we read on October 21, 2026. The articles were last updated between 2018 and 2021. We haven't tested them on a Bitbns account, so a label may differ slightly. The Novaz steps are checked against the app, version 1.0.5.
Save the secret key first
The unusual part of Bitbns's setup is the order. Bitbns asks you to save its secret key before you scan the QR code, then type that key back in to finish. The key is your backup. Its help puts it bluntly: "If you lose your private key AND your mobile, you CANNOT access your account" (Bitbns).
Write the key down or store it in a password manager, somewhere other than the iPhone that runs Novaz. Unless you turn on a Novaz backup, the key lives only on that iPhone, so keep this copy as your fallback.
Turn on 2FA with an authenticator app
Bitbns describes these steps on the website (Bitbns):
- Sign in on the Bitbns website.
- Click the profile icon, open your profile, and go to the Security section.
- Click Enable 2FA. Read the instructions on screen, then click Enabling Now.
- Enter the OTP Bitbns sends you.
- Copy the secret key and save it somewhere safe. Then click I have copied the Authenticator secret key safely.
- Bitbns shows a QR code. In Novaz, tap +, then Scan QR code, and point the camera at it. 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.
- Enter the secret key you saved, plus the current code from Novaz. 2FA is then on.
Bitbns calls the text version of the key the secret key, private key, backup key or recovery key, depending on the article. One article describes it as 16 characters long (Bitbns). If you can't scan, tap +, then Enter key manually in Novaz, and type it as the Setup key. See What is a 2FA setup key?
The setup article says the app makes a new code every minute, which isn't how a standard 30-second code works. Because of that, scan the QR code if you can: the QR code tells Novaz the right interval, while a key typed by hand always gets 30 seconds.
If Bitbns rejects your code
Bitbns says an Incorrect Code error means the app isn't in sync (Bitbns). For iPhone, its fix is to turn on Set Automatically under Settings > General > Date & Time, and to switch it off and on again after a few seconds if it's already on (Bitbns). Novaz also warns you when the clock is 15 seconds or more off. Other causes are in Authenticator code not working?
Changing phones
Bitbns's way is to turn off 2FA on the old phone or the website, then turn it on again with the new phone from your profile page (Bitbns). Its help doesn't spell out where the off switch is. If you saved the secret key, you can also add Bitbns to the new phone with it, by scanning the QR code again or typing the key (Bitbns).
With a Novaz iCloud backup or backup file, you can restore your accounts on the new iPhone instead. Without one, you'll set Bitbns up again either way. See How to transfer your authenticator app to a new iPhone.
If you lose your authenticator
If you still have the secret key, add it to an authenticator app on your new phone and sign in as usual.
Without the key, you need Bitbns to turn off 2FA. Raise a ticket on Bitbns's support site and attach (Bitbns):
- a clear selfie holding the ID you used for KYC (Aadhaar card, PAN card, passport or driving license);
- a selfie holding a sheet of paper on which you have written Bitbns disable 2fa and the date;
- a selfie video (mp4, mov or similar) in which you hold your PAN card, blink at least five times, and read a statement Bitbns provides with your name, the date and your registered email address.
The video is mandatory. If it's over 20 MB, upload it to Google Drive and send a link anyone can open. Bitbns says it processes these requests in 3-4 working days.
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