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Novaz AuthenticatorGET

Bitbuy 2FA: how to set up an authenticator app

By the Novaz team · Updated October 29, 2026
Novaz steps checked against version 1.0.5

On this page
  1. Turn on 2FA with an authenticator app
  2. Where Bitbuy asks for a code
  3. No backup codes
  4. If Bitbuy rejects your code
  5. Accounts moved from Coinsmart, Coinberry, Bitvo or Bitstamp
  6. Turning 2FA off, and changing phones
  7. If you lose your authenticator
  8. Official Bitbuy help

Bitbuy is a Canadian platform for buying, selling and withdrawing crypto, open only to Canadian residents. Every account needs a cell phone that can get text messages, and without an authenticator app, Bitbuy texts you a code to confirm a withdrawal (Bitbuy, Bitbuy). Bitbuy's help recommends switching from text codes to an authenticator app, which it calls 2-step verification (Bitbuy). Plan the switch carefully: once it's on, turning it off locks your withdrawals for 7 days (Bitbuy).

This guide uses Authenticator App - Novaz on iPhone. Bitbuy says any reputable authenticator app works, so other apps follow the same steps.

How we checked this guide: the Bitbuy steps come from Bitbuy's own help center, linked below, which we read on October 22, 2026. The help center's web pages block automated access, so we read the articles through its public article feed on support.bitbuy.ca, and checked the main 2FA article against an archived copy from August 2025 on web.archive.org. We haven't tested them on a Bitbuy account, so a label may differ slightly. The Novaz steps are checked against the app, version 1.0.5.

Turn on 2FA with an authenticator app

You can start from the Bitbuy mobile app or the website (Bitbuy):

  1. Sign in to Bitbuy.
  2. In the app, go to More > Settings and tap 2-step verification. On the website, open Settings and click 2-step verification in the security section.
  3. Bitbuy shows a QR code. In Novaz, tap +, then Scan QR code, and point the camera at it. If you started in the Bitbuy app on the same iPhone, take a screenshot and use Choose a photo instead. See scanning a QR code on the same iPhone.
  4. If you'd rather type it, Bitbuy also offers the key as a long code you can copy. Its help doesn't give that key a name. In Novaz, tap +, then Enter key manually, and paste it as the Setup key. See What is a 2FA setup key?
  5. Type the 6-digit code from Novaz where Bitbuy asks for it. If the code changes before you finish, use the new one.

Your settings then show 2-step verification as On.

Bitbuy's security article says its codes change every 30 to 60 seconds, without saying which (Bitbuy). Scan the QR code if you can, because it carries the code settings to Novaz. A key typed by hand always gets 30 seconds.

Where Bitbuy asks for a code

  • Signing in: you enter your password and a 6-digit code from the app every time you sign in (Bitbuy).
  • Crypto withdrawals: you finish each withdrawal with a code from your authenticator app (Bitbuy).
  • Changing your email: you need your password, and your 2FA code if it's on (Bitbuy).

There's a practical reason to keep it on. Without 2FA, Bitbuy blocks withdrawals for 72 hours the first time a new device signs in to your account (Bitbuy).

Bitbuy also warns: "Do not share your password or 2FA codes with anyone, including Bitbuy support staff" (Bitbuy).

No backup codes

Bitbuy's help pages don't mention backup or recovery codes. Unless you've turned on iCloud backup or kept a backup file in Novaz, a lost phone means going through Bitbuy Support (below).

If Bitbuy rejects your code

Bitbuy's only tip is timing: enter the code before it runs out, or wait for the next one (Bitbuy). If fresh codes still fail, check your iPhone's clock: Settings > General > Date & Time > Set Automatically. Novaz also warns you when the clock is 15 seconds or more off. Other causes are in Authenticator code not working?

Accounts moved from Coinsmart, Coinberry, Bitvo or Bitstamp

If your account came from one of these platforms, Bitbuy set up the 2FA for you. Former Coinsmart users keep using the code they already had in their authenticator app. Coinberry, Bitvo and Bitstamp users get text-message codes, and Bitbuy suggests switching to an authenticator app once signed in (Bitbuy).

Turning 2FA off, and changing phones

If you can sign in, open Settings and select Turn off next to 2-step verification. Bitbuy warns you about the withdrawal hold. Click Continue, then enter a code from your app. From then on, withdrawals are on hold for 7 days. Bitbuy calls this an automatic security step, and says its Support team can end it early if you ask (Bitbuy, Bitbuy).

Bitbuy's help doesn't describe moving 2FA to a new phone. The documented route is to turn it off on the old phone and set it up again on the new one, so expect the 7-day hold, or ask Support about it. On the Novaz side, an iCloud backup or a backup file restores your accounts on the new iPhone, so Bitbuy's codes keep working without that step; without one, follow Bitbuy's route. See How to transfer your authenticator app to a new iPhone. Do it while you still have the old phone.

If you lose your authenticator

Without backup codes, the route is Bitbuy Support. If you can't sign in, Bitbuy says to contact Support and expect to verify your identity, so it knows the request comes from the account holder (Bitbuy). The help pages don't list which documents it asks for or how long this takes. Once 2FA is turned off, the 7-day withdrawal hold applies as well. More in Lost the phone with your authenticator app?

Official Bitbuy help

More guides: Crypto exchanges and wallets