Bitpanda 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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Bitpanda is the European platform for investing in crypto, stocks, ETFs and metals. Its two-factor authentication (2FA) uses an authenticator app, and Bitpanda recommends it without making it mandatory (Bitpanda).
What sets Bitpanda apart: the 2FA recovery code shown during setup is the key itself, not a one-use backup code. Type it into an authenticator app and the Bitpanda entry comes back, as often as you need. This guide uses Authenticator App - Novaz on iPhone, but any authenticator app works the same way.
How we checked this guide: the Bitpanda steps come from Bitpanda's own help center, linked below, which we read on October 21, 2026. The help center's web pages refused our plain requests, so we read the same articles through its public article feed on support.bitpanda.com. We haven't tested the steps on a Bitpanda account, so a label may differ slightly. The Novaz steps are checked against the app, version 1.0.5.
Turn on 2FA on the website
In Bitpanda's instructions, only the website setup shows a QR code (Bitpanda):
- Sign in to Bitpanda in a browser, click your User Icon and choose Security.
- Next to Two-factor authentication (2FA), click Set up.
- Enter your password and click Continue.
- Save the 2FA recovery code Bitpanda shows, then click Continue. It won't be shown again once 2FA is on.
- Type the recovery code into the field and click Continue.
- Bitpanda shows a QR code. In Novaz, tap +, then Scan QR code, and point the camera at it.
- Click Continue, type the 6-digit code from Novaz, and click Enable two-factor authentication.
If a Validation Exception error appears after your password, Bitpanda says clearing the browser or app cache usually fixes it. You can also download a PDF of the QR code as a backup.
Turn on 2FA in the Bitpanda app
The app gives you a key to copy instead of a QR code (Bitpanda):
- Tap the Profile button, then Security.
- On iPhone, turn on the slider next to Two-factor authentication (2FA). On Android, tap Setup 2FA.
- Enter your password and continue.
- The code on screen is your recovery code and your setup key. Store it safely, tap Copy, then Continue.
- In Novaz, tap +, then Enter key manually. Enter Bitpanda as the Service and paste the code into Setup key. See What is a 2FA setup key?
- Back in the Bitpanda app, enter the current 6-digit code from Novaz. On Android the final button is Enable 2FA.
Bitpanda's codes are 6 digits every 30 seconds, matching Novaz's settings for a typed key. Bitpanda doesn't give the key's length, so if Novaz rejects it, use the website and scan the QR code.
Your recovery code is the backup
The recovery code, or the QR code PDF, is the backup Bitpanda expects you to keep (Bitpanda). If you lose the iPhone without a Novaz backup, this code is your way back. Store it offline or in a password manager, not as a screenshot on the same phone: anyone holding it can make your codes. Bitpanda's support team will never ask for 2FA codes (Bitpanda).
When Bitpanda asks for a code
You enter a code at every sign-in, after your email, password and any reCAPTCHA (Bitpanda).
A new device or browser adds a step: click Back to Bitpanda in the newest email Bitpanda sends, sign in again, and approve the device with an authenticator code. Without 2FA, Bitpanda uses an SMS code here instead (Bitpanda).
If Bitpanda rejects your code
Bitpanda names two causes: a code that changed before you submitted it, and a drifting phone clock. Enter the current code, and if it still fails, sync your device's time (Bitpanda). On iPhone that's Settings > General > Date & Time > Set Automatically. Novaz also warns you when the clock is 15 seconds or more off. More causes are in Authenticator code not working?
Changing phones
If you have a Novaz iCloud backup or backup file, restore it on the new iPhone and Bitpanda comes along. Without one, Bitpanda still makes it easy: on the new iPhone, tap +, then Enter key manually, and type your recovery code as the Setup key. Bitpanda says the entry then works as before and the code can be used more than once (Bitpanda). Then remove Bitpanda from the old phone with Remove account. For your other accounts, see How to transfer your authenticator app to a new iPhone.
If you lose your authenticator
With the recovery code, add the entry back yourself as described above. Bitpanda says this route doesn't trigger any withdrawal restriction (Bitpanda).
Without it, you ask Bitpanda to reset 2FA. Choose Remove 2FA in its contact form, then complete an identity check with Sumsub through a link Bitpanda emails you (Bitpanda). You'll need:
- your registered email address,
- a valid ID, such as a passport or driver's license, and
- a device with a camera and microphone for ID photos and a selfie or live check.
You have three weeks to finish the check. Once it passes, Bitpanda removes 2FA and confirms by email; it doesn't say how long the review takes. Afterwards 2FA stays off until you set it up again, and you can't withdraw money or crypto for 48 hours. Bitpanda may also phone you to confirm a 2FA reset (Bitpanda). See also Lost the phone with your authenticator app?
Turning 2FA off
Bitpanda's help doesn't describe turning 2FA off yourself; it only documents the support reset above.
