Dotloop 2FA: how to set up an authenticator app

Dotloop is the platform real estate agents, brokers and their clients use to fill in and sign contracts. Unlike most services, it doesn't leave two-factor authentication (2FA) up to you. Since Dotloop launched 2FA in November 2022, anyone who signs up or signs in through a web browser has had to enroll either a phone number or an authenticator app (Dotloop). Once you've enrolled, there's no way to switch 2FA off. You can only reset it and enroll again.

This guide covers the authenticator app option, using Authenticator App - Novaz on iPhone. Any authenticator app works the same way.

How we checked this guide: the Dotloop steps come from Dotloop's own help article on two-factor authentication. Its current version on support.dotloop.com only loads in a full web browser, so our automated reader couldn't open it. We read the last version that can still be read, in an archived copy on web.archive.org saved on March 20, 2023 (the article says it was updated February 9, 2023). We read it on October 21, 2026. We haven't tested the steps on a Dotloop account, and labels may have changed since 2023. The Novaz steps are checked against the app, version 1.0.5.

Phone number or authenticator app

Dotloop offers two kinds of second factor: a one-time password app, or a phone number that gets a code by text message or voice call. Its help article calls scanning the QR code with an authenticator app the more secure choice (Dotloop). See Authenticator app vs SMS.

Turn on 2FA with an authenticator app

There's no setting to look for. Dotloop asks you to pick a method when you sign in or register (Dotloop):

1. Sign in to Dotloop in a web browser with your email address and password.
2. A screen asks you to secure your account. Choose the authenticator app option. (Try another method is the way to the phone number option instead.)
3. Dotloop shows a QR code. In Novaz, tap +, then Scan QR code, and point the camera at it. If you're signing in on the same iPhone, take a screenshot, tap +, then Choose a photo. See scanning a QR code on the same iPhone.
4. Type the 6-digit code from Novaz and click Continue.
5. Dotloop shows a recovery code. Save it before you go on (see below).

Dotloop's article doesn't mention a text key you can type instead of scanning, so plan to scan the QR code. If your screen does offer a key, you can add it in Novaz with +, then Enter key manually, and type it into Setup key. See What is a 2FA setup key?

Save the recovery code

During enrollment, Dotloop gives you one recovery code, which its article describes as 16 digits. Dotloop suggests keeping it somewhere secure, such as a password vault. When you use it, Dotloop lets you in and issues a new recovery code, so save the new one too (Dotloop).

Keep this code even if you use Novaz's iCloud backup or a backup file: it gets you in if the phone is lost and the backup is missing or older than this account. More in 2FA backup codes.

When Dotloop asks for a code

Not every sign-in asks for a code. Dotloop checks each sign-in for risk and asks for your second factor when something looks unusual, such as a new device or a new location. On a device you use often, you can tick Remember this device for 30 days to skip the prompt there for 30 days (Dotloop).

If Dotloop rejects your code

Dotloop's article doesn't cover rejected codes. The usual cause is the iPhone's clock: go to Settings > General > Date & Time and turn on Set Automatically. Novaz warns you when the clock is 15 seconds or more off. For other causes, see Authenticator code not working?

New phone, or switching methods

Dotloop's way to move to a new phone is to reset 2FA and enroll again (Dotloop):

1. Click your profile icon in the top right corner, then My Account.
2. Click Reset Two-Factor Authentication, then Reset and Continue.
3. Enter your email address and password.
4. Scan the new QR code with the app on your new phone and enter the code.

The FAQ in the same article says resetting removes your current factor and signs you out, and you enroll a new one at your next sign-in. Do this while you still have the old phone or your recovery code. With a Novaz iCloud backup or backup file, you can skip the reset and restore your accounts on the new iPhone instead. See How to transfer your authenticator app to a new iPhone.

If you lose your authenticator

1. Sign in with your email and password as usual.
2. When Dotloop asks for your code, click Try another method and choose Recovery code.
3. Enter the recovery code. Then reset 2FA as above and enroll your new phone.

Without the recovery code, Dotloop's article says its support team can help you recover access. In 2023 it listed the phone number 1-888-368-5667, with weekday and weekend hours (Dotloop). That number may have changed, so check Dotloop's support site first. The article doesn't say what proof support asks for or how long it takes. More in Lost the phone with your authenticator app?

Official Dotloop help

• Two-Factor Authentication (current version, loads only in a full web browser)
• Two-Factor Authentication (archived copy from March 20, 2023, used for this guide)