First Tech Federal Credit Union 2FA: how to set up an authenticator app

First Tech Federal Credit Union members sign in to Digital Banking on the web and in the First Tech App. Two-factor authentication there is optional. By default, First Tech sends you a one-time passcode by phone call, email or text when it needs to confirm it's you. You can switch that to an authenticator app on your phone, which First Tech says can be used in place of the passcode it sends (First Tech). Its security page also mentions a physical "hard token" (First Tech).

This guide uses Authenticator App - Novaz on iPhone. Any authenticator app works the same way.

How we checked this guide: the First Tech steps come from First Tech's own help pages, linked below, which we read on October 21, 2026. firsttechfed.com didn't respond to our automated requests, so we read the most recent archived copies on web.archive.org (from April to October 2026). We haven't tested the steps on a First Tech account, so a label may differ slightly. The Novaz steps are checked against the app, version 1.0.5.

A note on the name: First Tech has merged with Digital Federal Credit Union (DCU). The combined credit union keeps the name First Technology Federal Credit Union and, for now, runs First Tech and DCU as two separate divisions (First Tech). This guide covers First Tech Digital Banking only.

Turn on 2FA with an authenticator app

First Tech's how-to page walks through these steps (First Tech):

1. Sign in to Digital Banking. Click Accounts & Services, then Settings.
2. Select Security, then View Details under Authentication App.
3. First Tech shows a QR code and asks you to scan it with your authenticator app. 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.
4. Verify your identity when First Tech asks. Its page doesn't say how.
5. Type the code Novaz shows if First Tech asks for it. The current page leaves this out, but an older copy had you enter the app's code to finish.

First Tech says you can also type the code into your app by hand, but doesn't name it. Scan the QR code if you can, though. First Tech says these apps usually show a 6- or 8-digit code that changes every 30 seconds, and it doesn't say which length it uses. A QR code tells Novaz the right length. A key typed by hand in Novaz always makes 6-digit codes, which won't match if First Tech expects 8. If you have no choice, tap +, then Enter key manually, and paste the key as the Setup key. See What is a 2FA setup key?

Older labels

First Tech's security page describes an older version of the same setting. It uses Settings, the Security tab, the gear icon next to Tokens under Two-Factor Authentication, and then New Soft Token for a phone app (First Tech). Earlier copies of the how-to page used a 2FA APP setting with an Enroll button. If your screens look different from the steps above, look for one of these.

When First Tech asks for a code

Once the app is set up, First Tech's security page says you'll be asked for a 6-digit code along with your username and password when you sign in (First Tech). Asking First Tech to remember your phone cuts down the prompts, but its FAQ says it will still ask now and then as a security check (First Tech).

No backup codes mentioned

First Tech's pages don't mention backup or recovery codes. They also don't say whether the passcode by text, email or phone call stays available once an app is set up. Before you rely on the app, keep the phone number and email address on your account up to date, since those are how First Tech sends temporary passwords and passcodes. Unless you turn on iCloud backup or export a backup file in Novaz, its keys exist only on your iPhone, so plan for losing that phone.

If First Tech rejects your code

First Tech doesn't publish advice for rejected app codes. Check the iPhone's clock first: Settings > General > Date & Time > Set Automatically. Novaz warns you when the clock is 15 seconds or more off. If the clock is right and you typed the key by hand, the code length may be the problem. Setting the app up again with the QR code fixes that, but First Tech doesn't document how to redo the setup, so you may need its help. More causes are in Authenticator code not working?

Changing phones or losing your authenticator

First Tech's help doesn't describe how to move the app to a new phone, how to turn it off, or what to do if you lose it. With a Novaz iCloud backup or backup file, you can restore your accounts on the new iPhone; without one, a new phone means adding First Tech again. The likely place is the same Authentication App setting, while you can still sign in with the old phone, so keep it until the new one works. See How to transfer your authenticator app to a new iPhone.

If you've already lost the phone, contact First Tech. The number its FAQ gives for sign-in help and suspected fraud is 855.855.8805, and you can also visit a branch (First Tech). First Tech doesn't say what proof it asks for or how long a reset takes. More in Lost the phone with your authenticator app?

Official First Tech help

• Setting up a two-factor authentication app
• Preventing Security Issues
• Online Banking FAQ: Frequently Asked Questions