Groups.io 2FA: how to set up an authenticator app

Your Groups.io account covers every mailing list and community group you've joined there. Its two-factor authentication (2FA) uses an authenticator app, with one catch: it only works with a password login. Turning it on also switches off three other ways to sign in (Groups.io). This guide uses Authenticator App - Novaz on iPhone. Any authenticator app works the same way.

How we checked this guide: the Groups.io steps come from Groups.io's own help center (its members and owners manuals), linked below, which we read on October 21, 2026. We haven't tested them on a Groups.io account, so a label may differ slightly. The Novaz steps are checked against the app, version 1.0.5.

Before you start: you need a password

Many members never set a password and sign in with an emailed link, a passkey, or Facebook or Google (Groups.io). 2FA is only for accounts that sign in with an email address and password. Once it's on, the help center says you can no longer sign in through Google or Facebook, or with an emailed login link (Groups.io).

So, if you don't have a password yet:

1. Open your account settings and select Login.
2. Type a password of at least 6 characters in New Password, then choose Set Password (Groups.io).

If you're signed in through Facebook or Google, log out and sign back in with your email and password first.

Do you have to turn it on?

Not by default, but a group's owner can require it with the Two-Factor Authentication Policy setting, for moderators and owners only or for all members. When you visit the website of a group that requires it, Groups.io sends you to a page where you can set up 2FA or leave the group. The rule is only enforced on the group's website, and subgroups follow their parent group (Groups.io). Owners have to turn on 2FA for their own account before they can change this setting.

Turn on 2FA with an authenticator app

These steps follow the members manual (Groups.io):

1. Go to your account settings at groups.io/settings. In a desktop browser, choose Security in the left menu. On a phone, tap the More icon at the bottom, then Security.
2. In the Two-Factor Authentication panel, choose Set Up Two-Factor Authentication.
3. In the Enable Two-Factor popup, type your Groups.io password and choose Enable.
4. Follow the instructions on the next page to add Groups.io to your app. In Novaz, tap +, then Scan QR code, and point the camera at the code. If the code is on the same iPhone, take a screenshot and use Choose a photo instead. See scanning a QR code on the same iPhone.
5. Type the security code from Novaz and choose Validate.
6. Back on the Security page, choose View your recovery codes and save the list.

The help center doesn't describe what that setup page shows or whether there's a text key. If you find one and can't scan, tap +, then Enter key manually in Novaz, and paste it as the Setup key. See What is a 2FA setup key?

Save the recovery codes

Groups.io's help is direct about why they matter: if you lose access to your device, a recovery code is how you get back into your account (Groups.io). Without a Novaz backup (iCloud backup or a backup file), Novaz's keys stay on that one iPhone, so the codes are what's left if it's gone. Keep them off your phone, on paper or in a password manager. The help center doesn't say how many codes you get or how to make new ones. See 2FA backup codes.

If Groups.io rejects your code

Groups.io's help doesn't cover rejected codes. Check the iPhone's clock first: open Settings > General > Date & Time and turn on Set Automatically. Novaz also warns you when your clock is 15 seconds or more off. Other causes are in Authenticator code not working?

Changing phones

The help center doesn't describe moving 2FA to a new phone. One route it does support: turn 2FA off on the Security page, then set it up again with the new phone, all while you can still sign in. Keep the old phone until then. If you use Novaz's iCloud backup or a backup file, you can instead restore your accounts on the new iPhone. See How to transfer your authenticator app to a new iPhone.

If you lose your authenticator

Sign in with one of your recovery codes. If you've lost both the app and the codes, for example after a phone was reset to factory settings, Groups.io says you have to contact Groups.io Support to get back in (Groups.io). The help page's link writes to support@groups.io with the subject "2FA issue". It doesn't say what proof Support asks for or how long it takes. More in Lost the phone with your authenticator app?

Turning 2FA off

On the Security page, choose Disable two-factor authentication. In the Verify Disable Two-Factor popup, type your password and choose Disable. A green banner confirms it (Groups.io).

Two things can stand in the way. You can't turn it off while you belong to a group that requires 2FA (Groups.io). And you can't delete your password while 2FA is on, so turn 2FA off first if you want to go back to emailed login links (Groups.io). After that, remove Groups.io from Novaz: open the account and tap Remove account.

Official Groups.io help

• Setting up or disabling 2FA
• Logging in to your account
• Setting, changing, or deleting your password
• Privacy and security settings (Group Owners Manual)