Independent Reserve 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
Independent Reserve is a cryptocurrency exchange for customers in Australia, New Zealand and Singapore. On an exchange account, two-factor authentication (2FA) guards more than the login: once it's on, Independent Reserve asks for a code from your authenticator app when you sign in, when you withdraw, and for other actions it treats as security sensitive (Independent Reserve). It isn't compulsory, but the exchange strongly recommends it to every account holder (Independent Reserve).
Independent Reserve's pages are written around Google Authenticator, but its own FAQ says other authenticator apps also work in its testing, while it still names Google's app as the official one. This guide uses Authenticator App - Novaz on iPhone. Any app that makes time-based codes follows the same steps.
How we checked this guide: the Independent Reserve steps come from Independent Reserve's own knowledge base article and help pages, linked below, which we read on October 21, 2026. The knowledge base article was last updated on September 17, 2025. We haven't tested the steps on an Independent Reserve account, so a label may differ slightly. The trouble logging in page on Independent Reserve's portal asked us to verify we were human, so we couldn't read it. The Novaz steps are checked against the app, version 1.0.5.
The app comes first, SMS second
Independent Reserve treats the authenticator app as its main 2FA method. Text messages exist only as a fallback, and a narrow one (Independent Reserve, Independent Reserve):
- On the website's login screen, you can choose an SMS code instead, sent to your primary or secondary phone number.
- For everything else that asks for a code, such as withdrawals, only the authenticator app works.
- In the Independent Reserve mobile app, SMS isn't offered at all. You need the authenticator app to sign in there.
So set up the app even if you're happy with text messages. For why codes from an app are the stronger choice, see Authenticator app vs SMS.
Turn on 2FA with an authenticator app
The steps from Independent Reserve's knowledge base (Independent Reserve):
- Log in to your Independent Reserve account on the website.
- Click your Username, then Settings.
- Open the Security tab and scroll down to Two-Factor Authentication.
- Switch the Google Authenticator code toggle from Off to On. A pop-up with a QR code opens.
- In Novaz, tap +, then Scan QR code, and point the camera at the QR code. If you're on the same iPhone, take a screenshot, tap +, then Choose a photo. See scanning a QR code on the same iPhone.
- Novaz adds the account, shown as Independent Reserve with your username. Type its current 6-digit code into the box that asks for the code from your authenticator app.
- Enter your Independent Reserve password in the Password field below it, then press Enable.
The knowledge base article doesn't mention a text key you can type instead of scanning. If the pop-up does show one, tap +, then Enter key manually in Novaz, and paste it into Setup key. See What is a 2FA setup key? Independent Reserve says its codes change every 30 seconds, which matches what Novaz uses for typed keys.
Type the code as one run of digits, without spaces (Independent Reserve).
No backup codes: your email and phone numbers are the safety net
Independent Reserve's pages don't mention backup or recovery codes. Instead, the exchange uses the contact details on your account to prove who you are if 2FA fails. It verifies your email address and asks for a primary phone number that can receive SMS. You can add a secondary number too, and Independent Reserve suggests a trusted friend's or relative's if you don't have a second phone of your own (Independent Reserve).
The getting started page is blunt about the email address: if you can't pass 2FA and can't prove the email is yours, you lose access to the account. Keep those details current before you rely on the app.
If the phone is lost and you have no Novaz backup (iCloud backup or a backup file) to restore, those contact details are your only way back in.
If Independent Reserve rejects your code
Independent Reserve says the usual cause is a phone clock that's off, including a wrong time zone. The time has to be within a few seconds of the real time. It also reminds you to use the code for Independent Reserve, not another account in the same app (Independent Reserve).
On iPhone, open Settings > General > Date & Time and turn on Set Automatically. Novaz warns you when your clock is 15 seconds or more off. If codes still fail, the exchange asks you to contact its support. Other causes are in Authenticator code not working?
If you lose your phone
Independent Reserve's answer is short: email support@independentreserve.com and it will help (Independent Reserve). Its FAQ also points existing clients who can't log in to a trouble logging in page on its portal as the fastest route (Independent Reserve). Expect to be identified through your verified email address and an SMS code to one of your phone numbers (Independent Reserve). Independent Reserve doesn't say how long recovery takes.
On the website, you may still be able to log in with an SMS code while you sort this out. Withdrawals will still need the authenticator app. More in Lost the phone with your authenticator app?
Changing phones or turning 2FA off
Independent Reserve doesn't describe moving 2FA to a new phone. The one rule it does give: after you turn off the Google Authenticator code, withdrawals stay blocked for 72 hours. If you need to withdraw sooner, you have to ask support (Independent Reserve).
So if you switch phones by turning 2FA off and on again with the new iPhone, plan for that pause. Do it while you still have the old phone, and not right before a withdrawal. A Novaz iCloud backup or backup file avoids the pause: restore your accounts on the new iPhone and the codes keep working. Without one, you'll scan a new QR code on the new one. See How to transfer your authenticator app to a new iPhone.
