Names.co.uk 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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Names.co.uk, also known as Namesco and now part of team.blue, runs your domains, hosting, email and billing from one place: the Online Control Panel. Two-factor authentication (2FA) for that panel is optional, but the company advises turning it on. It works with one method only, a code from an authenticator app, which you'll then need every time you log in (Names.co.uk).
Two things set Names.co.uk apart. Its setup screen shows the secret key once and never again, and its help pages describe no backup codes. If you lose the app, the way back in is a phone call to Customer Care. This guide uses Authenticator App - Novaz on iPhone, but any authenticator app works the same way.
How we checked this guide: the Names.co.uk steps come from Names.co.uk's own support articles and the screenshots in them, linked below, which we read on October 21, 2026. We haven't tested them on a Names.co.uk account, so a label may differ slightly. The Novaz steps are checked against the app, version 1.0.5.
Before you start: log in as the account holder
The setting sits under the Account tab, and a Site Admin login doesn't show that tab. Site Admin logins are the limited ones you give a web developer. To see Account, log in with the main account email address or with your account reference as the username (Names.co.uk).
Turn on 2FA with an authenticator app
Names.co.uk describes these steps (Names.co.uk):
- Go to names.co.uk, choose Log in at the top right, and sign in to the Online Control Panel.
- Open the Account tab and choose Two-Factor Authentication from the menu.
- Click Setup authentication, or click the toggle that reads Disabled.
- The Enable Two-Factor Authentication page lists three steps. Under Get verification code you'll see a QR code and, beside it, a Secret key.
- In Novaz, tap +, then Scan QR code, and point the camera at the QR code. If the page is open on the same iPhone, take a screenshot and use Choose a photo instead. See scanning a QR code on the same iPhone.
- If scanning doesn't work, tap +, then Enter key manually in Novaz. Type "Names.co.uk" as the Service and the secret key as the Setup key. See What is a 2FA setup key?
- Type the code from Novaz into the box under Enter verification code and click Enable authentication.
Back on the security page, the toggle now reads Enabled.
Save the secret key now
The setup page, as shown in the help article's screenshot, warns that the secret key won't be visible again once you finish, and it strongly recommends keeping the key in a secure password manager (Names.co.uk). That's the closest thing to a backup Names.co.uk offers. Its help articles don't mention backup or recovery codes at all.
This matters with Novaz if you haven't made a backup there: without iCloud backup or a backup file, its keys exist only on your iPhone. A saved secret key lets you add the account again on another phone without a support call. Treat it like a password: anyone who has it can make your codes.
If Names.co.uk rejects your code
The support articles don't cover rejected codes. Most often the iPhone's clock has drifted. Open Settings > General > Date & Time and turn on Set Automatically. Novaz also warns you when the clock is 15 seconds or more off. For other causes, see Authenticator code not working?
Moving to a new iPhone
Names.co.uk doesn't document a way to move the authenticator. If you use Novaz's iCloud backup or a backup file, restore your accounts on the new iPhone and the codes keep working. Without one, you have two options while you can still log in:
- If you saved the secret key, add it to Novaz on the new phone with Enter key manually.
- If you didn't, turn 2FA off (below), then set it up again with the new phone. That gives you a new QR code and a new key.
Keep the old phone until the new one shows working codes. More in How to transfer your authenticator app to a new iPhone.
If you lose your authenticator
Without the app and without a saved key, you can't finish logging in. The help article says to call the Customer Care team on 0345 363 3633. They will speak only with the named account holder, and only after full security checks. Then they can turn 2FA off for a while, so you can log in without it (Names.co.uk).
The article doesn't list which security questions they ask or how long the reset lasts. Once you're back in, set up 2FA again with your new phone. The support pages list phone and ticket hours as Monday to Friday, 8am to 5:30pm (Names.co.uk). More general advice is in Lost the phone with your authenticator app?
Turning 2FA off
Log in, open Account > Two-Factor Authentication, and click the toggle that reads Enabled. Names.co.uk shows a confirmation page, and Continue turns it off (Names.co.uk). When you're done with Novaz too, open the account there and tap Remove account.
