Phemex 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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Phemex is a crypto exchange. Its help center says "Google Authenticator" and calls the setup "binding", but its FAQ says any TOTP authenticator app works the same way (Phemex). What to plan for is backup: Phemex has no backup codes. The setup key it shows, the Google Key or Secret Key, is your only quick way back in after losing your phone.
Two-factor authentication (2FA) isn't required to sign in, but Phemex says you need it to withdraw and for some security-sensitive actions (Phemex). Phemex also supports passkeys, covered below. This guide uses Authenticator App - Novaz on iPhone. Any authenticator app works the same way.
How we checked this guide: the Phemex steps come from Phemex's own help center pages, linked below, which we read on October 21, 2026. We haven't tested them on a Phemex account, so a label may differ slightly. The Novaz steps are checked against the app, version 1.0.5.
Turn on 2FA with an authenticator app
On the Phemex website, Phemex's help describes these steps (Phemex):
- Sign in at phemex.com, hover over your profile icon at the top right, and click Account & Security.
- Find Google Authenticator and click Bind. Phemex shows a QR code and the Google Key.
- Save the Google Key somewhere safe away from your phone (see below).
- In Novaz, tap +, then Scan QR code, and point the camera at the QR code. If you can't scan it, tap +, then Enter key manually, and type the Google Key as the Setup key. See What is a 2FA setup key?
- Type the current 6-digit code from Novaz into the verification field and click Confirm.
- Phemex emails you a verification code. Enter it and click Confirm. 2FA is now on.
Phemex codes have 6 digits and change every 30 seconds, so typing the key works fine in Novaz.
In the Phemex app on your iPhone
The Phemex app shows only the Secret Key, not a QR code (Phemex):
- Tap your profile icon, then Account & Security.
- Tap Bind next to Google Authenticator.
- Tap the Secret Key to copy it, and save a copy somewhere safe.
- In Novaz, tap +, then Enter key manually, type Phemex as the Service, and paste the key into Setup key.
- Back in the Phemex app, enter the code from Novaz and tap Confirm, then enter the email code and tap Confirm again.
Other Phemex pages call the settings area Personal Center > Security, so menu names may differ.
Save the Google Key: Phemex has no backup codes
Phemex says the Secret Key can't be shown again after you leave the binding screen. Without it, a locked account needs a manual identity check of up to 24 hours (Phemex).
Unless you turn on Novaz's iCloud backup or export a backup file, its keys exist only on your iPhone, so the saved key is your safety net. Keep it in a password manager or on paper, not only on that phone. With it, you can add Phemex to Novaz again on any iPhone through Enter key manually.
When Phemex asks for a code
Phemex lists sign-in, withdrawals, security changes and creating API keys as places the code is needed (Phemex). A withdrawal asks for both the authenticator code and an email code (Phemex). Changing your anti-phishing code also asks for a 2FA code (Phemex).
With a passkey, you can sign in and withdraw without the two codes, though Phemex says larger withdrawals still need them (Phemex, Phemex).
If Phemex rejects your code
Phemex's advice (Phemex):
- Check you're reading the Phemex entry in Novaz, not another account's code.
- Sync the clock: Settings > General > Date & Time > Set Automatically. If it's already on, Phemex suggests turning it off and on again. Novaz also warns when the clock is 15 seconds or more off.
- Don't type a code that's about to change.
- Restart your phone, or clear your browser's cache and cookies.
If nothing helps, Phemex suggests rebinding through its reset process (below). More causes are in Authenticator code not working?
Changing phones
Phemex describes two ways. If you saved the Google Key, add it to the authenticator on the new phone (Phemex). Or, while you can still sign in, click Disable in Account Security, then Confirm, and bind a new authenticator right away (Phemex). Disabling or resetting the authenticator blocks withdrawals for 24 hours (Phemex).
With Novaz, a backup also works: restore your accounts on the new iPhone from iCloud backup or a backup file, and the Phemex codes keep working. See How to transfer your authenticator app to a new iPhone.
If you lose your authenticator
First look for your saved Google Key. If you have it, add it to Novaz again and you're back in. If you don't, Phemex has a reset process (Phemex):
- If you're locked out, start signing in as usual and, at the code prompt, click Need to reset Google Authenticator?. If you can still sign in, go to the security page and click Reset in the Google Authenticator row, then Confirm Reset.
- Enter the code Phemex emails you, then answer the questions on the next page.
- Depending on your answers, Phemex turns off 2FA right away or sends the request to manual review.
Manual review needs photos of both sides of an ID document and a video of you holding it while reading a set sentence with the date and your account email, in English if you can. Phemex says it reviews within 24 hours, emails the result, and may ask extra questions. Its support address is support@phemex.com.
After the reset, bind a new authenticator straight away and save the new key. Expect withdrawals to be paused for 24 hours. More in Lost the phone with your authenticator app?
