River 2FA: how to switch to an authenticator app
By the Novaz team · Updated October 29, 2026
Novaz steps checked against version 1.0.5
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River is the bitcoin platform where you buy, sell, send and hold bitcoin and keep cash. Two-factor authentication (2FA) isn't optional there: "River requires that all clients have two-factor authentication" (River). Every account starts on text-message codes sent to the phone number on file. The other choice is an authenticator app, which River recommends over SMS (River). So on River you don't turn 2FA on, you switch its method. This guide uses Authenticator App - Novaz on iPhone for the app side, but any authenticator app works the same way.
How we checked this guide: the River steps come from River's own help center, linked below, which we read on October 21, 2026. River's help pages block automated browsers, so we read the same articles through the help center's public article feed. We haven't tested the steps on a River account, so a label may differ slightly. The Novaz steps are checked against the app, version 1.0.5.
Before you switch: the three-day hold
Changing your 2FA method starts a protection period. For three days, River blocks bitcoin sends, the creation of new River Links, and creating or editing automatic withdrawals (River). If you have a send or a withdrawal to set up soon, do it first, then switch.
Switch to an authenticator app
River describes these steps (River):
- On river.com, click Profile & Settings in the bottom-left corner of the homepage. In the River app, tap your profile icon in the upper-left corner, then scroll down and tap Security.
- Scroll down and click Two-factor authentication method.
- Select Authenticator app and click Continue.
- River texts a code to the phone number on your account. Enter it and click Verify. You need that phone for this step.
- Click I understand to accept the protection period.
- River shows a QR code. In Novaz, tap +, then Scan QR code, and point the camera at it. If you're setting this up in the River app on the same iPhone, take a screenshot of the code, then tap + and Choose a photo. See scanning a QR code on the same iPhone.
- Type the code Novaz shows into River to finish. River then shows that your authenticator app is connected.
River's article only describes scanning. It doesn't mention a text key you could type instead, and it doesn't say how many digits the codes have or how often they change. Scanning the QR code carries those settings to Novaz, so scan it if you can. If River does show a key, use + > Enter key manually and paste it as the Setup key (What is a 2FA setup key?).
River's pages don't agree on the name of the app menu. Its steps say Security, while the same article's text-message section, and River's password article, call it Security & Privacy, with an item named Two-factor authentication (River). Look for either.
When River asks for a code
River's help describes the two-factor code as part of logging in. On a new device there's an extra step: after your password and code, River emails you a verification link. Click it on the device you're signing in with, on a device you've already verified, or on one on the same network. A link opened on an unverified device on a different network won't work (River).
River says it will never text you to ask for your two-factor codes (River). Anyone asking for a Novaz code isn't River.
No backup codes
River's help doesn't mention backup or recovery codes. Its only documented way back in without your authenticator is Client Services (below). Keep the phone number and email on your account current: setup needs a text code, and new devices need an email link.
If River rejects your code
River's help has no advice for rejected authenticator codes. Check your iPhone's clock first: Settings > General > Date & Time > Set Automatically. Novaz warns you when the clock is 15 seconds or more off. See Authenticator code not working?
Changing phones
River doesn't describe moving an authenticator app to a new phone. With Novaz's iCloud backup or a backup file, you can restore River's codes on the new iPhone without setting it up again. Without one, plan to add River again on the new one. Keep the old phone until River works on the new one. If you can't set River up on the new phone while still signed in, ask Client Services at support@river.com before you wipe the old phone. River's help doesn't say whether setting up the app again counts as a method change that restarts the three-day hold. See How to transfer your authenticator app to a new iPhone.
If you lose your authenticator
Email support@river.com. River's Client Services team resets your two-factor method (River). You can also call (888) 801-2586, Monday through Friday, 9:00 AM to 8:00 PM ET (River). River doesn't say what proof it asks for or how long a reset takes. See Lost the phone with your authenticator app?
Turning 2FA off
You can't. River requires two-factor authentication for every client, so the only choice is which method you use, and you change it under Two-factor authentication method (River). If you go back to text messages, the codes go to your number on file. To compare the two, see Authenticator app vs SMS.
