SoCalGas 2FA: how to set up an authenticator app for My Account

SoCalGas, the trading name of Southern California Gas Company, runs My Account, the online profile where you pay your gas bill, link bill accounts and schedule service. My Account has 2-factor authentication (2FA) with two choices for the code: an authenticator app or a text message to a U.S. mobile number (SoCalGas). SoCalGas describes turning it on, so it reads as an option you pick rather than a rule, and its help pages don't mention any backup codes.

This guide uses Authenticator App - Novaz on iPhone. Any authenticator app works the same way, and SoCalGas names Microsoft Authenticator and Google Authenticator only as examples.

How we checked this guide: the SoCalGas steps come from SoCalGas's own help pages, linked below, which we read on October 21, 2026. socalgas.com turned away our automated requests, so we read the pages in archived copies on web.archive.org, saved between April and September 2026. We haven't tested them on a SoCalGas 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

SoCalGas gives the path in a few lines and leaves the rest to on-screen prompts (SoCalGas, SoCalGas):

1. Sign in to My Account and open Log In and Security. Another help answer reaches the same page through Account Settings, then Login and Security under Online Profile, then Manage, so the wording you see may differ a little.
2. Next to Authenticator App, select Turn On.
3. Follow the prompts. SoCalGas's pages don't show the setup screen, but authenticator setups normally show a QR code. In Novaz, tap +, then Scan QR code, and point the camera at it. If you're setting this up on the iPhone that has Novaz, take a screenshot and use Choose a photo instead. See scanning a QR code on the same iPhone.
4. If the screen offers a text key instead, tap +, then Enter key manually in Novaz, type a name such as SoCalGas under Service, and paste the key into Setup key. SoCalGas doesn't say whether it shows a key or what it calls one. See What is a 2FA setup key?
5. Type the code Novaz shows into My Account to finish.

SoCalGas says its codes change about every 30 seconds, which matches what Novaz uses for a typed key. Scanning is still the safer route, because a QR code carries the exact settings.

SoCalGas also points out that the app maker never gets your account details: it "does not share your account information with authenticator apps" (SoCalGas).

No backup codes in the help pages

Neither SoCalGas page mentions backup or recovery codes. The only safeguards it lists are remembering your password, keeping your 2FA mobile number current and keeping the phone with your authenticator app safe (SoCalGas).

Novaz's keys stay on your iPhone unless you turn on iCloud backup or export a backup file. If the setup screen does offer recovery codes, save them away from the phone. If it doesn't, the text-message method may be your second way in. SoCalGas says you can choose your preferred method, but it doesn't say whether both can be on at once, so check what Log In and Security lets you do after setup. Authenticator app vs. SMS covers the trade-off.

When My Account asks for a code

You need the code when you sign in from a device My Account doesn't recognize. If you tick Remember this device, that device usually skips the code later. SoCalGas lists four cases where it may still ask: a new device or browser, cleared cookies or cache, coming back after some time away, and activity that looks unusual (SoCalGas).

If SoCalGas rejects your code

SoCalGas's pages don't cover rejected codes. The usual cause is the phone's clock. On iPhone, go to Settings > General > Date & Time and turn on Set Automatically. Novaz warns you when the clock is 15 seconds or more off. More causes are in Authenticator code not working?

Too many failed attempts can lock My Account. SoCalGas says a locked account needs a call to restore access, so stop after a few tries and fix the clock first (SoCalGas).

Changing phones

SoCalGas doesn't describe moving the authenticator to a new phone. With Novaz's iCloud backup or a backup file, you can restore your accounts on the new iPhone and the codes keep working. Without one, while you still have the old phone, sign in, go to Log In and Security, and use the option to manage your 2FA preferences to set the app up again on the new iPhone (SoCalGas). See How to transfer your authenticator app to a new iPhone.

If you lose your authenticator

SoCalGas has no help page about a lost authenticator. If you also set up text messages, try that method at sign-in. If you can't get in, the help center's answer for locked accounts is to call Customer Service at 1-877-238-0092, Monday to Friday 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. and Saturday 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. (SoCalGas). SoCalGas doesn't say what proof it asks for or how long restoring access takes. More in Lost the phone with your authenticator app?

Turning 2FA off

SoCalGas doesn't spell out how to turn 2FA off. It says you can update your preferences at any time, through Edit on the Login and Security page (SoCalGas). After you change methods, remove the old entry in Novaz: open it and tap Remove account.

Official SoCalGas help

• What is 2-factor authentication (2FA)?
• Help Center (the "2-Factor Authentication (2FA) FAQ's" and "Locked Account & Security" answers)