Taboola 2FA: how to set up an authenticator app for Realize and Backstage

Taboola has two kinds of logins. Advertisers sign in to Realize, the ad platform that replaced Taboola Ads and moved from ads.taboola.com to ads.realizeperformance.com (Taboola). Publishers sign in to Backstage to see revenue and manage placements. Both help centers carry the same two-factor article, so the steps below apply to either login.

The unusual part is where the setup happens. You don't look for a switch in your settings. Once your Taboola account or network uses two-factor authentication, Taboola walks every user through it during sign-in, and you pick one method: an email code, a text message, or an authenticator app (Taboola). Taboola's page names Google Authenticator, but it uses a standard QR code, so this guide uses Authenticator App - Novaz on iPhone instead. Any authenticator app works the same way.

How we checked this guide: the Taboola steps come from Taboola's own help pages and the screenshots in them, linked below, which we read on October 21, 2026. The Realize page loads normally. The Backstage page blocks automated access, so we read it through its help center's public article feed and checked it against an archived copy on web.archive.org from February 2026. We haven't tested the steps on a Taboola account, and the screenshots date from 2020, so a label may differ slightly today. The Novaz steps are checked against the app, version 1.0.5.

Is it optional?

Not once your account uses it. Taboola describes two-factor authentication as mandatory and says every user on the account has to complete the setup (Taboola). Its pages don't explain how an account gets switched over, or how to turn it off afterwards. If you run the account and have questions about that, ask your Account Manager or Taboola support.

Choose the authenticator app at sign-in

Taboola's article describes this flow (Taboola, Taboola):

1. Sign in with your email address and password, preferably on a computer.
2. On Check Your Email, type the code Taboola emailed you and select Verify. The emailed code stops working once used, or 5 minutes after it was sent.
3. Taboola then offers three tabs: Email Message, Text Message and Mobile App. Select Mobile App.
4. A QR code appears. In Novaz, tap +, then Scan QR code, and point the camera at the screen. If you're signing in on the same iPhone, take a screenshot and use Choose a photo instead. See scanning a QR code on the same iPhone.
5. Type the 6-digit code Novaz shows into the Code: field and select Save.

Taboola's instructions and screenshots show only the QR code. They don't mention a text key you could type instead, so plan to scan.

Codes that change every minute

Taboola's article says the code in your app changes once a minute, not every 30 seconds as with most services. That's one more reason to scan rather than look for a key: a QR code tells Novaz which interval to use, while a key typed by hand always gets 30 seconds. After scanning, tap the Taboola entry in Novaz and check Interval under Details. If the codes still don't match what Taboola expects, see the next sections.

When Taboola asks for a code

You won't see the prompt at every sign-in. Taboola asks on a device or browser that has never signed in successfully before, and when a sign-in looks suspicious. The screen is called 2 Step Verification. Type the code under Enter Code: and select Verify.

The same screen has a Trust this computer checkbox. Taboola suggests ticking it only on your own device, so that device skips the code next time (Taboola).

Each login can have only one verification method: one email address, one phone number or one authenticator app. Taboola advises against several people sharing a single login for that reason. If a colleague needs access, ask for their own user rather than sharing your code.

If Taboola rejects your code

The verification screen in Taboola's screenshots points you to support@taboola.com for problems with the code. Before writing to them, check your iPhone's clock: Settings > General > Date & Time > Set Automatically. Novaz warns you when the clock is 15 seconds or more off. More causes are in Authenticator code not working?

No backup codes

Neither help page mentions backup or recovery codes, a way to switch from the app to email or text yourself, or a way to move the setup to a new phone. In Novaz, iCloud backup or a backup file lets you restore your accounts on a new iPhone with the same codes. Without one, if you replace your phone, contact Taboola while you can still sign in with the old one. See How to transfer your authenticator app to a new iPhone.

If you lose your authenticator

Taboola doesn't document a self-service recovery. The documented route is Taboola support: the verification screen lists support@taboola.com, and Realize users can also reach their Account Manager or the live chat inside Realize (Taboola). Taboola doesn't say what proof it asks for or how long a reset takes. Write from the email address on your login, and name the account you work on.

General steps are in Lost the phone with your authenticator app?

Official Taboola help

• Two Factor Authentication (Realize Help Center)
• Two Factor Authentication (Taboola Publisher Help Center)
• Account Administration
• Taboola Ads to Realize: What's New?