Tweakers 2FA: how to set up an authenticator app

Tweakers is the Dutch tech site with the Pricewatch, the forum (Gathering of Tweakers) and the Vraag & Aanbod classifieds. Its two-factor authentication (2FA) has one method only: codes from an authenticator app. Tweakers chose not to offer SMS or email codes, because it considers them not secure enough (Tweakers). 2FA is optional, but Tweakers strongly recommends it, partly because a taken-over account can be used to scam other members in Vraag & Aanbod.

This guide uses Authenticator App - Novaz on iPhone. Any authenticator app works the same way, since Tweakers uses standard time-based codes.

How we checked this guide: the Tweakers steps come from Tweakers' own announcement on its .plan blog and replies from Tweakers crew members below it, linked below, which we read on October 21, 2026. We haven't tested them on a Tweakers account, so a label may differ slightly. The Novaz steps are checked against the app, version 1.0.5.

Before you start

Tweakers has no separate help article for 2FA. The main official source is the post from April 28, 2021 that launched the feature, written in Dutch. The site itself is in Dutch too, so the labels you see on Tweakers will be Dutch. The setting is called Tweefactorauthenticatie, and the recovery codes are called herstelcodes.

Turn on 2FA with an authenticator app

Tweakers describes the setup in a few short steps, and its crew filled in the rest (Tweakers):

1. Sign in to Tweakers, then open the 2FA settings page at tweakers.net/instellingen/tweefactorauthenticatie. You can also find Tweefactorauthenticatie on your settings page. The address only works while you're signed in.
2. Pick an authenticator app. Tweakers names a few examples, but any app that makes time-based codes works.
3. Follow the steps on Tweakers and in your app. Tweakers' post doesn't show the setup screen, but the usual way in is a QR code: in Novaz, tap +, then Scan QR code, and point the camera at it. If the code is on the same iPhone, take a screenshot, tap +, then Choose a photo. See scanning a QR code on the same iPhone.
4. Finish by entering a code from Novaz together with your Tweakers password. A Tweakers crew member explained that 2FA isn't fully on until you complete this step (Tweakers).
5. Save your recovery codes somewhere safe.

The announcement doesn't say whether Tweakers shows a QR code, a text key or both. If you get a key, or would rather type it, tap +, then Enter key manually in Novaz, and paste it into Setup key. Tweakers' codes are 6 digits and change every 30 seconds, which matches what Novaz uses for a typed key. See What is a 2FA setup key?

When you turn on 2FA, Tweakers signs out all your other sessions for you, so you don't have to do that yourself (Tweakers). Expect to sign in again on your other devices.

Keep your recovery codes

Tweakers gives you recovery codes during setup and stresses that you'll need them to get into your account if you lose access to your authenticator app. A crew member added that the codes let you reset the authenticator yourself (Tweakers).

Keep them even if you back up Novaz: without an iCloud backup or backup file, or with one that's out of date, they're your way back in. Store the codes away from that phone, on paper or in a password manager. More in 2FA backup codes.

Signing in

After setup, Tweakers asks for your password and a code from your app when you sign in. The Tweakers pages we read don't say whether you can skip the code on a trusted device. The sign-in page does have its own options, such as how long a session lasts, which affect how often you sign in (Tweakers).

If Tweakers rejects your code

Tweakers doesn't publish advice on rejected codes. Time-based codes depend on your phone's clock, so check it first: Settings > General > Date & Time > Set Automatically. Novaz warns you when the clock is 15 seconds or more off. Also make sure you're typing the newest code, not one that's about to expire. Other causes are in Authenticator code not working?

Changing phones

Tweakers doesn't describe a way to move 2FA to a new phone. A Novaz iCloud backup or backup file lets you restore your accounts on the new iPhone; without one, plan on adding Tweakers to the new phone from scratch while you still have the old one or your recovery codes. See How to transfer your authenticator app to a new iPhone.

If you lose your authenticator

Use one of your recovery codes. That's the route Tweakers itself points to.

Without them, Tweakers' pages don't describe a recovery process, what proof it asks for, or how long it takes. The only lead we found is Tweakers' contact page, which lists gathering@tweakers.net, or the forum, for account questions (Tweakers). It doesn't mention 2FA specifically. See also Lost the phone with your authenticator app?

Official Tweakers pages

• Tweefactorauthenticatie vanaf vandaag beschikbaar op Tweakers (.plan, April 28, 2021, including crew replies)
• Over Tweakers - Contact
• Inloggen - Tweakers