Wealthfront 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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Wealthfront runs investment and cash accounts, so its login guards real money. Unlike most services, it doesn't treat two-factor authentication (2FA) as optional. Its help center says "two-factor authentication is required and cannot be disabled" (Wealthfront). What you choose is the second step: a texted code or an authenticator app. This guide covers the app. It uses Authenticator App - Novaz on iPhone, but any authenticator app works the same way.
How we checked this guide: the Wealthfront steps come from Wealthfront's own help center articles, linked below, which we read on October 21, 2026. The article pages refused plain automated requests and no archived copy could be reached that day, so we read the same articles through the help center's public article feed on support.wealthfront.com. We haven't tested them on a Wealthfront account, so a label may differ slightly. The Novaz steps are checked against the app, version 1.0.5.
Text message or app
Wealthfront's 2FA article lists two kinds of code: one texted to your mobile number, or one made by an authenticator app, and it names Google Authenticator and Duo as examples (Wealthfront). Its page on checking-account security still describes the texted code for new devices (Wealthfront). An app code doesn't depend on your phone number or your carrier, which is the main reason to switch. See authenticator app vs. SMS.
Wealthfront also supports passkeys, which you can add under your profile, Security, then Passkeys. A passkey is optional and replaces both the password and the code at sign-in. Wealthfront says you can keep signing in with a password and verification code even after you create one (Wealthfront).
Set up an authenticator app
Wealthfront's article calls this "enable or update" because every account already has 2FA. You can start from the app or the website (Wealthfront):
- In the Wealthfront mobile app: sign in, tap the person icon, then Security, then Two-factor authentication.
- On the website: go to your profile and select Settings, then Two-factor Verification, then Enable two-factor verification. The article's screenshots date from 2021, and Wealthfront's newer pages call the settings area Security, so the website labels may differ a little.
- Pick the authenticator app option and follow Wealthfront's prompts.
Wealthfront's help doesn't describe the setup screen itself, so it doesn't say whether you get a QR code, a text key, or both. Here's how to add either one to Novaz:
- QR code: in Novaz, tap +, then Scan QR code, and point the camera at it. If you're setting up in the Wealthfront app on the same iPhone, take a screenshot, tap +, then Choose a photo. See scanning a QR code on the same iPhone.
- Text key: tap +, then Enter key manually. Type Wealthfront under Service, your email under Account if you like, and the key under Setup key. See What is a 2FA setup key?
Then type the Novaz code into Wealthfront.
Save your backup codes
Wealthfront offers backup codes you can type in when you can't use your 2FA device. To get them, open Settings, tap Security, and scroll down to Backup Codes (Wealthfront). Its help doesn't say how many codes you get or whether each one works only once.
Save them right after you switch to Novaz. Unless you've turned on iCloud backup or exported a backup file in Novaz, its keys exist only on that iPhone, so these codes are your way in if the phone is lost. Keep them in a password manager or on paper, away from the phone. See 2FA backup codes.
When Wealthfront asks for a code
Not at every sign-in. If you check Remember this device before you sign in, Wealthfront treats it as a trusted device and skips the code there (Wealthfront). Its checking-security page adds that you're asked again on a new device and, as a precaution, every six months (Wealthfront).
Linking budgeting and tax apps
Because 2FA is always on, other apps can't link to Wealthfront with your real password. Wealthfront blocks that and asks you to make an app-specific password instead: click your name at the top right, go to Security, and under Connected apps select + Generate an app specific password. The other app then gets read-only access, and you can delete the password there later (Wealthfront).
If Wealthfront rejects your code
Wealthfront's help doesn't cover rejected app codes. Check the iPhone's clock first: 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?
Moving to a new iPhone
Wealthfront doesn't document a phone change. The safe order is to update your method in the settings above while the old phone still works. With a Novaz iCloud backup or backup file, you restore your accounts on the new iPhone and the Wealthfront codes keep working. Without one, the new phone needs a fresh setup. See How to transfer your authenticator app to a new iPhone.
If you lose your authenticator
At sign-in, Wealthfront lets you enter a saved backup code instead. If that doesn't work, or you never saved any, its help says to send a message through the Contact Page and explain what happened (Wealthfront). Wealthfront doesn't say what proof of identity it asks for or how long recovery takes. More in Lost the phone with your authenticator app?
