Wealthsimple 2FA: how to set up an authenticator app

Your Wealthsimple account is where you trade, send money and hold crypto, so it guards real money. That's why two-factor authentication (2FA) isn't optional there: Wealthsimple says it's required for all accounts, and there's no way to turn it off (Wealthsimple). What you can choose is where your codes come from: an authenticator app, or a phone number that gets a text message or an automated call. Codes by email are being phased out. This guide uses Authenticator App - Novaz on iPhone, but any authenticator app works the same way.

How we checked this guide: the Wealthsimple steps come from Wealthsimple's own help center, linked below, which we read on October 21, 2026. The help center's web pages block automated readers, so we read the same articles through its public article feed on help.wealthsimple.com. We haven't tested the steps on a Wealthsimple account, so a label may differ slightly. The Novaz steps are checked against the app, version 1.0.5.

Switch to an authenticator app

Because 2FA is already on, you don't turn it on. You change the method. Wealthsimple describes two routes (Wealthsimple).

In the Wealthsimple app:

1. Tap the Profile icon in the top-right corner.
2. Tap the Settings (gear) icon in the top-right corner.
3. Tap Security, then Two-factor authentication. Your method in use now is marked Current.
4. Tap the authenticator app option and follow the prompts.

On the web, at my.wealthsimple.com:

1. Open the Profile menu in the bottom-left corner and select Settings.
2. Select the Two-factor authentication tab.
3. Choose the authenticator app option and follow the prompts.

Wealthsimple's help says to click through the Continue prompts until it shows your unique code, then copy that code into your authenticator app. That code is a setup key, not a sign-in code. Its help doesn't mention a QR code. To add it to Novaz:

1. Copy the key from Wealthsimple.
2. In Novaz, tap +, then Enter key manually.
3. Fill in Service, optionally Account, and paste the key into Setup key. See What is a 2FA setup key?
4. Enter the 6-digit code Novaz shows when Wealthsimple asks for it.

If Wealthsimple does show you a QR code, you can scan it instead: tap +, then Scan QR code. Its help says the codes usually change every 30 seconds, which matches what Novaz makes from a typed key.

Write down your recovery code

When you set up 2FA, Wealthsimple shows you one recovery code, not a list. Write it down and keep it away from your phone. To use it, sign in at my.wealthsimple.com in a web browser, choose Log in, then Use a recovery code, and set up a new method afterwards (Wealthsimple).

To get a new one in the app, go to Settings > Security > Two-factor authentication and tap Get a new code. Keep it even if you back up Novaz: if the phone is gone and there's no Novaz backup to restore, this code gets you in. More in 2FA backup codes.

When Wealthsimple asks for a code

Mostly when you sign in on a device Wealthsimple doesn't recognize, though it says you should be ready for a code any time. On the web you can choose Remember this device for 30 days, and the app's Quick access uses face or fingerprint recognition, or a passcode, instead (Wealthsimple).

If you add a passkey, it covers both the password and the code. Your authenticator app then stays on the account for recovery (Wealthsimple). You need a text-message or authenticator-app method before you can add a passkey.

Some sensitive actions, like moving money, can ask for a separate 6-digit code by email or phone (Wealthsimple). That code doesn't come from your authenticator app.

If Wealthsimple rejects your code

Wealthsimple gives two tips: type the code before the countdown runs out, and make sure your phone's date and time are set automatically (Wealthsimple). On iPhone, that's Settings > General > Date & Time > Set Automatically. Novaz warns you when the clock is 15 seconds or more off. Other causes are in Authenticator code not working?

Changing phones

The help center doesn't describe moving the authenticator to a new phone while you're signed in; the settings steps only switch between methods. Its reset article lists a new authenticator app as one reason to reset (below). With a Novaz iCloud backup or backup file, you can restore your accounts on the new iPhone and keep the same codes. Either way, keep the old phone until Wealthsimple accepts a code from the new one. See How to transfer your authenticator app to a new iPhone.

If you lose your authenticator

Try your recovery code first. Without it, you reset 2FA by verifying your identity with Wealthsimple's partner, Persona (Wealthsimple):

1. Enter your email and password.
2. On the code screen, tap Help in the app, or select Recover my account on the web. (Labels vary between Wealthsimple's pages.)
3. Choose the option to reset two-factor authentication, then Get started and Verify identity in the app, or Continue on the web.
4. Follow Persona's prompts. Wealthsimple says Persona usually takes 10 to 20 seconds and sends an email when it's done.
5. Set up a new method within 24 hours, or you'll have to verify again.

Wealthsimple says some accounts go straight to identity verification with a selfie, with no backup code offered, and support can't change that. If Persona can't verify you, contact Wealthsimple support. After a reset, crypto withdrawals still have a waiting period. More in Lost the phone with your authenticator app?

Official Wealthsimple help

• Log in with two-factor authentication
• Reset your two-factor authentication to regain access to your account
• Log in with a passkey