Wise 2FA: how to set up an authenticator app

Your Wise account holds your balances, your Wise card and the transfers you send abroad. Wise doesn't let you opt out of two-factor authentication: it calls 2-step verification "a necessary step in your security". What you choose is how you confirm it's you: a passkey, a notification in the Wise app on a trusted device, a code from an authenticator app, or a code by text message or phone call (Wise).

This guide adds an authenticator app, using Authenticator App - Novaz on iPhone. Any authenticator app works the same way. One exception: accounts registered in Singapore, Malaysia, the UAE or the Philippines are limited to passkeys or the Wise app by local rules (Wise).

How we checked this guide: the Wise steps come from Wise's own help articles, linked below, which we read on October 20, 2026. We haven't tested them on a Wise account, so a label may differ slightly. The Novaz steps are checked against the app, version 1.0.5.

Add an authenticator app

Wise's help gives the same steps for the website and the Wise app (Wise):

1. Select your name or initials in the top corner.
2. Under Settings, select Security and privacy.
3. Select 2-step verification.
4. Under Other verification methods, select Authenticator app, then Start pairing.
5. Wise shows a code that you can scan or type in. To scan it, tap + in Novaz, then Scan QR code. If you're pairing in the Wise app on the same iPhone, take a screenshot, then tap + and Choose a photo. See scanning a QR code on the same iPhone.
6. To type it, tap +, then Enter key manually. Enter Wise as the Service and the characters Wise shows as the Setup key. See What is a 2FA setup key?
7. Back in Wise, select Continue and enter the 6-digit code Novaz shows. That completes the pairing.

Wise's help doesn't say how often its codes change, so scan if you can: the scan passes the code settings to Novaz, while a typed key always gets 30 seconds.

Choose your default method

Wise's help doesn't say whether a newly paired app becomes the method Wise asks for first. To choose, open 2-step verification, select Edit default and pick an option. Check again if you add a passkey later, because Wise then makes Passkeys the default (Wise).

When Wise asks for a code

Wise asks for it in most cases where you enter your password. Now and then Wise wants only the password, or only 2-step verification (Wise).

A new device also needs approving once, by email or, for eligible customers, a selfie. The Wise website in your phone's browser and the Wise app on the same phone count as two devices (Wise).

No backup codes, but text messages stay on

Wise's help doesn't mention backup or recovery codes. Your fallback is your other methods: text message can't be removed, only replaced as the default (Wise). Unless you have a Novaz iCloud backup or backup file, Novaz's keys exist only on your iPhone, so the phone number on your Wise account is your safety net. Change it under Settings > Personal details > Mobile number before you give up an old SIM, since Wise may text the old number to confirm (Wise).

If Wise rejects your code

Wise says to check that you're using the right authenticator app and that the account was paired correctly (Wise). In Novaz, use the Wise entry from your latest pairing.

Then check the 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?

Removing the app, or changing phones

2-step verification stays on, but the authenticator app can go. Select Authenticator app under Your verification methods, then switch it off and select Remove in the Wise app, or select Remove and confirm on the website. Wise also asks you to delete the old Wise key from your authenticator app, so it doesn't get in the way if you pair again (Wise). In Novaz, open the Wise entry and tap Remove account.

Wise doesn't describe moving an authenticator to a new phone. With a Novaz iCloud backup or backup file, you restore your accounts on the new iPhone and the Wise codes keep working. Without one, remove the method while the old iPhone still works, then pair the new one with the steps above. See How to transfer your authenticator app to a new iPhone.

If you lose your authenticator

1. Log in with your email and password. At the 2-step verification step, select Try another way and pick another method, such as a text message (Wise).
2. If none of your methods works, select I don't have any of these, then Continue to confirm it's you with a selfie. Choose the automatic check, take the selfie, and once it's approved, choose whether to keep your phone number or change it (Wise).
3. Selfie recovery is only for eligible customers, and Wise doesn't say who qualifies or how long it takes. Otherwise, open 2-step verification isn't working on Wise's trouble-logging-in page and select I still need help to contact Wise (Wise).

If the lost iPhone had the Wise app, Wise suggests Log out everywhere under Settings > Security and privacy, which signs out every device, freezes your cards and cancels pending transactions. If it was stolen, contact Wise and have your carrier lock the SIM (Wise). More in Lost the phone with your authenticator app?

Official Wise help

• How do I add, change, or remove my 2-step verification settings?
• What is 2-step verification?
• I can't use my 2-step verification method
• How can I use a passkey?
• Logging in from a new device
• I need to change my phone number
• My phone has been lost or stolen
• 2-step verification isn't working