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Novaz AuthenticatorGET

XING 2FA: how to set up an authenticator app

By the Novaz team · Updated October 29, 2026
Novaz steps checked against version 1.0.5

On this page
  1. Turn on 2FA with an authenticator app
  2. One backup code, so guard it
  3. When XING asks for a code
  4. If XING rejects your code
  5. New phone
  6. If you lose your authenticator
  7. Official XING help

XING is a professional network: people keep their career profile there, look for jobs and hear from recruiters. Two-factor authentication (2FA) is optional on XING. Once it's on, XING asks for a login code on top of your password every time you sign in, and you choose where that code comes from: a text message or a third-party authenticator app (XING). If you're deciding between the two, see authenticator app vs SMS.

Two things set XING apart. When you finish setup, you get one 15-digit backup code rather than a list. And if you lose both your authenticator and that code, getting back in means sending XING a photo of your ID. This guide uses Authenticator App - Novaz on iPhone, but any authenticator app works the same way.

How we checked this guide: the XING steps come from XING's own help center, in English and German, and its security page, all linked below, which we read on October 20, 2026. We haven't tested them on a XING account, so a label may differ slightly. The Novaz steps are checked against the app, version 1.0.5.

Turn on 2FA with an authenticator app

XING's two-factor article links to the setting but doesn't show the screens. The menu path below comes from XING's other settings articles.

  1. Sign in to XING on the web. Since June 2024 you can only sign in with your email address and password, not a username or phone number (XING).
  2. Click your profile image, choose Settings, then Member Account (XING). Your sign-in settings sit in the Login details area there (XING). Or use the direct link from XING's help, xing.com/settings/account/credentials/twofa (XING).
  3. Pick the authenticator app method, not SMS codes. XING lists it as "Login code via a third-party authentication app" and names Google Authenticator and Microsoft Authenticator as examples (XING). Its German page suggests having the app installed before you begin (XING).
  4. XING's help doesn't describe the setup screen itself. If it shows a QR code, open Novaz, tap +, then Scan QR code, and aim the camera at it. Seeing the code on the same iPhone? Take a screenshot, then tap + and Choose a photo. See scanning a QR code on the same iPhone.
  5. If XING lets you type a key instead, tap +, then Enter key manually. Enter XING as the Service, your email as the Account if you like, and the key as the Setup key. XING doesn't say what it calls this key, how long its codes are or how often they change, so scan the QR code whenever you can: it carries those settings for you. More in What is a 2FA setup key?
  6. If XING asks you to confirm with a code, type the current one from Novaz.
  7. Write down the 15-digit backup code. The German help page says XING shows it in the final step (XING).

The German page also says at least one of the two methods must be set up for the feature to work. No page says whether the XING app can do the setup.

One backup code, so guard it

XING tells you to keep the backup code somewhere safe, for the day your phone breaks or is stolen (XING). Its help doesn't say whether the code works only once, or how to get a new one.

Unless you've turned on iCloud backup or exported a backup file in Novaz, it's your only spare: each key then lives only on the iPhone where you added it. Store the code away from the phone, in a password manager or on paper. See 2FA backup codes.

When XING asks for a code

XING asks for a code every time you sign in, right after your password (XING, XING). The XING mobile app uses the same email and password as the website (XING). XING's pages don't mention trusted or remembered devices.

If XING rejects your code

XING's help has no advice on wrong codes. The usual culprit is the iPhone's clock. On the phone, go to Settings > General > Date & Time and switch on Set Automatically. Novaz flags a clock that has drifted 15 seconds or more. For other causes, see Authenticator code not working?

New phone

XING doesn't document moving 2FA to another phone. Novaz can restore your accounts on the new iPhone from iCloud backup or a backup file. Either way, keep the old phone and your backup code until XING is working on the new one. See How to transfer your authenticator app to a new iPhone.

If you lose your authenticator

Use your 15-digit backup code. If that's gone too, XING asks you to request the switch-off through its two-factor contact form and attach a photo of your ID card or driver's license (XING):

  • your name, photo and date of birth must be readable;
  • you may black out everything else;
  • the German page specifies the front of the card (XING).

XING doesn't say how long this takes. Its help doesn't describe turning 2FA off yourself either. More in Lost the phone with your authenticator app?

Official XING help

More guides: Messaging and social