Help with 2FA Studio

Download 2FA Studio from the App Store. Open it, then go to whatever website is asking you to set up 2FA — it will show a QR code. Tap the camera button in 2FA Studio and scan it. A 6-digit code will appear. Type that code back into the website. That's the whole setup.

A QR code is a small square barcode. The website asking you to enable 2FA will show one on screen during setup — it looks like a black-and-white pattern. If you don't see one, look for a "Set up authenticator app" or "Use an authenticator" option in the security settings.

You can — but it's much less secure. Text messages can be intercepted, and your phone number can be hijacked. An authenticator app generates the codes locally on your device, so there's nothing to intercept.

If you have iCloud sync turned on (premium), your codes are already in your iCloud — sign in to a new iPhone, open 2FA Studio, and they're there. If you don't use iCloud sync, you'll need the recovery codes that the websites gave you when you set up 2FA. Save those somewhere safe (a password manager is ideal).

When you turn on iCloud sync (premium), your authentication codes are encrypted on your device and stored in your personal iCloud. Apple's end-to-end encryption means even Apple can't read them — only your devices, with your iCloud account, can decrypt them. There's no 2FA Studio server in the middle.

No. Codes never leave your devices. We don't have servers that store them. See the privacy policy for details.

Google Authenticator can export your codes as a QR code. In Google Authenticator, tap the menu (three dots) → Transfer accounts → Export accounts → pick the codes you want. It generates a QR code. Open 2FA Studio, tap the camera, and scan that QR code. Done.

Most authenticators don't have a one-tap export. The reliable way is to set up 2FA again from each website's security settings — they'll show a fresh QR code that you scan with 2FA Studio. Yes, it's tedious. Once you switch, 2FA Studio's iCloud sync (premium) means you won't have to do it again.

The most common cause is your phone's clock being slightly off. The codes are time-based (they change every 30 seconds), so the clock has to be accurate. Go to Settings → General → Date & Time and make sure 'Set Automatically' is on. If the clock is fine, try typing the next code that appears — sometimes you catch it right at the boundary.

Double-check that you scanned the QR code from the same account you're trying to log into. If the QR code was for a different account (or you scanned it twice and have two codes for the same site), the codes won't match. You can delete and re-scan to fix this.

If you saved the recovery codes the website gave you during setup, use one of those to sign in. If not, you'll need to contact the service's support team — they typically have an account-recovery process. Going forward, save recovery codes in a password manager.