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How to change phone number for receiving 2FA codes
How to change phone number for receiving 2FA codes
Rick Alexsson avatar
Written by Rick Alexsson
Updated over a month ago

If you need to change the phone number at which you receive 2FA codes or switch your 2FA method to the Authenticator app, there are two ways to do that:

  • Disconnect your previous phone number on the Security page.

  • Request 2FA reset for your account.

I have access to my previous phone number

If you have access to the phone number that’s currently registered for receiving 2FA codes, you can change it on the Security tab. The same way users can add the 2FA method using the Authenticator app method.

To disable the phone number for receiving 2FA codes:

1. Go to the CEX.IO website and log in to your account using your email and password.

2. Once logged in, click on your account profile icon and select the "Security" tab from the dropdown menu.

3. Click Disable next to the Text Message option for 2FA.


4. Read the security warning and click Confirm.

Warning: "Withdrawals will be restricted for 48 hours after 2FA is disabled."

5. A verification code will be sent to your phone via SMS to disable 2FA. Please check your messages, enter the code in the corresponding field, and click Confirm.

6. Your 2FA via text message has been disabled.

Warning: "To keep your funds and data safe, withdrawals will be restricted for the next 48 hours."

To re-enable 2FA with your new phone number:

1. Click on the "Enable" button opposite to the Text message option for 2FA.

2. Read the security warning and click Continue.

3. The confirmation code will be sent to the email address linked to your CEX.IO account. Check your email for the code, enter it into the corresponding field, then enter the 2FA code from your Google Authenticator and click Next.

Pay attention to the time displayed for entering the code from the text message and the valid code from Google Authenticator, which changes every 30 seconds.

If 2FA via Google Authenticator is not enabled on your account, you will only need to enter the confirmation code sent to the email address linked to your CEX.IO account.

4. Choose your country, enter your new phone number, and click Next.
A verification code will be sent to your new phone number via SMS.

5. Enter the code from the SMS message into the "Verification code" field and click Next.

6. That's it! You will now receive 2FA codes on your new phone number.

I lost access to my previous phone number

If you need to change the phone number that delivers 2FA codes, please submit the 2FA recovery request form. Log in to your CEX.IO account using your email address and password and click Lost authentication device.

If you have both Authenticator App and Text Message methods enabled on your account, click Sign in with another method when you are asked to enter the verification code.

Then, choose the Lost authentication device and the 2FA recovery request form will appear.

To proceed, please refer to our guide and follow the on-screen instructions to fill out the 2FA recovery request form.

Note: If you have access to Google Authenticator, you can log into your CEX.IO account using it.

For enhanced account security, we recommend resetting and re-enabling 2FA with text messages on your new phone number.


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