Login and Registration Help: Mobile Number, OTP and App Problems

Before you register: get the setup right once

Registration is the point where most account problems begin, and most of them are caused by a setup choice that is easy to change later.

• Use the mobile number you can receive calls and messages on, and keep it for the life of the account. Changing the registered number later usually requires a separate verification process.
• Use the app whose publisher you verified. If you are not sure which app you have installed, check the developer name in the listing before you register in it.
• Complete every step in the app's own flow, including the terms acceptance and any identity check, before assuming the account is ready.
• Set a unique password if the service supports one, rather than reusing one from another account.

Related: confirming which app you actually have installed

When the one-time code does not arrive

One-time codes fail for a small number of reasons, and working through them in order is faster than requesting code after code, because repeated requests can invalidate earlier ones.

• Confirm the number you typed is the number you are checking. A single wrong digit is the most common cause.
• Check the message as SMS rather than only in a filtered folder, and look for a message from a short code rather than a long one.
• Wait for the timer before requesting another code. Requesting a new one usually voids the previous one.
• Check that the device has signal, that airplane mode is off, and that a network SMS is not blocked.
• If you recently changed SIM or phone, the number may need to be re-registered on the network before it can receive short codes.
• After several failed attempts, use the service's in-app help rather than continuing to retry.

One rule applies to every case: a one-time code is a credential. Anyone who asks for it is not the support channel, however official the message looks.

Related: finding the genuine support channel

The app opens but the account does not

This split is informative. If the app interface loads, the installation is probably fine, and the problem is on the service side or in the session rather than in the file. That rules out a whole category of fixes.

• Check that the service itself is operating, rather than only your session. A service-wide outage looks identical to an account problem from inside the app.
• Check the app version against the current listing. A client that is too old can fail to authenticate against a service that has changed its sign-in flow.
• Sign out completely and back in rather than force-closing, and clear the cached session if the app offers that option.
• Check that you are on the correct network. Some sign-in flows behave differently on a metered or restricted connection.
• Note the exact symptom before contacting support: the exact wording on screen and the time it happened shorten every exchange that follows.

Related: checking your installed version against the current listing

Access questions that come up repeatedly

A few access questions recur so often that it is worth answering them plainly here.

• Can I log in on a computer? Some services offer a browser version reached from their own domain. They may have their own eligibility and payment conditions, and they are a separate product from the app, so their terms apply.
• Can I use my account on two phones? Usually not, because a session is normally bound to one device. Use the in-app sign-out on the old device first.
• Why is a browser extension or a third-party tool asking for my code? Nothing legitimate needs your one-time code. Do not enter it.
• Why did the login screen change? Services update their flows and their verification steps. Use the current flow in the app you have, and do not follow instructions in an old message that references a screen that no longer exists.

If you cannot get in at all

If every route is blocked, work through what you can control and then hand over a precise record. The record is what makes support able to act.

• Try the in-app recovery or help option first. It knows the state of your account.
• If you have an old verification number on file, confirm it is still the number you can access.
• Prepare the registered mobile number, the approximate date of registration, and any transaction reference, without sending documents to anyone who contacted you first.
• Contact the operator through the support route published inside the app or on its verified website.

Related: where the operator publishes its support details