Black Vault Authenticator
Support
Answers to the most common questions. Black Vault Authenticator has no accounts, so we cannot look up or restore anyone’s codes; these steps are how you stay in control of them.
Common questions
I have a new phone. How do I move my codes?
On the old phone, open the app’s settings and export an encrypted backup. Choose a passphrase of at least 12 characters and save the backup file somewhere you can reach from the new phone. On the new phone, install the app, then import the backup file and enter the same passphrase. The app shows you what will be added before it changes anything.
Do this before you wipe or give away the old phone.
I lost my phone. What now?
If you have a backup file and remember its passphrase, install the app on your new phone and import the backup.
If you do not have a backup, we cannot recover your codes, because they only ever existed on your phone. Use each site’s own account recovery, or the recovery codes it gave you when you set up two-step sign-in, then set the site up again in the app.
I forgot my backup passphrase.
It cannot be recovered, and that is by design: the passphrase is never stored and we do not hold a copy, so nobody, including us, can open the file without it. If your codes still work on your current phone, make a new backup with a passphrase you will remember (a password manager is a good place to keep it). If they do not, use each site’s recovery options.
My codes are being rejected.
Codes depend on your phone’s clock. Open your phone’s date and time settings and turn on automatic date and time (and automatic time zone), then try the next code.
Also check that you are using the code for the right account, and that you typed the setup key correctly if you added the account by hand.
How do I move my accounts from Google Authenticator?
In Google Authenticator, use its option to transfer or export accounts, which shows a QR code. In Black Vault Authenticator, use the import option and scan that QR code. Large collections can be split across several QR codes; the app tells you which batch you are on. Keep the QR code private while it is on screen, and check that everything arrived before you remove anything from the old app.
How can I tell I have the real app?
Only download the app from the official links on bvauth.com once they are published. We will never ask you to install it from a link in an email or message.
To check what you have installed:
- Package name:
app.bvauth.authenticator - Signing certificate SHA-256 fingerprint: published here when the app is released
Which phones does it work on?
Android 12 or newer. An iPhone version is planned but is not available yet.
Contact us
Email support@bvauth.com. Please never send us your backup file, passphrase, setup keys or codes; we will never ask for them. To report a security problem, see Security.