Protect your church's information with a code from your phone. How to set up two-step sign-in, save recovery codes and get back in if you lose your phone.
Two-factor sign-in, which Phyle calls two-step sign-in on its screens, means Phyle asks for a code from your phone after your password, so a stolen password isn't enough to get in. It takes about a minute to set up, and this guide shows you how. It also covers what to do when you get a new phone or lose the one you have.
Who needs it
Administrators and staff must use it. They can see giving, confidential notes and the church's connection keys, so Phyle requires the extra step.
Volunteers and members can choose. It's off until they turn it on for themselves, and they can turn it off again.
The grace period for admins and staff
You don't have to set it up the moment you join. The first time an administrator or staff member signs in, a grace period starts. Each time they sign in during it, Phyle shows the setup screen with a Not now link at the bottom and the date they can skip it until.
When the grace period ends, setting it up is the only thing they can do until it's on (apart from Sign out).
The grace period is 7 days to start with. An administrator can change it in Settings › Church under Sign-in security, in Days to set it up. Choose anywhere from 0 to 30 days. 0 asks for it right away.
Set it up
You'll need your phone and an authenticator app. Any one works: Google Authenticator, Microsoft Authenticator, 1Password, or the Passwords app on an iPhone.
- Open the account menu (your picture or initials at the top right) and select My account. Members open Sign-in details in the member portal instead.
- Find Two-step sign-in and select Set it up. If you're an administrator or staff member, Phyle may have already brought you to this screen after you signed in.
- In your authenticator app, add a new account and scan the square code on the screen. If you can't scan it, type the key shown beside it into the app instead.
- Your app now shows a 6-digit code for Phyle that changes every few seconds. Type the current one into 6-digit code.
- Select Turn it on.
If Phyle says the code didn't match, check that your phone's clock is set correctly and enter the newest code your app shows.
Save your recovery codes
As soon as two-step sign-in is on, Phyle shows you 8 recovery codes. Each one lets you sign in once without your phone. They won't be shown again, so save them now.
- Select Copy codes and paste them into a password manager, or print them and file them away.
- Keep them somewhere separate from your phone. If your phone is lost, codes stored only on it are lost too.
Running low or worried someone saw them
Go to My account and select Manage next to Two-step sign-in. The Recovery codes card shows how many you have left. Enter Your password and select Make new codes. You get a fresh set of 8, and the old ones stop working.
Signing in with a code
- Open your church's Phyle address and sign in with your email and password as usual.
- Phyle asks you to Enter your code. Open your authenticator app and type the 6-digit code it shows for Phyle.
- Select Sign in.
A few things to know:
- Each code from your app works only once. If one is refused, wait for the next one.
- You have 10 minutes after your password to enter the code. After that, start again from the sign-in screen.
- After 5 wrong codes, Phyle asks you to sign in again in a few minutes.
Using a recovery code
If you don't have your phone, select Use a recovery code below the form, next to "Lost your phone?". Type one of your saved codes into Recovery code and select Sign in. Dashes, spaces and capital letters don't matter. Each recovery code works once, so cross it off after you use it.
If you lose or replace your phone
What to do depends on your role.
Administrators and staff
You can't turn two-step sign-in off yourself, so ask another administrator to reset it:
- They go to Settings › Users and select Edit next to your name.
- Under More, next to Reset two-step sign-in, they select Reset and confirm.
- Your old authenticator and recovery codes stop working.
- The next time you sign in, Phyle asks you to set it up again with your new phone.
In the meantime you can still sign in with one of your recovery codes.
Administrators can't reset their own two-step sign-in, only someone else's. If you're the only administrator, keep your recovery codes somewhere safe, and consider making a second trusted person an administrator so you can help each other.
Volunteers and members
- Sign in with one of your recovery codes.
- Go to My account (or Sign-in details in the member portal) and select Manage next to Two-step sign-in.
- Under Turn it off, enter Your password and select Turn off.
- Select Set it up again and scan the new code with your new phone.
If you have no recovery codes left, ask an administrator to reset it for you from Settings › Users, as described above. You'll then sign in with just your password until you turn it on again.
Turning it off
Volunteers and members can turn it off at any time. Go to My account (or Sign-in details), select Manage, enter Your password under Turn it off and select Turn off. Anyone with your password will then be able to sign in as you, so we recommend leaving it on.
Administrators and staff can't turn it off, because their role requires it.
For more on what each role can see, read Roles and permissions.
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