Securing your account

Find these under Today → Protection → Sign-in security. The screen shows whether this session is Verified (it passed a second factor) or Basic.

Passkeys

A passkey lets you sign in with Face ID, Touch ID or your phone’s passcode instead of an emailed code. It’s kept by your phone (and in iCloud Keychain, if you use it), and it works only with Sovela’s own app and website, so a look-alike site can’t use it.

• To add one, tap Add a passkey. It’s named after your phone.
• To sign in with it, enter your email and where your family lives as usual, then tap Sign in with a passkey instead of entering the code. You won’t be asked for a second factor.
• Swipe a passkey to Rename or Remove it. If you cancel, or there’s no passkey on the phone you’re using, the emailed code still works.

If your account already has a passkey or an authenticator app, adding, renaming or removing a passkey needs a session that used one of them. If Sovela asks, sign out and sign in again with your passkey or authenticator app.

An authenticator app

1. Tap Set up, then Add to my authenticator app, or copy the key shown under Or enter this key.
2. Enter the code from the app and tap Turn on. Codes change every 30 seconds.

After this, Sovela asks for a code from the app each time you sign in.

Backup codes

When the authenticator app is on, Sovela shows a set of backup codes once. Keep them somewhere safe, away from your phone. If you lose the phone or the app, tap Use a backup code when Sovela asks for your code at sign-in. Each code works once.

To get a new set, tap Make new backup codes. The old ones stop working.

Text-message codes

Add a phone number (with its country code), tap Send code, and enter the code. Once the authenticator app is on, you can choose Text me a code instead when you sign in. A verified phone on its own doesn’t add a second factor. Texts from Sovela never mention Sovela, in case someone else sees your phone.

Changing these later

Making new backup codes, or changing your passkeys, needs a session that passed your passkey or second factor, so someone who could read your email can’t do it. If Sovela asks, sign out and sign in again with your passkey or authenticator app.

Locking the app

Turn on Lock Sovela with Face ID or passcode. Sovela then locks whenever it goes to the background, and hides its screen in the app switcher. This setting belongs to the phone, so set it on each device you use.

Signing out

Sign out is at the bottom of Today. Signing out also stops notifications for your account on that phone.