Verification of a mobile number may be done through one of the following methods:

• Set up messaging for your mobile telephone number. Please see KB2552 for details

• Activate the IB Key Authentication via IBKR Mobile on your smartphone. Please see KB2260 for details

In order to opt back into the Secure Login System, please proceed as follows:

1. Open your browser and go to the web page ibkr.com.

2. Click on Log In > Portal Login

3. Enter your credentials and complete the authentication using your security device

6. You will see a box titled "Secure Login Settings". Within that box, click on the Configure "gear" icon. This will take you to the settings for Secure Login not required for trading.

7. Select the radio button next to "I want to always use my Secure Login Device when logging in" and click on Continue

8. You will receive a confirmation that your settings have been updated. Click on OK to finalize the procedure

 References

• See KB1131 for an overview of the Secure Login System
• See KB1943 for instructions on requesting a replacement Digital Security Card+
• See KB2636 for information and procedures related to Security Devices
• See KB2481 for instructions about sharing the Security Login Device between two or more users
• See KB975 for instructions on how to return your security device to IBKR
• See KB2260 for instructions on activating the IB Key authentication via IBKR Mobile
• See KB2895 for information about Multiple 2Factor System (M2FS)
• See KB1861 for information about charges or expenses associated with the security devices
• See KB69 for information about Temporary passcode validity

Table of contents

• Requirements
• Installation
• Activation
• Operation with Touch ID
• Operation with Face ID
• No Notification

Requirements

• Must be installed on an iOS device with Touch ID (fingerprint reader) or Face ID (facial recognition).
• Device's software version must be iOS 13.0 or later.
• Device must have either Touch ID, Face ID or Passcode enabled. Touch ID or Face ID is the recommended choice. Refer to Set up Touch ID or Set up Face ID for directions.

Installation

You can download IBKR Mobile app on your iPhone directly from the App Store.

How to download IBKR Mobile from the App Store:

1. On your iPhone tap on the App Store icon.

2. Click on the Search icon (magnifying glass) in the lower right corner, then click in the search bar at the top, type IBKR Mobile then click Search.

3. Look for IBKR Mobile from Interactive Brokers LLC, tap on GET to the right, then tap INSTALL (Figure 1.).
(if prompted, enter your Apple ID password or provide your fingerprint.)

4. Once the installation has completed, tap on Open to launch the IBKR Mobile app (Figure 2.).

Figure 1.                                                                            Figure 2.
    

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Activation

Once the app is installed on your device you will need to activate it for the username you would like to enroll. This operation happens entirely on your phone, requires Internet access and the ability to receive SMS (text message).

1. On your phone, open the IBKR Mobile app:

1.a. If you're opening IBKR Mobile for the first time since its installation, you will receive a message asking your consent for IBKR notifications (Figure 3.), tap Allow and proceed with step 2.

1.b. If when opening IBKR Mobile you land on the login screen, tap Services on the top left (Figure 4.) and proceed with step 2.

1.c. If when opening IBKR Mobile you land on your Home Page, Portfolio, Watchlists, or similar, tap More on the bottom-right (Figure 5.). Then tap Two-Factor Authentication (Figure 6.), followed by Activate IB Key (Figure 7.) and proceed with step 2.

Figure 3.                                                      Figure 4.
    

Figure 5.                                                      Figure 6.                                              Figure 7.

2. Tap on Register Two-Factor (Figure 8.), review the instructions and click Continue (Figure 9.).

Figure 8.                                                   Figure 9.

3. Enter your Account Username and Password then tap Continue.

Figure 10.                                                       Figure 11.

4. The default mobile phone number on record for your account will be already selected. If you are not able to receive text messages (SMS) on that number, you should choose a different one from the list (if applicable) or add a new one. To add a new mobile phone number, tap Add Phone number, enter the new number¹ and corresponding Country.  Once you have selected your preferred mobile number from the list or added the new mobile number, tap Get Activation SMS (Figure 12.).

Figure 12.

5. An SMS message will be sent with an Activation Token. Enter the token in the Activation Code field. Then tap Activate.

Figure 13.                                              Figure 14.                                                     Figure 15.
      

6. According to your phone hardware capabilities, you might be prompted to provide or define the security element used to secure the app (Fingerprint, Face ID or PIN²). Please provide the requested security element.

Figure 16.

     

7. If the activation has been successful, you will see a confirmation screen. Tap Done to finalize the procedure.

Figure 17.                                                  Figure 18.
 

Once the IBKR Mobile Authentication (IB Key) has been activated, you can close the app. Refer to Operation with Touch ID or Operation with Face ID below on how to use IBKR Mobile for authentication.

Notes:

1. You must enter your phone number without your country's trunk prefix (123 instead of 1123 or 0123) and only enter numbers without any spacing or special characters.

2. The recovery PIN will be used to enable additional users or re-enable IBKR Mobile if it has been uninstalled. It must be at least 4 and up to 6 characters (letters, numbers and special characters allowed). Refer to KB2269 for additional guidelines.

Operation with Touch ID

Once activated, operation of IBKR Mobile Authentication (IB Key) using Touch ID is as follows:

IMPORTANT NOTE: If you do not have Internet access while operating IBKR Mobile, please refer to the section "What if I don't receive the notification?"

1) Enter your username and password into the trading platform or Client Portal login screen and click Login. If correct, a notification will be sent to your iPhone.

Figure 19.

 

2) On your iPhone, check your notifications panel and select the IBKR Mobile app notification.

Figure 20.

 

3) Selecting the notification will launch the IBKR Mobile Authentication (IB Key). On your iPhone, place your finger that was registered for Touch ID on the Home Button. If the Touch ID has not been activated, IB Key will prompt you to enter the Passcode.

Figure 21.                                             Figure 22.                                             Figure 23.
     

4) If authentication succeeds, the log in will now automatically proceed.

Figure 24.
 

Operation with Face ID

Once activated, operation of IBKR Mobile Authentication (IB Key) using Face ID is as follows:
IMPORTANT NOTE: If you do not have Internet access while operating IBKR Mobile, please refer to the section "What if I don't receive the notification?"

1) Enter your username and password into the trading platform or Client Portal login screen and click Login. If correct, a notification will be sent to your iPhone.

Figure 25.

 

2) On your iPhone, check your notification menu and select the IBKR Mobile app notification.

Figure 26.

 

3) Selecting the notification will launch the IBKR Mobile Authentication (IB Key). On your iPhone, look at the screen to authenticate via Face ID. If Face ID has not been activated, IB Key will prompt you to enter the Passcode.

Figure 27.                                       Figure 28.                                         Figure 29.
          

4) If authentication succeeds, the log in will now automatically proceed.

Figure 30.
 

What if I don't receive the notification?

If the notification does not reach your phone, it may be because notifications are disabled, no internet access is available or you have a poor, unstable connection. In these cases operation of IBKR Mobile Authentication (IB Key) is as follows: 

1) Click the link Click here if you do not receive the notification.

Figure 31.

 

2) This will generate challenge code and box to enter response.    

Figure 32.

3) Launch IBKR Mobile on your Smartphone, then select Authenticate. Type the Challenge number into the corresponding box.

Figure 33.                                                            Figure 34.
    

4) If you use Touch ID, place your finger that was registered on the Home Button. If the Touch ID has not been activated, IBKR Mobile will prompt you to enter the Passcode. A response string will be generated. If you use Face ID, skip this step and go to the next one.

Figure 35.                                                              Figure 36.
    

5) If you use Face ID, look at the screen to authenticate via Face ID. If Face ID has not been activated, IB Key will prompt you to enter the Passcode. A response string will be generated.

Figure 37.                                              Figure 38.
    

6) Enter the response from your iPhone into the log in screen and click OK. 

Figure 39.

7) If authentication succeeds, the log in will now automatically proceed.

Figure 40.

References:

• See KB2748 for instructions on how to recover IBKR Mobile Authentication (IB Key).
• See KB3234 for troubleshooting missing IBKR Mobile notifications
• See KB2745 for instructions on how to clear the cache for the IBKR Mobile app.

Certain security devices used for accessing your IBKR account require the creation of a numeric or alphanumeric PIN code at the point of request or activation.

The PIN is intended as an additional layer of protection as it effectively prevents unauthorized individuals who may inadvertently come into possession of your device from operating it. It’s therefore important to select a PIN which you can easily remember, yet which is difficult for others to guess.

Outlined below are a series of guidelines or best practices to be taken into consideration when creating your PIN:

• Do not use your own date of birth
• Do not use the date of birth of your children or any other immediate family member
• Do not use parts of your personal or business address, such as street name and number, ZIP and/or Postal Code
• Do not use any part of your Citizen ID (such as SSN or ID document number)
• Do not use phone numbers

For the non-numeric part of the PIN, avoid using:

• Your, your family's or relatives initials, the name of your city or of sports teams
• Your, your family's or relatives first and/or last names

We recommend including lower and upper case letters and numbers.

A common way to construct a memorable PIN that corresponds to those requirements is to construct a sentence and then use the first letters of its words.