What is an authenticator app?
An authenticator app is a free app on your phone that shows a 6-digit code. The code changes every 30 seconds. When you sign in to Boulevard, you open the app, read the code, and type it in.
That's it. It works like the codes you get by text message — the code just comes from an app on your phone instead of arriving as a text.
Why people use it:
It works without cell service. No bars, no problem. It even works in airplane mode. Codes are generated on your phone, not sent to it.
It's faster. No waiting for a text to arrive.
It works with any phone number. If your number is outside the US or Canada, or if your work line is a landline or an internet-based phone number that can't receive texts, this is your option.
Before you start: pick your method carefully
When you turn on two-step verification, you'll choose one method — text message or authenticator app.
⚠️ You can't change your method later. Once you finish setup, switching from text message to authenticator app (or the other way around) isn't something you can do yourself. Changing it requires contacting Boulevard Support to reset two-step verification on your account, which also requires resetting your password.
Take a minute to choose the right one now.
Choose text message if:
You have a US or Canadian mobile number (+1) on your staff profile
You have reliable cell service where you work
You'd rather not install another app
Choose an authenticator app if:
Your phone number is outside the US or Canada
Your number can't receive texts — for example a landline, or an internet-based phone line (sometimes called VoIP) like the ones many front desks use
Cell service is spotty in your building — a common issue in treatment rooms, basements, and back-of-house areas
You don't want to wait on texts
You already use an authenticator app for other accounts
What you'll need
Your phone
A computer or tablet with the Boulevard Dashboard open
About 5 minutes
You need two devices — this can't be done on your phone alone. Your computer displays a QR code, and your phone's camera has to photograph it. A phone can't scan its own screen, so if you're only holding a phone right now, get to a computer before you start.
Step 1: Install the app on your phone
We recommend Google Authenticator. It's free, it works on iPhone and Android, and it's the app most Boulevard customers use — so our Support team knows it well if you need help.
On iPhone:
Open the App Store (blue icon with a white "A" made of drawing tools)
Tap Search at the bottom right
Type Google Authenticator and tap Search
Find the app published by Google LLC — the icon is a white rounded square with a four-color asterisk on it
Tap Get, then confirm with Face ID, Touch ID, or your Apple Account password
Wait for it to download, then tap Open
On Android:
Open the Play Store (colorful triangle icon)
Tap the search bar at the top
Type Google Authenticator and tap the search icon
Find the app published by Google LLC — white icon with a four-color asterisk
Tap Install
Wait for it to download, then tap Open
Watch out for copycats. Searching "authenticator" returns dozens of apps with similar names and icons, some of which charge a subscription. Before you install, check that the publisher line says Google LLC — that's the most reliable way to tell.
The first time you open Google Authenticator, it walks you through a short intro:
Tap Get Started
You'll be asked to sign in to a Google account, or you can tap Use Authenticator without an account
Signing in lets Google save your codes to your Google Account, so they can move to a new phone if you ever replace it. Using it without an account also works fine — your codes just stay on this one phone.
On a shared front desk phone, use it without an account. Signing in would tie the codes to whoever's Google account was used.
Other apps work too. If you'd rather use Microsoft Authenticator, Authy, 1Password, Okta Verify, or the password manager built into your iPhone or Android, all of those work with Boulevard. The steps below are nearly identical in any of them — look for a +, Add, or Scan QR code button.
Step 2: Turn on two-step verification in Boulevard
On your computer:
Sign in to the Boulevard Dashboard
Click your user profile, then My settings
Scroll down to Two-step verification and toggle it on
When asked how you'd like to receive codes, choose Authenticator app
A QR code will appear on your screen — a black-and-white square pattern. Leave this window open.
Step 3: Scan the QR code with your phone
In Google Authenticator on your phone:
Tap Add a code if the app is empty, or the + button in the bottom right corner if you already have codes saved
Tap Scan a QR code
If the app asks for permission to use your camera, tap Allow — it needs the camera to read the code
Hold your phone up to your computer screen so the QR code fits inside the frame
The app captures it instantly — there's no button to press. A new entry appears in your app with your Boulevard account on it, and a 6-digit code underneath.
The code has a small countdown next to it. When it runs out, the code changes to a new one. That's normal and it's supposed to happen.
If the camera won't read the code
Try these in order — most scanning problems are one of the first two:
Turn your screen brightness all the way up. A dim monitor is the most frequent cause.
Move your phone back. Roughly 6–10 inches from the screen usually works. Holding it too close is a more common mistake than too far.
Hold steady and keep the whole square in frame. All four corners need to be visible.
Make the QR code bigger. Zoom in on your browser by pressing Ctrl and + on Windows, or Command and + on a Mac.
Check for glare. Sunlight or overhead lights bouncing off your monitor will wash out the pattern. Tilt the screen or step out of the light.
Clean your camera lens. A smudge is enough to block it.
Take off a screen protector or phone case if it covers the camera.
If no QR code appears on your screen at all
Refresh the page and start Step 2 again
Try a different browser — Chrome, Safari, or Firefox
Turn off any ad blocker you have running for the Boulevard Dashboard — these sometimes stop the image from loading
Still nothing? Contact Support and we'll walk through it with you.
If you still can't get it to scan
Scanning the QR code is the only way to link the app, so don't skip ahead — contact Boulevard Support and we'll get on a screen share with you. Tell us which app you installed and what you see on your screen.
Step 4: Enter the code to finish
Back on your computer:
Read the current 6-digit code from your phone
Type it into the verification field in Boulevard
Click Verify
If the code is about to change, wait for the fresh one. Codes rotate every 30 seconds, and typing one just as it flips over is a common reason this step fails.
You're done. Your app is now linked to your Boulevard account.
Signing in from now on
Enter your email and password as usual
When Boulevard asks for a verification code, open Google Authenticator on your phone
Read the current 6-digit code and type it in
You don't need to do anything in the app ahead of time — the code is always there and always current. You also don't need internet or cell service on your phone for this to work.
Troubleshooting
"My code isn't working."
Almost always one of three things:
The code expired while you were typing. Wait for a fresh code and try again.
You're reading the wrong entry. If your app has several accounts saved, make sure you're looking at the Boulevard one — the codes look identical, so it's easy to grab the wrong row.
Your phone's clock is off. Authenticator codes are based on the current time, so if your phone's clock isn't accurate, it will produce codes Boulevard rejects. Fix it by letting your phone set its own time:
iPhone: Settings > General > Date & Time > turn on Set Automatically
Android: Settings > System > Date & time > turn on Set time automatically
Google Authenticator uses your phone's clock directly, so this is the only fix needed.
"I don't see a code in my app."
Make sure you completed Step 3 — the Boulevard entry has to be added to the app before codes appear. An empty app screen means the QR code was never captured.
"I deleted the app / deleted the Boulevard entry by mistake."
Deleting the entry removes your ability to generate codes, and it can't be recovered on your end. Contact Support to have two-step verification reset — see below.
"I got a new phone."
Authenticator app codes don't automatically transfer to a new phone. If you can no longer generate codes, reach out to Support and we'll reset two-step verification for you. The reset signs you out of the Dashboard and the Pro app and requires a password reset. On your next sign-in, you'll set up two-step verification again.
One exception: if you signed in to a Google account when you first set up Google Authenticator, your codes may already be saved there. Sign in to that same Google account on your new phone and check whether the Boulevard entry appears before you contact Support.
This is different from text message codes: if you get codes by text and kept the same phone number, nothing changes — your codes will arrive on your new phone.
"I'm being asked for a code on the billing or payment processing pages."
That's expected, and it's separate from signing in. Boulevard asks for a code before anyone can view or change these three pages:
Manage Location > Payment processing
Manage Business > Payment processing
Manage Business > Billing
That way, a stolen password alone isn't enough to change where your money goes. Enter the current code from your app to continue.
"Do I have to do this every time I sign in?"
You'll enter a code each time you sign in. Because Boulevard now ends sessions on a schedule, in practice that means:
Dashboard: once each morning (sessions end nightly at midnight)
Professional App: once a week (sessions end Sunday night at midnight)
Duo App: no automatic logout
Still stuck?
Reach out to Boulevard Support and tell us:
Which app you installed
Which step you're on
What you see on screen
We'll get you sorted.
Related Articles