IBKR Authentication

Install the application

Open the application Play Store if you use Android or the App Store if you use an Iphone and search for the application IBKR Mobile.
Warning : An application called IB Key will also be available. Make sure to select IBKR Mobile and not IB Key.
If your android phone uses a version lower than 5.0 or if your iPhone uses a version lower than IOS 11, please contact us.

Click the button "Install".

Enable two factor identification

Open the IBKR Mobile application.

Select the option SAVE TWO FACTOR IDENTIFICATION.

Note: if the application asks you for a login and password instead of offering the option SAVE TWO FACTOR IDENTIFICATION, select SERVICES to access this option.

Enter your login and password, then press CONTINUE.

Attention : it is the login and password of your account management interface. They were provided to you when your account was validated (and are different from your ProRealTime login and password).

Select the phone number on which you want to get the SMS activation code, then select GET ACTIVATION CODE.

Notes :

The phone number associated with your account will be selected by default. If you want to add a new number, select ADD PHONE NUMBER and enter the country code and your number. For example for a UK number 01 02 03 04 05, enter the country code +44 followed by the number 102030405.
Reception of the SMS is not instant, and you can get a delay of about 10 minutes before receiving the SMS.

Enter the code received by SMS in the field "Activation code" and choose a PIN of 4 to 6 characters and select "activate".

Note that codes with repetition (ex: 0000) or your birth date are not accepted.

If you don't get the SMS

Check that your network and Internet connection are stable.
Check that the phone number is correct.
Close the application and restart the process.
Try to reinstall the application and restart the process. Instructions to uninstall/reinstall the application are in the second Forgotten PIN Code below.

If you still don't receive an SMS after a new attempt and a 15 minute delay, CLICK HERE

Access account management

Enter your login and password in the account management interface, then click "Log In". A notification will be sent to your smartphone.

Press on the notification that appears on your smartphone screen.

The application will automatically open and ask you for your PIN code or your fingerprint to complete authentification. If it works, the connection to the account management interface will continue automatically.

Activate IBKR Mobile authentication on several devices

The authentication module of the IBKR Mobile activation can only be enabled on one device per account login number.

If you have two logins for one account (for a joint account for example), you can activate authentication via IBKR Mobile on 2 smartphones with 2 diferent phone numbers (one for each login).

To enable this authentication on each of the 2 different devices, please check the section IBKR Authentication.

Temporary Authentication Method

Using an SMS code or a Temporary Security Card as a double authentication system is only a temporary offer by Interactive Brokers. You will be asked in time to replace this with authentication via the IBKR Mobile app (see above).

SMS Authentication

This additional security can be active by default or can be offered to you by Interactive Brokers when you connect to account management. In this case, after entering your login and password in the account management interface, you will get an SMS on the phone number associated with your account. This SMS will contain a security code that you will need to enter in the text field which will be displayed.

Temporary Code & Temporary Security Card

Interactive Brokers can activate a new security step when you log into your account management, using a Temporary Code. This Temporary Code has to be requested by ProRealTime Trading after a security check with you on the phone.

After using this Temporary Code, valid only 20 minutes, you can immediately install and activate the IBKR Mobile app (see above).

If you need more time to be able to install and activate the IBKR Mobile app, you can generate a Temporary Security Code Card, which is valid 20 days.

To generate your ProRealTime Trading temporary security card:

Log in to your account management interface using your second login and second password.
Use the temporary code you received by email previously (or by SMS).
Click on "Settings", and then "User Settings".
Click on the "Configure" button next to "Secure Login System".
Click on "Request (Online) Security Code Card".
The Security Code Card will appear. Make sure you click on "Print" and save this card.
Once you have saved this card, click on "Continue" and follow the on-screen instructions.

Once you have activated your temporary security card, the update will take effect immediately and you can use it to log in temporarily to your account management interface from then on.

This card will only be valid for 20 days, giving you additional time to activate authentication with IBKR Mobile app. Make sure you activate IBKR Mobile authentication before your security card expires before the end of the 20 day validity period.

Problems logging into account management

Impossible to connect

If nothing happens when you enter your login and password, or you receive an error message "Invalid username and password" or "Failed", please check that:

You are correctly using the uppercase and lowercase letters in your password
You are not inserting spaces before, in between or after the letters in your password
You are not entering the period that appears at the end of your temporary password

If you are certain that you have correctly entered your password, try these solutions:

Empty the cookies and/or navigation history of your web browser
Use the private browsing mode of your web browser
Change web browsers when you want to connect to the account management interface.

Password forgotten

Contact us by phone at +44 (0)20 3868 8510 to reinitialize it.

Account blocked

If you enter several times the wrong login or password and you obtain an error message indicating too many attempts, your account may be blocked.

If you see this error message, please contact us by phone at +44 (0)20 3868 8510 to unblock it. For any other error message, please refer to the previous sections.

Problems with authentication

I don't receive the notifications

In general, this issue is due to the fact the notifications are disabled for IBKR Mobile app on your smartphone.

Please make sure that notifications are allowed for this application on your smartphone. Below are the steps to check this setting.

Attention : the interface shown in the images below may differ depending on the model of your smartphone.

Go to your smartphone settings, then to applications, and select the IBKR Mobile application.

Go to the notification settings.

Verify that you have enabled notifications for this application.

Please also carry out the following checks:

Make sure you have installed the IBKR Mobile application on your smartphone and enabled two factor authentication on it (see above).
Your smartphone must be connected to the Internet.
Please check that your smartphone is not in "airplane mode" and that the battery level is not too low or in "power saver mode".

If you still do not receive notifications, you can also log in manually (without a notification). To do so:

Click on « Click here if you did not receive the message ».

A Challenge code appears on the screen.

Open the IBKR Mobile application on your mobile phone and select AUTHENTICATE.

Note: If the application asks you for a login and password instead of offering the option to AUTHENTICATE, select SERVICES to access this option.

Enter your PIN code and the Challenge code displayed on your computer screen, then select GENERATE PASSCODE.

A new code will appear with the title "Response String"

On your computer, enter the "response string" code in the text field under the challenge number. If the authentification works, the connection to the account management interface will continue automatically.

Forgot PIN code

If you have forgotten your PIN code:

Uninstall the application

Reinstall the application

Open the application

The application offers to restore your parameters. Reject by selecting No.

Enable two-factor identification again. You can define a new PIN code.

Note: the application will offer again to restore your parameters. You need to reject this.

Note that you must have access to the phone number initially used because in this case the SMS to activate the application can only be sent to this number. If you do not have access to this number anymore, please follow the instructions in the section "Change of phone number".

Change of mobile phone

The IBKR Mobile application can only be used on one device per login ID (see the section Activate IBKR Mobile authentication on several devices). If you lose or replace your smartphone, you can migrate the authentication module to your new smartphone.
To do this migration, you will need to have access to the phone number you used when you activated two factor identification.

Note: If you do not have access to this number anymore, please follow the instructions in the section "Change of phone number".

Once the application has been installed on your new device, follow these instructions:

Connect to the application with your login and password.

Select the option Migrate IB Key.

Follow the instructions on your screen. You will need to enter your login and password again.

An activation code will then be sent to you via SMS, that you will need to enter in the application under the "SMS code" then click "VERIFY".

Once the activation code has been verified, choose and enter a PIN in the PIN field. Enter this PIN again in the field "Repeat PIN" and then click ACTIVATE.

Click DONE to validate the two factor authentification setup and access your account management.

Change of phone number

If you changed your phone number, the instructions below will allow you to report this change so that it is correctly registered:

Uninstall IBKR Mobile app (if it is currently installed on your smartphone).
Contact us to get a Temporary Code (valid only 20 minutes).
After receiving the Temporary Code please reinstall the application WITHOUT restoring the previous parameters.
Enter your login, password AND Temporary Code, then press CONTINUE.
Follow the steps 4 & 5 from the section "Enable two factor identification".
Check your access to your account management and verify your phone number in the menu "Settings" > "Account settings" by clicking on the "i" symbol besides you first and last name in the section "Profile".

Note: Changing your phone number directly from the settings menu in your account management interface will not affect the phone number associated with the IBKR application.

2 step authentication for the account management interface