To make a signer prove it’s really them, turn on one or more codes for that person on the recipients step. They have to enter every code you chose before they see the notice about signing electronically, let alone the document.

Which kinds of code are there?

Three, and you can combine them:

  • Access code. A code of 4 to 20 characters that you make up and tell the signer yourself, by phone or in person. It isn’t in the email, so someone who only has their inbox can’t use it. We store it in a form we can’t read back, so note it down before you send.
  • Email code. Tick “Ask for a code we send to their inbox”. When the signer opens their link, they ask for a 6-digit code and we email it to them. That way a forwarded link alone isn’t enough to sign.
  • Text message code. Tick “Ask for a code sent by text message” and enter their mobile number. The signer sees the number partly hidden and presses a button to get a 6-digit code by text. This one comes with Pro and Business, and works with US and Canadian mobile numbers. It’s built but not switched on yet, so for now no text code can be sent; use an access code or an email code instead.

If you use more than one, the signer goes through them in that order: access code, then email code, then text code.

How long does a code last?

Email and text codes work once and expire after 10 minutes. Asking for a new code cancels the old one, and each signer can ask for up to 5 codes an hour.

What happens after too many wrong tries?

After 5 wrong codes, the link locks for 15 minutes and you get an email saying so. That applies to all three kinds. Usually it’s a signer mistyping, but if you weren’t expecting it, call them before you send anything new.

What does the text message say?

It’s always the same and has no link in it: “[Your business name] sent you a document on SignWren. Your code is 123456. It expires in 10 minutes.” Keeping links out of texts means a signer never has to wonder whether a text link is genuine.

If the message can’t be delivered, the signer sees “We couldn’t text that number” and you’re emailed so you can correct it.

Which phone numbers can get a text code?

Mobile numbers in the United States and Canada. If you type a number from another country, the recipients step tells you so and won’t save it; use an email code for that signer instead. Toll-free, premium-rate (900 numbers and 976 exchanges) and other numbers that aren’t tied to a place are refused too, because a code sent there either costs money or doesn’t reach a person.

How many text codes can I send?

Pro includes 50 text message codes a month and Business 200, counted across your whole account. The Plan and usage section in Settings shows how many you’ve used. Free doesn’t include text codes, but access codes and email codes work on every plan.

What happens if my account sends a lot more than that?

Codes past your allowance still go out, so a signer is never stuck halfway. There is a hard stop, though, at twice the allowance in one billing period: 100 codes on Pro, 400 on Business. After that, a signer who asks for a text code gets a 6-digit code by email instead, and the signing page says so.

If you asked for a text code only, the email code takes its place. If you asked for both an email code and a text code, the email code they already entered covers it. Either way the switch is written in the document’s history, and the certificate lists only the codes the signer actually entered.

The account owner gets one email the first time this happens in a billing period. Text codes start again when the next period begins.

Does the certificate show which codes were used?

Yes. The certificate of completion lists every method each signer passed, for example “Email link + email code” or “Email link + SMS code to +1 ***-***-0187”. The full phone number stays in the document record and isn’t printed on the certificate.