Ambivo Books User Guide
DocsUG-002
Sign Up, Login, and Authentication
How to log in, MFA, password reset, and the Payment PIN
This guide explains how to access Ambivo Books, the different ways you can sign in, how to recover your account if you forget your password, and the extra security layers Books offers — including the Payment PIN that protects outgoing payments.
How Authentication Works in Ambivo Books
Ambivo Books shares its identity system with the rest of the Ambivo platform. The same email, password, and multi-factor settings you use for Ambivo CRM, Commerce, and other apps work for Books too. Behind the scenes, Books delegates login to the Core Ambivo API, so you never have a separate Books-only password.
This means:
- If you already have an Ambivo login, you can sign in to Books without registering again.
- Single sign-on with Google, Microsoft, or Apple works in all Ambivo apps including Books.
- Multi-factor authentication, if enabled, applies platform-wide.
Creating an Account
Ambivo Books does not have its own sign-up page. New users are created on the main Ambivo platform — typically by a tenant administrator who invites you, or via the public Ambivo signup flow if you are starting a brand-new tenant. Once your Ambivo account exists, the same credentials sign you in to books.ambivo.com.
If you have been invited, look for an email from Ambivo with an invitation link, click it, and set your password. After that, you can sign in to Books.
If you signed up on your own as the first user in a tenant, you become a tenant administrator. The first time you sign in to Books, you will go through the company setup flow.
Logging In
The Books login page (books.ambivo.com) currently exposes two sign-in methods:
Standard email + password
- Go to books.ambivo.com
- Enter your Email Address and Password
- Click Log In
Phone OTP (One-Time Passcode)
If your administrator has enabled phone OTP for your tenant:
- Switch to the Phone OTP option on the login page
- Enter your phone number
- Receive a one-time code by SMS
- Enter the code to sign in
Single sign-on with Google, Microsoft, or Apple
The Core Ambivo API supports Google, Microsoft, and Apple SSO, and your Ambivo account may already use one of them — but the Books login page does not currently surface SSO buttons. If your account is SSO-only, sign in once on the main Ambivo platform first, then navigate to Books. Future versions are likely to add SSO buttons directly on the Books login page.
Token Login (One-Click Sign-In)
In some situations — for example, when you click an Ambivo link from another app, or jump from the Ambivo CRM to Books — the platform passes you in with a short-lived token. You will see a brief loading screen, and then you are dropped onto the Books page that the link pointed to. There is nothing to enter; if it works, you are in.
If a token link fails (the token has expired, or it was for a different tenant), you are redirected to the standard login page.
Resetting Your Password
The Books login page does not currently expose a self-serve "Forgot password" link. To reset a forgotten password:
- Use the password-reset flow on the main Ambivo platform if your account was created there, or
- Ask your tenant administrator to re-invite you (the invitation link lets you set a new password)
Once your password is reset, return to books.ambivo.com and sign in with the new credentials.
You can change a known password from your Ambivo profile in the main Ambivo platform.
Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA)
Multi-factor authentication adds a second step to login. Even if someone steals your password, they cannot get in without your second factor.
Ambivo supports:
- SMS — A code is texted to your phone
- TOTP (authenticator app) — Codes from Google Authenticator, Authy, 1Password, etc.
MFA is configured in your Ambivo profile (in the main Ambivo platform, not Books-specific). Once it is on, every login asks for the second factor after you enter your password.
Tips
- Authenticator apps (TOTP) are more secure than SMS — use them if you can.
- Save your recovery codes somewhere safe (a password manager) so you can get back in if you lose your phone.
The Payment PIN (Access Code)
Books has an extra security layer that is separate from your login password: the Payment PIN.
The Payment PIN is a 4–6 digit code that you must enter before each outgoing Wise transfer to a vendor. The point is to make it harder for someone who has hijacked your session to drain money out of the company. Even if your laptop is unlocked and your Books tab is open, an attacker would still need your PIN to send money.
Setting your PIN for the first time
- Go to Settings in the sidebar
- Find the Payment Security card
- Under Payment PIN, you will see a status badge — Set or Not set
- Enter your login password to verify it is really you, and click Verify Password
- Enter the new 4–6 digit PIN and confirm it
- Click Set PIN
Changing your PIN
Follow the same steps as above. The form will say Change PIN instead of Set PIN because you already have one.
Using your PIN
When you initiate a Wise payment from the Bills or Transfers Sent page, Books prompts you for the PIN before authorizing the payout. After a few wrong attempts the PIN is temporarily locked.
Forgot your PIN
The PIN cannot be recovered. To reset it, go to Settings → Payment Security, verify your login password, and set a new PIN.
Logging Out
Click your profile (top-right) and choose Log Out, or close the browser tab if you trust your machine.
For shared computers, always log out — your session token stays alive for the rest of the session if you do not.
Sessions and Token Expiry
After you sign in, Ambivo issues you an access token that is good for a limited time, plus a refresh token that lets the app silently get a new access token without re-prompting you.
In practice you will not notice this — the page just keeps working. If your refresh token expires (typically after a long period of inactivity, or if an administrator forces a sign-out), you will be bounced to the login page and asked to enter your password again.
Common Questions
Can I have more than one Ambivo account?
Yes — for example, a personal account and a separate work account. They must use different email addresses. Sign out of one to sign in to the other.
What if I forget my Payment PIN?
You cannot recover it. Reset it from Settings → Payment Security by re-entering your login password and choosing a new PIN.
Why does Books ask for my password again when I open Settings → Payment Security?
Because the Payment PIN protects money. Re-prompting your password ensures that even if someone gets access to your already-open Books session, they cannot change the PIN without proving they know your password.
How do I revoke a session?
There is no per-session revocation in Books today. To force every device to re-authenticate, change your Ambivo password.
Can I disable MFA after I have set it up?
Yes, from your Ambivo profile (in the main Ambivo platform). It is strongly recommended that you keep it on.
Why doesn't the Books login page have Google / Microsoft / Apple buttons?
The Core Ambivo API supports those providers, but the Books login screen currently shows only email/password and Phone OTP. If your account is SSO-only, sign in on the main Ambivo platform first and then go to Books — the session carries over.
Tips and Best Practices
- Use SSO if your company offers Google or Microsoft Workspace — fewer passwords, fewer leaks.
- Turn on MFA. Most account compromises happen because of password reuse.
- Set a Payment PIN even if your role does not currently send payments. The cost is one extra PIN; the value is real protection if your role expands.
- Treat your Payment PIN like an ATM PIN — do not share it, do not write it on a sticky note.
- Sign out on shared machines. Always.