All terms

Code validity

Code validity is how long a verification code stays usable after it is sent: a few minutes, set by the service not the carrier.

In detail

It is a different clock from the activation window: the window governs how long we hold the number, validity governs how long the code the service sent is still accepted. Game platforms are generous, often fifteen minutes and alphanumeric; banking apps are the opposite. When both clocks are short the failure looks identical from outside — you were given a number and nothing usable arrived in time.

Also known as

  • code expiry
  • otp lifetime

Related terms