Twitter is going to stop offering SMS verification for non-Blue customers.
Twitter has confirmed that all the non-Blue subscribers lose access to its two-factor security feature from March 20 onwards. What this means is that if you don’t pay for the Twitter Blue service (Rs 900 per month on mobile in India), you can’t secure your Twitter account using the SMS two-factor authentication. This bizarre decision has received flak from everyone, pointing the fingers at Elon Musk but many security experts don’t feel that’s the worst thing to happen for millions of Twitter users.
If you don’t want to pay for Twitter Blue and still have a two layer security, there are other options available on the platform. Instead of using SMS which is not deemed as the most secure option, you could switch to an authentication app that delivers better security for your accounts. You can rely on these apps from giants like Google, Microsoft and Authy among others. Users also have the option of using password managers to secure their accounts.
To be fair, Twitter has explained the reason for this move, citing the possible threats posed by bad actors who can manipulate SMS verification by cloning or swapping the SIM cards.
HOW TO SECURE TWITTER ACCOUNT USING AUTHENTICATOR APP
So, how can you switch this security setting on Twitter and secure your account? Here are the steps to follow:
– Open Settings on Twitter web app
– Click on Security and account access
– Tap on Security
– Go to Two-factor authentication
– Disable Text message option by signing in with your password
– Click on Authentication app
– You need install one authenticator app to start the process
– Scan the QR code that you see on the Twitter web version
– Feed the six-digit code to confirm the authentication process
Twitter has given its users ample time to make the change, and we hope you use at least one of these methods to secure your account. Or else, you could always pay the Twitter Blue subscription money and secure it via the traditional SMS system.