Twitter will charge for two-factor authentication via SMS

Twitter users who secure their accounts with SMS will lose the extra layer of security after March 20, unless they change their two-factor authentication method or pay for the platform’s subscription service.

Two-factor authentication allows users to protect their accounts even if someone has stolen their password. Twitter users who have enabled this security process can log into their account after entering their password and a code they receive via text message or authenticator app. They can also use a security key.

The company said in a blog post it no longer allows “accounts to sign up for 2FA’s SMS/SMS method unless they are subscribed to Twitter Blue”.

“To be clear, two-factor authentication is still not required to log into Twitter, although we strongly encourage users to enable it. This change simply restricts the 2FA methods available to non-Twitter accounts. Blue,” Twitter Support tweeted on Friday. Twitter Blue, the platform’s subscription service, costs $8 per month if you subscribe via the web or $11 per month on your mobile device.

Twitter users can change their two-factor authentication app through account settings. After users click on “security and account access”, three different options are listed in a section for two-factor authentication.

Twitter’s announcement came hours after Platformer’s Zoë Schiffer tweeted that the social network planned to make this change. It’s another example of how Twitter is trying to get more users to subscribe to Twitter Blue as advertisers cut spending after billionaire Elon Musk bought the company for $44 billion. ‘last year. The Information reported earlier this month that Twitter has about 180,000 subscribers in the United States, so the service does not appear to be popular among users of the platform. The company tried to entice more people to subscribe by offering a coveted blue tick, longer tweets and other features.

Change also comes as Twitter is under more scrutiny and complaints from whistleblowers that the company isn’t doing enough to protect user safety. Last year, Twitter users complained that two-factor authentication didn’t work properly, and the company said it was looking into cases where SMS codes weren’t delivered.

Using a text message for two-factor authentication, Twitter said in a blog post, has been “used — and abused — by bad actors.” Hackers have tried to access codes sent via text message by transferring a person’s phone number to another device in what’s called SIM swapping.

Twitter users who opt out of 2FA SMS will not automatically have their phone number unlinked from their account, but will be able to update their number in the account settingsthe company said.