Twitter will now let you enable two-factor authentication on your account without providing a phone number. Instead, as long as you use an authenticator app or security key, you can enable 2FA without linking your precious phone number.
For a long time, Twitter exclusively used SMS to send six-digit 2FA codes to users who signed up to use two-factor authentication. However, now, you can use an authenticator app or security key to generate your code, which means linking a phone number is overkill.
How to Enable 2FA on Twitter
Twitter has listened to the complaints, and acted accordingly. So, you can now enable 2FA on Twitter without providing a phone number. And if you already have your phone number linked as well as an authenticator app, you can now unlink your phone number.
Once the option to enable 2FA without linking a phone number rolls out to everyone, you should be able to enable two-factor authentication on Twitter using an authenticator app instead. Good options include Google Authenticator and Authy.
We're also making it easier to secure your account with Two-Factor Authentication. Starting today, you can enroll in 2FA without a phone number. https://t.co/AxVB4QWFA1
— Twitter Safety (@TwitterSafety) November 21, 2019
To enable two-factor authentication on Twitter, open Twitter, and click Settings and Privacy > Account > Security > Two-Factor Authentication. Then choose between using an Authentication App and a Security Key to begin the setup procedure.
If you already have a phone number linked to Twitter, you can remove it as long as you have an alternative method in place first. To remove your phone number, open Twitter, click Settings and Privacy > Account, then select your phone number and delete it.
Now, Please Let Us Edit Our Tweets!
This is a welcome move from Twitter. SMS-based two-factor authentication is vulnerable to SIM-swapping, as Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey found out in September 2019. Which may explain why Twitter has decided to remove the need to link your phone number.
All we need now is the ability to edit tweets, and Twitter would be well on its way to being usable again. As recently as February 2019, the aforementioned Jack Dorsey has stated that Twitter wants to let you edit your tweets. So, keep your fingers crossed.
Image Credit: Jean-Etienne Minh-Duy Poirrier/Flickr
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