Twitter has introduced a new change on its platform, which might not be well-received by many. The microblogging site has now disabled two-factor authentication (2FA) via SMS for free users and has now made it a part of the Twitter Blue subscription.
Twitter Makes 2FA Exclusive to Blue Users
Twitter will no longer let non-Blue users enable 2FA via SMS. 2FA, for those who don’t know, provides you with the option to log in using a code or security key in addition to the password, thus, becoming an additional layer of security. This is now paid feature, joining the several Twitter Blue features, which includes the ‘prestigious‘ blue tick.
If you are wondering why the weird change then Twitter has a reason to support it. It is revealed that 2FA via text message or SMS is being used for malicious activities, and hence, the decision to prevent such occurrences in the future. Although, there was nothing supporting this claim has been provided.
The blog post reads, “So starting today, we will no longer allow accounts to enroll in the text message/SMS method of 2FA unless they are Twitter Blue subscribers. The availability of text message 2FA for Twitter Blue may vary by country and carrier.“
Those who have already enabled two-factor authentication via SMS will have 30 days to disable it and post March 20, Twitter will not allow any non-Blue user to get access to the security feature. In case you want to continue using it and also want access to exclusive Twitter features, you can go for Twitter Blue, which recently went live in India.
The plan includes lesser ads, better reach, the blue tick, the ability to post longer videos, and more. This costs Rs 650 a month when bought via the web and Rs 900 a month if purchased via Twitter’s Android or iOS app. You can read more about this over here.
And if subscribing to Twitter Blue isn’t what you want, you can go for third-party authentication apps like Google Authenticator, 1Password, and more or a security key method. So, what do you think about this new change? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
