Twitter to Stop Allowing Phone Use For Two-Factor Authorization

Company uses late Friday announcement for news.

Twitter is changing the rules for an important security procedure.

The company said it will stop allowing its users the convenience of using their phone to complete so called two-factor authorization.

Security experts say the login approach, which involves using a password and a separately generated code to make hacking more difficult, is among the better security tools available.

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To be sure, Twitter isn’t doing away with two-factor authorization.

However, the company says it will no longer allow accounts to enroll in the text messaging system for two-factor authorization with one exception. They can still do it if they sign up for Twitter Blue. That’s the paid subscription service introduced by Elon Musk shortly after he completed his $44 billion acquisition of Twitter last year.

“After 20 March 2023, we will no longer permit non-Twitter Blue subscribers to use text messages as a 2FA method,” the company said in a blog post.

“We encourage non-Twitter Blue subscribers to consider using an authentication app or security key method instead. These methods require you to have physical possession of the authentication method and are a great way to ensure your account is secure,” the company said. 

A Twitter Blue subscription costs $8 a month, or $84 a year. 

It's one of the few monetization tools available to the company outside of advertising sales. Musk has been struggling to cut costs and boost revenue to help carry the huge debt load he took on to acquire the micro blogging service. 

He laid off thousands of Twitter employees shortly after the acquisition closed in late October.