Twitter is making two-factor authentication (2FA) via SMS chargeable

Twitter has decided to make a notable change for security, namely to charge for two-factor authentication (2FA) by SMS. Indeed, it is now necessary to have a subscription to Twitter Blue to benefit from it.

Twitter ends free SMS 2FA

Two-factor authentication is, as the name suggests, a way of having two checks to authorize an account login. You must first enter your username and password. Once this is done, you must enter an additional code generated on the fly. There are several ways to receive this code, including SMS. Once the code is entered, connection to the account is authorized. Thus, a hacker who has somehow recovered your username and password will not be able to connect because he is missing the 2FA code.

Today Twitter has decided that two-factor authentication by SMS should become chargeable with a Blue subscription; it will be a reality from March 20. Twitter Blue costs €9.60/month (VAT included because the price of €8 displayed by the social network does not take it into account) or €100.80/year. These are the prices from the web. If you decide to subscribe from the social network’s iOS or Android application, the price will be €11/month. But a subscription taken from the Web is valid on mobile.

Is there still a free solution? Yes, it is possible to use apps like Google Authenticator, Authy and others to generate the codes. This solution is more secure than receiving the codes by SMS. There is also the possibility of using security keys that you connect to your device.

And for information, Twitter revealed in its data that only 2.6% of active accounts have enabled at least one two-factor authentication method. 74.4% of these accounts use SMS to receive the codes. 28.9% go through apps like Google Authenticator and Authy, and 0.5% use security keys.