How to Set Up App-Based Two-Factor Authentication on Twitter for Free

Twitter has announced that it will soon stop supporting two-factor authentication (2FA) via SMS for users who are not subscribed to Twitter Blue. Users will have until March 20 to disable text-based login passcodes on their accounts, according to the microblogging service. This means that many users who rely on receiving SMS codes to protect their account will need to subscribe to Twitter Blue. For those who do not wish to subscribe, Twitter will continue to support alternative 2FA methods at no additional cost.

While Twitter has explain that the reason for shutting down free access to SMS-based 2FA was that the phone number mechanism was abused by “bad actors”, the microblogging service’s message also states that access to 2FA based on SMS for Twitter Blue subscribers “may vary by country and carrier.”

If you don’t want to pay high monthly fees to Twitter, Twitter Blue costs up to Rs. 900 per month in India – for SMS-based two-factor authentication to protect your account, you can upgrade to a more secure option to protect your account through authenticator apps. You can download apps like Authy, Google Authenticator, Microsoft Authenticator and our favorite, the open source Aegis Authenticator before following the steps below.