With security and user privacy becoming a paramount requirement, many companies have been looking to improve the security part of their platforms. Hence, Twitter is planning a future update that will allow accounts enabled with two-factor authentication to use security keys as the only authentication method.
Protecting your account on all of your devices is important. We’ve updated two-factor authentication so you can now log in with your physical security key on Android and iOS, like on desktop. More on how to set up this added security for your account: https://t.co/c7hff75zQd
— Support (@Support) December 2, 2020
Currently, users can use a security key to sign in to their respective Twitter accounts but now will require a 2FA method such as an authenticator app or SMS codes which would be enabled as a backup.
Though there are many authentication apps like Google Authenticator or Authy that are more secure than the use of SMS codes for 2FA, security keys such as the likes of physical keys that connect to your computer using USB or Bluetooth are the most secure way to protect an account online. Users don’t have to type in a code that could be intercepted by a malicious third party.
One of the key benefits of this is that users don’t have to give Twitter any additional personal information such as their phone number in order to log into their accounts. However, Twitter mentioned that it will allow multiple security keys on a single account. Moreover, in December, Twitter announced it was adding support for security keys for 2FA-enabled accounts when users log in to its mobile apps.
Presently, there isn’t a fixed timeline for when the 2FA update would take effect on the platform.
