If you have been following my recent “How to” series, you now know how to protect your Google account with two-step verification (2SV).
You might have even decided to set up 2SV with the Google authenticator app, which means you will now be able to receive verification codes for your Google account in the absence of internet access or mobile service.
Two-step verification might be less secure than two-factor authentication, but in adding an extra step to a login process, it does enhance your overall account security. That is true for each and every web account on which you activate 2SV, including your social media accounts.
Twitter calls its implementation of 2SV “Login Verification”.
In this guide, I will discuss how you can activate Login Verification on your Twitter account. My article will include steps for activating login verification via SMS text messaging and via Twitter’s mobile app for Android. (Guidance for Twitter’s iOS app will also be provided.)
SMS login verification
1. Log in to your Twitter account via a web browser.
2. At the top-right corner of your Twitter homepage, you will find a box-like icon that displays either your profile image or an egg against a colored background (in the event you have not uploaded an image). If you hover over that icon, the text “Profile and Settings” will drop down just below it. Click on that icon.
3. A dropdown menu containing your name, your lists, and a number of other features will appear. Just above “Log out,” which should be the last feature in the menu, you will find “Settings.” Click on that option.
4. You will find yourself on your account overview page, which displays your Twitter handle, your registered email, and some other basic pieces of information about your account.
On the left-hand side of the page, you will see a menu with “Account” selected in bold font. Click on “Security and privacy” located just beneath the “Account” option on that list.
5. The first item under the “Security” section of the page is named “Login verification.” Next to that title, you will see an unchecked box with the text “Verify login requests” displayed next to it. Click on that box.
6. A dialog window will appear. It will state that you must receive a test message on your phone before you can activate login verification via SMS. Click on the blue button “Okay, send me a message.”
(NOTE: This message will display only if you have previously verified both your account and a valid mobile phone number with Twitter. If you have not already done so, go back to “Account” on the left-hand sidebar list and complete those steps.)
7. If your mobile settings are correct, you should have received a text message to your phone that reads, “Twitter can send verification codes to this device!” Click the “Yes” button in your web browser to confirm that you received that code.
8. A new dialog box asks you to reenter your password in order to save your new account preferences. Enter in your password and click the button “Save changes.”
9. Your account is now protected with SMS login verification! A message at the top of your “Security and Privacy” page will confirm that your settings have been saved. You will also see that the “Verify login requests” box is now checked.
Twitter app login verification
1. If you have not already done so, download the Twitter app on your mobile device. Once the download is complete, set up your account in the app.
2. On your Android device, tap the overflow icon, which should look like three dots displayed vertically, at the top of Twitter app’s homepage. (On an iOS device, click on the gear icon.)
3. In the dropdown menu that appears, click on the “Settings” option.
4. A list of settings will appear below your Twitter handle. Click on “Account.”
5. Your Account page will display your registered phone number and email. It will also give you the option to change your password and review your security settings. Click on “Security.”
6. On your Android device, click on the unfilled box that sits adjacent to the “Login verification” option. (For iOS devices, you will need to flip a Login verification switch to “On.”)
7. A dialog box will open up alerting you to the fact that you will need your device in order to log into your Twitter account from now on. Click “OK.”
8. At that point, you’ll be redirected to a screen where the Twitter app will ask you to take a screenshot of a backup code for your Twitter account. It is very important that you remember this code in case you lose your device. Take a screenshot of the code or write it down and store it somewhere safe.
9. And you’re done! The next time you log into your Twitter account from a web browser, your computer will display a screen indicating that it has sent you a verification request to your Twitter app.
That request looks like this:
Click on the checkmark to verify your login access, and you will automatically be redirected to your home feed.
If you do not receive the verification request, you can also have Twitter send your mobile device an SMS code. If that doesn’t work, you can use your backup code to log in.
There you have it! Your Twitter account is now protected with 2SV, and you can receive verification codes either via SMS text messaging or via Twitter’s mobile app.
Read more:
- Two-factor authentication (2FA) versus two-step verification (2SV)
- How to better protect your Facebook account from hackers
- How to better protect your Twitter account from hackers
- How to enable two-step verification (2SV) on your WhatsApp Account
- How to protect your Amazon account with two-step verification (2SV)
- How to better protect your Google account with two-step Verification (2SV)
- How to protect your Dropbox account with two-step verification (2SV)
- How to protect your Office 365 users with multi-factor authentication
- How to protect your Microsoft account with two-step verification (2SV)
- How to better protect your Tumblr account from hackers with 2SV
- How to protect your LinkedIn account from hackers with two-step verification (2SV)
- How to protect your PayPal account with two-step verification (2SV)
- How to protect your Yahoo account with two-step verification (2SV)
- How to protect your Apple ID account against hackers
- How to better protect your Google account with two-step verification and Google Authenticator
- How to protect your Hootsuite account from hackers
- How to better protect your Instagram account with two-step verification (2SV)
- Instagram finally supports third-party 2FA apps for greater account security
- How to protect your Nintendo account from hackers with two-step verification (2SV)
- How to better protect your Roblox account from hackers with two-step verification (2SV)
Hi, please does twitter send verification code via what's app. I was made to go through a verification process yesterday before getting on with my activities on Twitter. It demanded for my mobile number of which I obliged but then the verification code came by a nigerian number on what's app. I was skeptical about everything and.decided to go through my security measures on Twitter. I tried deleting my number and also off or on certain key options then I was hit with the same verification process again. Am I unnecessarily worrying myself?