Twitter is a powerful and popular social media platform with millions of active users. Most users use this app to share their daily life, trending news, or promote business.
While Twitter is safe to use, many hackers often try to intrude into other’s accounts and steal information or defame people. If you are an active Twitter user, you must set up two factor authentication for Twitter.
This feature adds an extra layer of security to your account to prevent such attacks. Once you enable this feature, you need to verify your identity by entering a code along with your username and password when you want to access your Twitter account.
You can set up two factor authentication for Twitter via SMS, Twitter Authentication app, or a security key. If you have not yet set up the two factor authentication on Twitter, here’s a complete guide on how to do it.
What is Twitter Authentication App?
Twitter lets you set up authentication using a Twitter Authentication App. The process to set up such apps varies from app to app.
However, you can easily find a Twitter Authenticator App on the Google Play Store or Apple App Store and download it from there. And set it up in a few minutes.
The most popular Twitter Authenticator apps are Authy and Google Authenticator. You can download both these apps and pair them with your Twitter to set up two factor authentication.
How to Enable 2FA via Text Message for Twitter on iPhone and iPad
iPhone or iPad users who wish to enable two factor authentication 2FA on their devices via SMS can follow the steps mentioned below:
1. Open the Twitter app on your mobile.
2. Click the profile icon on the top left side of the screen.
3. Click the Settings and Privacy option.
4. Tap Account > Security > two factor authentication.
5. Click on the Text Message switch to turn it on.
6. Tap on the Get Started button.
7. Fill in your Password and click on Verify.
8. Fill in your Mobile number and click on Next.
9. You will receive a confirmation code via text message on your phone number. Enter the code.
10. Click on Next > Got it.
Remember to save the confirmation code at a secure place. You will have to enter this code whenever you want to sign in to Twitter.
How to Enable 2FA via Google Authenticator App for Twitter on iPhone and iPad
If you don’t want to use the text message method, you can use the Google Authenticator App to enable 2FA on Twitter. Here’s how to do it:
1. Open the Twitter app on your device.
2. Click the profile icon on the top left side of the screen.
3. Click Settings and Privacy > Account > Security > two factor authentication.
4. Click on the Authentication app option to turn it on.
5. Provide your Password and click on Verify.
6. Select the Link app now option.
7. Click Open to open the authentication app you want to link.
8. Click YES so that the authentication app can add a new token.
9. Click the Twitter icon in the top left corner to go back to the Twitter app.
10. Enter the confirmation code given by your authentication app.
11. Click on Verify.
12. You will now have to enter the confirmation code whenever you want to log in to Twitter.
How to Enable 2FA via Text Message for Twitter on Your Computer
Like your mobile device, you can enable 2FA via Text Message from your Computer. In that case, the code will be sent to your phone number, and you will have to use that code to sign in to Twitter. Here’s how to do that:
1. Go to your Twitter account on your computer
2. Click the profile icon on the upper right beside Tweet.
3. Tap on The More option in the left sidebar
4. Click on Settings and Privacy.
5. Click the Account option on the left side.
7. Click Security > two factor authentication.
8. Select the Text Message checkbox and tap Get Started.
9. Enter your password and click on Verify.
10. Click the Send Code button.
11. Now enter the confirmation code sent on your mobile via text message.
12. Click Next > Got it.
How to Enable 2FA via Authenticator App for Twitter on Your Computer
You can also enable 2FA using an authenticator app for Twitter. In this section, I have mentioned the process of setting up two factor authentication using the Google Authenticator app.
1. Go to your Twitter account on your Computer browser.
2. Click the Profile icon on the upper right beside Tweet.
3. Click on the More option in the left sidebar.
4. Select Settings and Privacy.
5. Choose Account from the left menu.
6. Click Security > two factor authentication.
7. Select the Authentication app checkbox and then click on Start.
8. Enter your Password and click Verify.
9. Open the authenticator app on your mobile phone.
10. Scan the barcode on your computer screen.
11. Click on Next.
12. Enter the confirmation code from the authenticator app.
13. Click Verify > Got it.
Remember to save the confirmation code, as you’ll need to enter it when you sign in to your account.
How to Generate a Temporary Twitter Password on iPhone and iPad
After enabling the two factor authentication using text message or an authenticator application, you can set a temporary password. You can use this password while signing in from someone else’s device or while signing in to third-party applications.
Below are the steps that you’ll need to follow for setting up a temporary Twitter Password.
1. Open the Twitter app on your Mobile.
2. Click on the profile icon from the top left side of your screen.
3. Click Settings and Privacy > Account > Security.
4. Select the two factor authentication option.
5. Click the Temporary Password option from the bottom of the menu.
6. Click Generate a new password.
7. A new temporary password will now be generated. You can use the password while logging into Twitter.
However, do keep in mind that the password will expire after one hour.
What to do if Twitter Authentication App Not Working
For any reason, if the Twitter Authentication App takes too long to send the confirmation code, or the app fails to start. You can try to adjust the time to make sure it is synced correctly.
If you are using the Google Authenticator App, you can go to the Menu button > Settings > Time Correction for codes > Sync now. After doing this, your app will start functioning as before.
What are Twitter Two Factor Authentication Multiple Users
Earlier, if you had more than one account on one device, it was not possible to enable two factor authentication for all the accounts. That’s because, at that time to enable 2FA, you were required to have a unique cell number.
However, Twitter now lets you set up 2FA for multiple users using one cell number. Moreover, many authentication apps also support this facility so that you can set up Twitter 2FA for multiple users effortlessly.
FAQ’s
Can I get my Twitter verification code without my phone?
If you have enabled two factor authentication on Twitter and generated a backup code, you can enter the backup code to log into your account and update the settings, even when you don’t have your phone.
Contrarily, if you don’t have your mobile phone and are not logged in to your account, you will have to get in touch with the Twitter support team.
Can I turn off two factor authentication?
If you no longer want to use the two factor authentication Twitter, you can easily disable it using the following steps.
1. From the side menu, click on More > Settings and Privacy
2. Select Security and account access
3. Tap on Security
4. Tap two factor authentication
5. Unselect the box next to the authentication method you have selected.
6. 2FA will now be disabled for your account.
What to do if Twitter 2 Factor Auth Verification code not received
Sometimes you may face issues in receiving the 2 Factor Authentication code. That could be due to several reasons. For example, if your mobile is offline or on flight mode, you might have recently changed your mobile number, etc.
To fix this issue, you first need to check if your mobile is on correctly. Also, you need to wait for at least two minutes after sending the code generation request and before trying to sign in again.
