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← Account Management

How can we improve the account management experience?

Account Management: Security and Privacy Settings

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Stop requiring a phone number to set up 2FA.

First of all, good job on implementing non-Authy, non-SMS 2FA!

That being said, there's still a major hole in your 2FA implementation, and that's requiring a user to set up SMS authentication before they can set up other forms of 2FA. Unless I've missed something huge, whenever I try to set up 2FA on Twitch, I get directed to put in my phone number first. There's no prompt I can use to skip this step.

This is completely counter to how a lot of other sites do 2FA, where SMS authentication is an option, not a requirement. You can completely ignore SMS authentication and just use a standard TOTP code to set up Google Authenticator, etc. I would like to see Twitch adopt this practice as well: instead of requiring us to put in our phone number first, please just give us a list of 2FA options and let us pick a method without requiring the others. Or at least give us the option to set up SMS, set up an alternate 2FA method, and then remove SMS afterwards.

Not requiring SMS is important for several reasons:

  • It's one of the most insecure forms of 2FA. Relatively speaking, it's significantly easier to intercept a SMS or gain control of someone's number than it is to crack a TOTP token. (See this article for examples: https://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2018/08/password-breach-teaches-reddit-that-yes-phone-based-2fa-is-that-bad/) Requiring SMS means that everyone's account now has that "weakest link," even if they use a TOTP app.

  • Not everyone is comfortable giving their phone number to Twitch. Phone numbers are used for all sorts of things these days, including sensitive accounts. Some people just might maintain a strict online/offline life separation, and are wary of their phone number being leaked. Even if Twitch never intentionally reveals SMS authentication numbers to the public, hacks can and do happen.

  • Not everyone has a phone, or has a phone capable of receiving text messages, or a permanent phone number, or a phone that's recognized by Twitch as legitimate... Some people are still on landline for financial reasons. Some people are using small, alternative carriers like Republic Wireless or Google Fi, which get flagged as VoIPs. (Which Twitch does not allow for SMS authentication, despite those numbers being able to receive text messages.) The possibilities go on and on.

I'm sure there are many other reasons why requiring SMS authentication is a bad idea. I'm not asking for it to be removed entirely, but we should at least have the option of NOT using it.

Thanks for reading, and do correct me if this option already exists and I somehow missed it.

(See also: https://twitch.uservoice.com/forums/310228-account-management-e-g-login-connections-pass/suggestions/35025769-an-option-to-disable-sms-authentication-fallback-a)
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  • oliver908066 commented  ·   ·  Report

    I agree with this suggestion. Giving users the ability to choose their preferred 2FA method would make account security more flexible and accessible, especially for people who don't want to rely on SMS or share their phone number.

    A similar principle applies to other online services: users should have clear control over the information they provide and how their accounts are configured. For example, when using tools such as calcolo ascendente https://ascendentecalcolo.it/ , users may also prefer services that clearly explain what personal information is required and how it is used.

    Twitch could improve the experience by allowing users to enable TOTP or another supported authentication method directly, without making SMS a mandatory first step. SMS can remain available as an optional method rather than a requirement.

  • harryjosh34212 commented  ·   ·  Report

    Requiring a phone number when setting up 2FA can be inconvenient for users who prefer authentication apps or other security methods. It would be useful to consider supporting multiple verification options so users can secure their accounts without depending on SMS-based verification.
  • hapymods commented  ·   ·  Report

    A simpler account dashboard, clearer settings, and easy password/security controls would make the experience much better. The same applies to **mobile apps**—users should be able to manage their accounts without unnecessary steps. https://hapymod.id/unduh-aplikasi-game/
  • anjhella654 commented  ·   ·  Report

    This is a feature suggestion from a Twitch user who wants the option to set up two-factor authentication without providing a phone number – likely for privacy reasons or because they don't have a mobile number. It's a common request across many platforms. For a different kind of online discussion, https://desicasino.net/ might be a fun alternative. Do you use 2FA without a phone number?
  • DrSupermanShadow commented  ·   ·  Report

    https://newhorizensnationinfo.online/

    That country actually sets the law for Twitch.
    TWITCH STAFF REFUSE TO FOLLOW THE LAW REGARDING THE CHANGES IN IDENTITY, payments for streamers, etc

    And for those who didn't follow the news, the USA CONGRESS SAID in 2020, AND I QUOTE.
    "We, the USA leadership, will never implement free healthcare; affordable yes; free, no. Nor will we implement any other insane infrastructure we believe is not possible, and where would the money for such infrastructure be coming from? We are the will of the people; we decide the laws; we decide the infrastructure, not you. If you don't like what we do, then replace us by legal means, not by protest marching; put forth the names of your new leaders. If you can't continue these economic infrastructure marches and request a replacement for the US Congress, Supreme Court, and Law enforcement, we will consider it acts of terrorism and treason..."

    in case you are not aware that means they exiled 278 million, those repeated speeches made them tyrants. and automatically allows for the abolishment and change of government law to take effect...

    2 hours after the first speech, those people become a part of New Horizens Nation North America at 1 square mile. Information providers refuse to cover this for a very simple reason. it means their staff would loose "Freedom of speech(unknown to them: as long as you follow the laws of the usa)"
    to "freedom of speech as long as you are following NHN LAWS"

    Verifcation changes for services is one of the infrastructures the people wanted changed...

    And for those who don't know it.
    The USA signed and ratified the United Nations; I agree to adhere to the United Nations bylaws for as long as my country's name exists.
    And they have the added protection of founders' bylaws

    Disability rights are protected globally since 1973; one of the UN bylaws 2020 actually does require you to adapt your services if you are a business to how the disablied community works, not the society ways of a single country...

    so staff at Twitch are actually breaking the law. AND IN NHN THAT'S CLASSIFIED AS A HATE CRIME and anti-disabled, and since they refused to change. Legally, any person can not only call them out on live streams, chats, suggestion forums, etc, but they can also carry out the Humane Removal from planet arrest warrant(that warrant was issued by the current NHN LSCJ Court and signed by the NHN RASLC. So it's 100% legal....

    AS FOR me, I'm registered as NEW HORIZENS NATION LGBTQIA AND DISABLED RIGHTS LEADERSHIP.
    HAVE BEEN SINCE 2012.
    THE DISABLED NATION HAS BEEN CITIZENS OF NHN SINCE 2012.
    (I FILED THE ORIGINAL REQUEST AND IT WAS APPROVED)

    And I have it on public record that I do HAVE HF-AUTISM

    That makes what I say true.
    AND LASTLY

    AND IT'S A MATTER OF PUBLIC RECORD: THE GOVERNMENT DOCUMENTS ARE PUBLIC RECORD. AND IT QUITE CLEARLY STATES THAT IF YOU DON'T FOLLOW NHN LAW REGARDING THE DISABLED AND LGBTQIA, THE GOVERNMENT CAN LEGALLY SEIZE THE BUSINESS AND THE LAND YOU ARE ON...

    ALL INFORMATION ON NEW HORIZENS NATION WAS GIVEN TO ALL NATIONS LEADERS AND INFORMATION BEFORE IT WAS PUBLICLY PLACED ONLINE..

    IF YOU ARE NOT RECEIVING IT... THAT IS CALLED CENSORSHIP(IN SOME PLACES IT MAKES IT TYRANTSHIP, OR DICTATORSHIP, WHICH IS ANY ILLEGAL ACTIVITY); HOWEVER, IT DOESN'T MAKE THE EVENTS OF HISTORY LESS TRUE... AND I HATE TO BREAK IT TO YOU, BUT THOSE WHO MAKE A 12,000$ A MINUTE SALARY IN INCOME DON'T ACTUALLY LIVE OR WANT TO FACE REALITY UNTIL ALL OF THEIR INVESTMENTS GO BYE BYE..
    IN WORDS YOU CAN UNDERSTAND: THE COUNTRY OF NEW HORIZENS NATION HAS LEGALLY BANNED MILLIONAIRES+ PEOPLE, SO UNLESS EVERY DAY PEOPLE COVER THE NATION, YOU ACTUALLY WON'T LEARN ABOUT IT. BECAUSE ANYONE WITH EXCESSIVE WEALTH WON'T COVER A NATION OR PEOPLE IN A NATION WHO TAKE AWAY EXCESSIVE WEALTH...

    TWITCH ITSELF HAS 88% OF ITS USERS HATING HOW TWITCH RUNS ITS PLATFORM. ANYONE WITH A HALF-WAY DECENT WEB CRAWLER AND DATA ANALYZERS CAN FIND THIS INFO. LOL
  • geminissoul commented  ·   ·  Report

    The only reason it is not working for you is because you are targeted by the company its not some make believe reason like the guy going on about autism your accounts arent supposed to make it or be protected if you write in and ask for your shadow ban to be lifted a wager a lot of you will find you are under a shadow ban your content ideas and everything else are being stolen while they keep you distracted with utter non sense like this most likely you have obs problems and pc issues too it's just basically new age cyber trafficking a lot of platforms are doing it even not paying you your revenue and syponing it out to others even when i hit affiliate i never got paid twitct.tv are just scum bag criminals and they are keeping you distracted

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  • makkintosshu commented  ·   ·  Report

    As an IT admin & web developer, this was incredibly shortsighted when I signed up for Twitch and started streaming years ago. I can't believe it's been five years since _this suggestion_ was posted and nearly EIGHT(?!) years since the linked "see also" suggestion on the same topic.

    SMS verification _should not_ be required to configure 2FA if email has already been verified. There is zero other accountability or actual verification benefit in doing so. Furthermore, I see constant and all-too-frequent support questions in various public forums (here, reddit, mastodon, etc.) from users who have switched phones, forgotten to to update their mobile number in Twitch, and are forever locked out of their account. This is bad for regular users, but even worse for established streamers. And that's not even including the number of users who are just plain not receiving the verification codes via SMS!

    Last, and actually least in this case, I am US-based and live in an area that _still_ does not have reliable cellular service, so I have not been able to verify my phone after all these years of streaming. I'm not trying to get affiliate/partner, so I'm not worried, but I'd rather there were other verification methods, especially: voice calls (even financial institutions do this!), a small credit card payment fee (similar to those required to sell apps on the Google Play store and such), or even physical address verification via the postal service!
  • mike_fireson commented  ·   ·  Report

    I only discovered this today, and it’s absolutely appalling—I never would have thought that Twitch would handle such a critical security feature so incompetently, essentially nullifying the security itself.
  • geminissoul commented  ·   ·  Report

    Maybe just maybe you are a Targeted individual you know gangstalking programs are a thing right you can find out all about them online these days there are government documents on them under certain government websites reading rooms FOIA you are usually Shadow ban hacked and are not allowed to be monitized they give a glimmer of hope sometimes give you a taste here and there but for the most part they just play in your face have your pages and devices hacked not working properly and twitch just plain doesn't help you and sends you into a echo chamber on the forums where you never find help just being up front with you

  • Skellytoon commented  ·   ·  Report

    I wouldn’t even be against it but I literally can’t register my completely regular mobile phone number cause twitch for some reason doesn’t see it as valid. And support doesn’t help at all.
  • alianaeleece03 commented  ·   ·  Report

    I voted because it’s been so long since I’ve been able to interact with a lot of people I follow, every time I enter my phone number that has been my phone number for over 8 years it says my phone number is associated with another account which is weird because I have only had this one account on twitch for barely 2 maybe 3 yrs now and never once have I used my phone number for it until it started asking me to verify my account. I hope twitch can change this or do something else because not being able to comment and interact is really upsetting especially with small creators. How am I supposed to interact and support when I can’t even comment?

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  • DrSupermanShadow commented  ·   ·  Report

    Okay.

    1. starting with a long-winded HF autism poster.
    Bares with me, since I can't read this till after I've typed it out

    2. Even though certain facts and numbers can be found online.
    Most business owners do not take the time to look them up.

    Like the United Nations Conventions, they actually do apply to all businesses of the world as international business laws, regardless of nation. and things like what type of people will consent to be governed by, which is in fact the number one law of The USA ( on file with the 2 existing world governments), these rquest aret not always clearly defined, for example, in 2026, 96% of the United Nations recognized land is asking for utopian infrastructure lands, but the post for it are all over the map so you have to compile and simplefy the voice of the people.
    For example, there is 275 million signatures on file with the USA government for Free, complete healthcare over 322 proposals, for healthcare reform. that is a utopian system.

    Now the USA Congress refused,
    And the only country that has utopian infrastructure said yes to those signers' request based on what was written in them. and the laws written not only in the USA DOI, but by the world law conventions which were actually transferred and modified by the second world government... I will give the name a link and why the news refuses to cover this at the end of the post...
  • DrSupermanShadow commented  ·   ·  Report

    3. The United Nations Disability Conventions(is online, findable through Google, link to UN...) applies to all businesses, and there are two important cases filed and resolved around disabilities that most businesses ignore because they define them as unreasonable.
    1 is that a disabled person's ability to make money may be extremely limited so businesses are required to give an 80% discount, and an income source is defined as part of a disabled life.

    2.The current cost of living at that time was listed as 20,000 USD equivalent ( they actually have a cost of living chart for each country,

    the USA pays 14- 15 thousand a year, so it's 50% discount. BY world law.
    But by nation law its>>>
    30% housing( all housing stuff) 15% food 15 % medical 30% (divided by 6) for all utilities, including the tech used to access it and disability maintenance utilities... 10 % luxuries( list is now over 40,000 items). This is if you take SSA treasury law.( and that operationional law book is ot availble online or easy to get a copy of... but they have to adapt the price to fit a disabled income earners budget...

    Verizon and at&t execs have already admitted to me(and millions of other advocates) they will never do this.
    and they own 54% of North America's cell towers with 4% overlap in service. area... and for 2 lines they charge almost 90$ now...

    Now as far as account verification goes.

    Both, according to land ownership rights, since 86% of the world's population is currently calling for utopian infrastructure and leaders.
    (filing takes some digging and reading, but you can find it online with extreme difficulty ...

    New Horizens Nation Law applies to North America, South America, Asia, Africa, and Europe. The world government (United Nations standards) is 96%

    Now I've personally ben in constant contact with Twitch, which is legally separated from Amazon. But they are both

    New Horizens Nation Soil

    Amazon and Twitch Staff were contacted multiple times.
    They insist they can do this 2FA system, but their entire legal team has clearly never informed them that even under USA laws, this was made illegal in 2020 during COVID-19, because the world needed online infrastructure, most of it were Supreme Court cases....

    as the current New Horizens Nation RALSC.
    I will tell you that Twitch executives refuse to follow the law.
    both national and international. Twitch soil is actual soil for whatever the streamer sets. And since about 88% twitch users are asking for streaming to be a regular, steady paycheck job. (live for 1 -3 hours a dayevery stream is asking for a different number of days, viewer count doesn't apply)

    And New horizens Nation is the only country that does that(as far as i know)
    so again, Twitch does have to follow New Horizens Nation law>

    A, voips do have to have a real person attached, but they are classified as a privacy line for anti hacking, they are supposed to have security up the wazzoo.

    You connect them through an IP provider or provide identity verification(through say service like Google.
    So they are classified as a real phone, Google Voice especially...

    For the disabled, there is actually a code system accessibility law.
    So they can put it in a place to send it then they have 10 minutes to put the code in, and boom, it's done. it doesn't even require a phone, and btw that accommodation was carried over in 2020, it's been on file for ever for USA law ever since 2FA came into existence, the security questions is the second... which twitch should already know about... because the FBI actually releases a cybersecurity laws education notice ever year...

    now lastly so ya'll don't get lost>
    Why haven't you heard of New Horizens Nation?
    Well one most businesses don't support utopian infrastructure systems
    ( not enough drama, CEOs don't like having their pay check reduce from 13k a min to 12k a month)
    2. almost all of the information provided by people who identify as USA citizens
    google, comcast, cox communications, Disney( fox news), warner bros( soon to be netflix, owns CNN), they own almost all the news organizations in the world.

    And they have set rules on who they will cover.
    They will never cover New Horizens Nation because it is a Utopian infrastructure system. (What they don't get is NHN and I see them as public informers, which means they get access to the unlimited information provision treasure, which we will pay their yearly expenses)
  • DrSupermanShadow commented  ·   ·  Report

    You can head here for public government documents.
    https://newhorizensnationinfo.online/

    And I 100% do not agree with the way Twitch executives run the show.
    too many cases of disability discrimination.

    Twitch left me no choice but to seize them for refusing to cooperate.
    they actuall belong to New Horizens Divisions Entertainment,
    but New Horizens Division Social Handles the account security and verification.

    That was the deal between that network of small businesses. this was done in 2024 btw...

    " This is a direct quote from their board of directors, New Horizens Division.
    "We apologize if any New Horizens Laws were broken,
    We do not wish to fire, remove, or punish Executive types for their lack of knowledge; not every person receives direct communication from NHN leadership. Most major News and Information providers have owners who despise utopian systems
    (USALLY BECAUSE IT RESTRICTS THEIR ABILITY TO MAKE 13K$ A MINUTE.)

    Therefore will never actually cover news on them.
    There are many laws and countries you've never heard of because of how information providers work in the old world order.

    We stand by our C.O.O. Unfortunately, all the ex-executives, managers, and owners fail to, and refuse to accept our authority or the fact that they have been let go due to their failure to provide acceptable service provision to the people."

    We stand by New Horizens Nation."

    ~signed the New Horizens Division Board of Directors ~

    And very, very lastly fun fact according to the United Nations laws, since i actually registered my Twitch account to host New Horizens Leadership streams

    Twitch has to legally apply any feature I **** well tell them to, i discovered that in 2025 on New Year's eve... so i'm the kind leader that is going to apply it to everyone so they can chat in my streams when i need to set higher chat filter mwhaha. Have a nice day...

    The New Horizens RALSC 2023- (till im too old to do it)
    https://newhorizensnationinfo.online/

  • geminissoul commented  ·   ·  Report

    Here's a thing that might work use a burner phone that can receive sms messages your phone might be cloned secondly remove extensions from web browser third thing is clear your web browsers caches or try a diffrent web browser fourth thing on the list is twitch employees are a problem too all my support tickets had please do not remove in the subject line it seems twitch allows gang stalking and cyber stalking on their platform and humiliation rituals the streamers that have connections in twitch might just be blocking you and have targeted you for one reason or another and are just making it impossible for you to get a sms code altogether in all honesty their tech team and gurus are cyber criminals possibly even getting your ip info and handing it out i would say if you are not getting sms codes from twitch with all their known illegal issues like viewbots or with me not paying me anything after being a affiliate there are much better platforms

  • mikemuffins commented  ·   ·  Report

    100%. I want to set up 2FA, but I'm being defeated by Twitch's messy system for it. For some reason I never receive the Twitch SMS codes to my phone number, and obviously it wouldn't be appropriate to have 2FA permanently linked to someone else's number. TOTP solutions are much more flexible and I can work with them easily.

    SMS 2FA is also famously *unsuccessful* as a security mechanism.
  • stedetf commented  ·   ·  Report

    I really agree with this feedback. Giving users flexibility in how they secure their accounts is important, especially when it comes to 2FA. Requiring SMS as a mandatory step feels outdated and can actually reduce overall security rather than improve it. Many platforms already allow app-based authenticators without forcing phone numbers, and it would be great to see Twitch move in that direction too. Respecting user privacy and different circumstances should be part of good account management design—just like how trust and transparency matter in other online services, even outside tech, such as service websites like https://www.uaepoolcleaningservice.com/. Hopefully Twitch takes notes from suggestions like this.
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