PSA: Microsoft Is Removing SMS Authentication From Everyone’s Xbox Account

Microsoft is officially in the process of removing SMS authentication and account recovery as an option from everyone’s personal Microsoft account, which means Xbox accounts will also be affected by this change.

Basically, instead of sending texts where you can prove your identity with a six-digit code when trying to sign in, Microsoft is now pushing everyone towards other methods such as passkeys where you can use Face ID, fingerprints and PIN numbers to sign in more securely. Many people are already using Microsoft Authenticator for their Xbox accounts, and this will seemingly continue to function as normal – it’s just the SMS option that will soon be phased out.

“Microsoft is committed to advancing security standards and as such, we will start phasing out SMS as a method of authentication and account recovery for personal Microsoft accounts.”

“Microsoft believes that the future of authentication is passwordless,…