In an interview with Forbes, Google confirmed plans to switch from SMS authentication to QR code. Gmail spokesperson Ross Richendrfer said that the company wants to “move away from sending SMS messages from authentication.”
Google wants to replace SMS authentication with QR codes to “reduce the impact of rampant, global SMS abuse,” among other things. The search giant believes that the current authentication method that uses SMS is no longer the safest way to make sure that your Gmail account isn’t hacked.
These days, it’s too easy to trick a carrier into getting hold of someone’s phone number, Google points out, which means that SMS authentication no longer makes sense for Gmail.
According to Google, the change to how Gmail users authenticate will be gradually introduced in the company months. The Mountain View company says that it will work on developing a much safer way to verify phone numbers: “specifically, instead of entering your number and receiving a 6-digit code, you’ll see a QR code being displayed, which you need to scan with the camera app on your phone.”
Gmail won’t be getting QR code authentication in the next few months | Image credit: PhoneArena
QR code authentication has a few important benefits over SMS authentication, including reduced phishing risk of Gmail users being tricked into sharing security codes. It also removes the reliance of Google users on their phone carrier for anti-abuse protection.
Google has revealed a release date for the security change, but it did say that we should expect QR code authentication to arrive “in the near future.” Although many Gmail users might be reluctant to big changes such as this, something that significantly improves security should always be seen as a great benefit.
Although QR code authentication won’t be coming for a few months, it’s nice to know that Google is doing something to reduce the risk of losing your Gmail account to bad actors.
