Google is moving away from using six-digit SMS codes to authenticate account logins.
Speaking to Forbes, Google confirmed that it plans to switch from SMS-based ID checks to QR codes.
Google says the switch comes amid abuse of the current system from fraudsters. Users can fall victim to phishing scams, while users don’t always have access to the phone number associated with their account.
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“Just like we want to move past passwords with the use of things like passkeys,” Gmail spokesperson Ross Richendrfer said. “We want to move away from sending SMS messages for authentication.”
“If a fraudster can easily trick a carrier into getting hold of someone’s phone number, any security value of SMS goes away.”
Moving forward, Google will begin rolling out QR codes as a replacement for SMS. There’s less risk of users being phished and users will no longer need to rely solely on their phone number for a log-in age.
“Over the next few months, we will be reimagining how we verify phone numbers,” the Gmail spokesperson added. “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.”
Google says this will keep users more insulated from malicious activity, claiming it’ll “shrink the surface area for attackers”
There’s no news yet on when Google will roll out this feature, but an announcement is coming in “the near future”.
QR codes proving their worth
When QR codes first came on the scene I didn’t think they’d end up becoming so useful. The pandemic helped with those QR code menus and such, while they also became excellent shortcuts for making payments, signing up for events and more.
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