Microsoft is moving personal account users away from SMS verification codes and toward passkeys, the Microsoft Authenticator app, and verified email addresses for sign-in and account recovery. The change affects consumer Microsoft accounts used for services such as Outlook.com, Xbox, and Microsoft 365 subscriptions, and Microsoft says users who rely on text messages will be prompted to add another method.
The shift puts the phone itself at the center of everyday account access. A passkey lets a user sign in by unlocking a trusted device with Face ID, fingerprint recognition, Windows Hello, or a local device PIN, rather than typing a password or entering a one-time code delivered over the mobile network. Microsoft describes the approach as phishing-resistant because the credential is bound to the device and is not shared as a text string that can be intercepted or tricked out of a user.
Microsoft has not published a final cutoff date for SMS removal, but its support materials say text-message codes are being phased out for both sign-in and recovery. For users, the practical step is to set up a passkey and keep a verified email address on the account, so account recovery does not depend on a phone number that may be lost, changed, or compromised through SIM-swap fraud.
The move extends a broader consumer shift away from passwords and carrier-delivered OTPs. Microsoft recently expanded passkey controls across smartphones, Entra ID, and Microsoft account recovery, while Google has also moved Gmail authentication away from SMS codes. Banks and other digital-service providers have been making similar changes as phishing, SIM swapping, and social engineering weaken the protection offered by text-message verification.
The change does not remove mobile authentication from the user experience. It shifts the trust point from the phone number to the device and its local biometric or PIN unlock, making the smartphone a stronger credential for account access.
Sources: Microsoft Support, Windows Latest
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By the Mobile ID World Editorial Team
