Twitter Users, Say Goodbye to Old-Fashioned SMS Tweets

In a bid to keep user accounts safe, Twitter has decommissioned SMS-based tweeting in most countries around the globe.

The social media platform did not specify which countries are excluded from the “ban,” however, it did provide a short statement on the official Twitter support page:

“We want to continue to help keep your account safe. We”ve seen vulnerabilities with SMS, so we”ve turned off our Twitter via SMS service, except for a few countries. Everyone will still have access to important SMS messages needed to log in to and manage their accounts”.

Users flocked nervously on Twitter”s support page demanding restoration of the SMS functionality, or, at least a heads up before removing the option.

“Maybe an SMS message telling everyone what you were going to do BEFORE doing it would have been nice”, said one Twitter user, while others reported uninstalling and reinstalling the app in attempt to fix the issue.

Twitter aficionados using the platform via SMS are advised to “log in at https://twitter.com or download the mobile app to enjoy the full Twitter experience”, and set up notifications.

This is not the first time the company has suspended the SMS function. Last year, several Twitter accounts were hijacked, Jack Dorsey”s (the CEO of Twitter). A week after this episode, the platform temporarily removed the ability to tweet via SMS.

According to the company, the incident was possible due to a security vulnerability with the mobile provider:

“The phone number associated with the account was compromised due to a security oversight by the mobile provider. This allowed an unauthorized person to compose and send tweets via text message from the phone number.”

Wether the microblogging platform will cement its recent move remains to be seen. In the meantime, Twitter users will need to forego some convenience in the interest of security.