Gmail is to ditch the use of SMS codes for authentication purposes, a Google spokesperson said. Here’s what you need to know.

Google has shared more details around its plans on replacing SMS codes with QR codes for user authentication. Read on for the details!

SMS codes have long been less secure than other forms of authentication. With QR codes, Google aims to reduce users' dependency on carriers for account verification.

In an effort to curb global SMS scams, Google is planning to shift away from SMS two-factor authentication. Instead, Google will prompt users to scan a QR code to authenticate their phone numbers instead.

According to Richendrfer, over the next few months, Google will be "reimagining" how the company verifies phone numbers. Gmail and other Google services will shift from texting six-digit codes over SMS to sending a QR code that a user would verify.

The search-and-ads giant introduced SMS distribution of one-time passcodes for authentication for Gmail in February 2011, and in 2018 fewer than 10 percent of users employed it. Google later required multi-factor authentication for most services in 2021.

Gmail will soon ditch SMS codes for two-factor authentication, and use QR codes instead. This will reduce the impact of global SMS abuse.

Currently, Google sends SMS codes for two reasons: to confirm that a new login is legitimate and to block spammers from opening Gmail accounts in bulk. You type in your credentials, and a moment later,