Twitter now lets you use third-party apps for account verification

In an attempt to ad an extra layer of security, Twitter announced yesterday that it will now let its 300 million+ users install third party apps for two-factor authentication to verify their accounts. Up until now, users could only verify their accounts with a code sent via a text message.

However, thanks to an update rolled out by Twitter, as an alternative to SMS, users can also use a third-party authenticator app such as Google Authenticator, Duo Mobile, Authy or similar installed on their mobile device. "You'll now be able to use a third party app for two-factor authentication instead of SMS text messages," announced Twitter on Thursday.

These third-party apps work independently and generate codes offline to help you use the two-factor authentication. While Twitter has also made it clear that it will still depend on SMS as two-factor authentication, it will now allow third-party apps as an alternative.

The micro-blogging site has also given a step-by-step direction on how to use the third-party apps.

This will prove to be an important move taken by Twitter due to the fact that SMS-based two-factor authentication uses static codes.

So basically, these codes could be taken hold of in the event a hacker or some other malicious third-party has access to one or more alternative ways of viewing messages on a device apart from having physical access to it.

With third-party apps like Google Authenticator, the codes disappear in about 30 seconds, making it a more secure way to verify your identify and access your account. This means, your accounts will stay more secure and safe.