Credit: Authy Here’s Authy in action, displaying a 2FA code for logging into Facebook It’s better than SMS-based authentication, because it can’t be hijacked by an attacker engaging in SIM swapping or some method of intercepting your texts. Once you’ve set them up, any of these free apps will display a six-digit code (for a brief period, before it changes) that acts as a second password for your account. The easiest way is to use an authentication app that doesn’t rely on your phone number, like Google Authenticator, Microsoft Authenticator, or Authy. So, now that we’ve got this bit out of the way, it’s time to set up two-factor authentication without a phone number. I imagine this refers only to receiving notifications via SMS, and uploading content using MMS I tried uploading a video via the Android app on my phone after removing my number, and it worked just fine.Īfter removing my number, I had a colleague search the social network with it to confirm that my profile wouldn’t surface, and that worked fine. It’s worth noting that Facebook will display a warning about not being able to use this phone to receive notifications or upload photos and videos if you proceed with this step. Don’t give Facebook your phone number, just don’t Click ‘Remove’ below each number to de-list them. You’ll be able to see a list of all the phone numbers associated with your profile. To do this, log into Facebook and visit this link, or head to your settings, and then click on ‘Mobile’ in the left sidebar. Let me walk you through it.įirst off, you’ll want to check if Facebook’s got your number. You can actually avoid giving your number to Facebook without ditching the additional security that 2FA affords you. Oh, and you can’t turn it off – the best you can do is restrict number look-up to only your friends on Facebook. In its statements to TechCrunch about the features, Facebook noted that the features aren’t new, and that your number can be looked up by everyone by default because that “makes it easier to find people you know but aren’t yet friends with.” The company comes across as obtuse about the potential dangers and the invasiveness of allowing anyone to confirm your identity with your phone number on the platform, without informing you that this is enabled by default.

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