This Is Twitter's New Plan To Kill The Password

Twitter is rolling out a new tool for developers that will allow users to log in using codes sent to their smartphones rather than a traditional password.

The company made the announcement at its inaugural Flight developer conference on Wednesday, according to The Verge.

The service will be called Digits, and third-party developers will be able to use it soon.

When a developer adds Digits to an app, the user will be able to login using his or her phone number.

After entering the phone number, Twitter will send a verification code via SMS. Users then enter that confirmation code to log in, and each code expires after it's used.

It sounds very similar to two-step verification - almost as if Twitter is working with developers to directly build two-step verification into most apps.

The idea isn't necessarily new, however. Messaging apps like WhatsApp have been deploying a similar system for quite some time. The introduction of Digits, however, could improve security by encouraging more developers to adopt the same sort of login process.

Digits already has its own website, but it looks very basic at this time. Here's an example of what the service will look like:

Twitter's introduction of Digits comes just after Google unveiled its new Security Key on Tuesday. Like Digits, Security Key is another means of authentication meant to replace the traditional password. Google's alternative, however, takes the form of a USB stick rather than a message sent to your phone.