Twitter plans remove two-factor authentication (2FA) from text messages from all accounts except those subscribed to Twitter Blue, effectively putting an essential user protection feature behind a paywall. The good news is that the site offers two more secure authentication methods that will remain free.

If you don’t want to pay $8 a month for Twitter Blue ($11 if you’re using the platform on your phone), you can easily transition from SMS authentication to security keys and authenticator apps. You can set one or both so you don’t have to choose between security and savings.

On the web, click on the Further option in the sidebar, open the Configurations and support menu and choose Settings and privacy. Then go to Security and account access, Securityand finally, Two Factor Authentication. If you’re on your phone, the steps are more or less the same, but you’ll need to start by tapping your profile picture in the upper left corner of your screen. then go to Configurations and support.

[Related: Protect all of your accounts with two-factor authentication]

Once you’re in the Two Factor Authentication menu, you will see three methods that you can activate by selecting the checkbox next to them: Text message, authenticator appand Security key. Since the first is about to cost money, let’s start with the second.

By the time you check the box next to authenticator app, Twitter will ask you for your password again. This is an added security measure to ensure that you are the one making the changes and not someone taking advantage of the fact that you left the library in a hurry and forgot to log out of your account. Click Begin in the next window and the platform will show you a QR code. Keep it open while setting up the app on your phone.

Download and install your authenticator app on one of your mobile devices. There are many options to choose from in your device’s app store, but we’ll choose the Google Authenticator app (available for Android other iOS) because it is free and easy to use. If you want to try something else, don’t worry, you’ll find the setup process pretty similar. Once the app is ready to use, open it, tap Begin and it will offer you two options: Scan a QR code other Enter a setup key. The first one is the easiest: tap it, give the app permission to use your device’s camera, and use it to scan the code Twitter gave you. Immediately, Google Authenticator will create a new item in a list where you will see the account name and a six-digit code that expires every 30 seconds.

Back on your computer, click on the Next under the QR code you just scanned and type the six digits you see on your authenticator app. If the code is flashing red, it will expire soon, so we recommend that you wait for the next one to avoid sync issues. Click Confirm and you will be ready.

If for some reason you can’t scan a QR code (maybe you dropped your phone and the broken glass on the lens doesn’t allow it), you can configure your app using a setup key. On Twitter, just below the QR code, click Can’t scan the QR code? to reveal a 16-digit password. Under Google Authenticator, choose Enter a setup key and type the code you see on your computer. You’ll also need to provide an account name, just so we know where you can use your code in the future. finish playing Addand click on your computer Next. On the next screen, enter the six-digit code you see in your authenticator app, then tap Confirm.

Before you click made In the next window, Twitter will offer you a one-time backup code to log into your account in case you don’t have access to your authenticator app; it will come in handy if you lose your device or lose access to it . Write down your code and keep it in a safe place.

You can add as many accounts as you want to your authenticator app, and if you get another phone or set up a store on another device, you can easily move your data around using a QR code. just touch the three dot menu at the top right of the screen and choose transfer accounts (Android) or export accounts (iOS).

If you’re prone to losing your phone, you can use USB-compatible gadgets that act like a normal key: every time you log into your account from a new computer, you’ll have to plug in the device and tap it to prove you’re who you say you are. Depending on the device you have and the ports available to it, you can find dongles that are compatible with lightning, USB-A, or USB-C; the last of those three is especially useful, as you’ll also be able to connect it to most mobile devices. Prices vary by brand and compatibility, but you can find these keys for anywhere from $15 to $70. Whatever you get, make sure it meets FIDO standardsa protocol widely used in the technology industry and known for its high level of security.

But if you don’t feel like buying a security key, you can always use a phone or tablet as such. Using a device is similar to using a security key: every time you log into your Twitter account from a new computer, for example, the platform will show you a passkey similar to a QR code. You can then use the camera on your mobile device to scan the code, and you’re good to go.

To protect your Twitter account with a security key, click the checkbox next to the option in the Two Factor Authentication menu. In the popup window, click Begingonna add keyand you will see two options: usb security key other a different device. For a USB key, click on the first one, plug the key into the corresponding port, and touch it to activate it. On the next screen, give your key a name, then click Confirm.

[Related: The most transformative security innovations of 2021: Encrypted biometrics at your fingertips]

To set a phone or tablet as your security key, select a different deviceand scan the passkey with your device’s camera. Your device may require a biometric or access code to unlock it. This will also happen every time you want to use it as a security key. Go back to Twitter, give your device a name and click Confirm.

Before you’re completely done, both options will give you a one-time backup code for when you don’t have access to your security keys. Write them down and keep them in a safe place in case you need them.

Unlike authenticator apps, you can have as many security keys as you want. return in the Two Factor Authentication menu, click Manage security keysgonna add another keyand follow the instructions. You’ll also see a list of keys you’re already using in your account; click on each one to rename or delete them.