Twitter reveals new system to sign in to apps using a mobile phone number

It is a problem we’ve all had – trying to remember the password for your favourite app or website.

Now, Twitter claims it has a solution – your phone number. Today it launched digits, a new system allowing people to log into apps with a phone number.

Digits is a standalone service any app developer can use, and was announced on stage at the first Twitter Flight conference for mobile developers in San Francisco.

The company said Digits will launch in 216 countries and in 28 languages on iOS, Android and the web later today.

Digits is a part of Twitter Fabric, a toolkit designed to help developers build better, more lucrative apps.

‘Users are central to most apps: all those people who play a game and tracks their high scores, create 6-second videos to share, order a burger and fries for pickup,’ Twitter said. ‘Whatever the use case, identity is central.

‘Increasingly, the phone number, more than an email address, is the primary identifier for an individual. In developing markets, it’s often the only identifier, as smartphone owners often don’t have email addresses.

‘So we’re excited to announce Digits – part of the Twitter Kit – which is sign-in with phone number done right.

Since Digits uses a phone number, there’s no need for users to remember complex passwords or usernames. All they have to share is a phone number to register an app.

Photo credit: Dailymail