"Many people have had the same phone number for years-even decades at this point. These numbers aren't just a way for people to get in touch because, stupidly, we have also settled on phone numbers as a means of authentication. Banks, messaging apps, crypto exchanges, this very website's publishing platform, and even the carriers managing your number rely on SMS multifactor codes. And those codes aren't even very secure."
"Most people won't need to move their phone number very often, but the risk that your eSIM goes up in smoke when you do is very real. Compare that to a physical SIM card, which will virtually never fail unless you damage the card. Swapping that tiny bit of plastic takes a few seconds, and it never requires you to sit on hold with your carrier's support agents or drive to a store. In short, a physical SIM is essentially foolproof, and eSIM is not."
Phone numbers function widely as authentication tokens for banks, messaging apps, exchanges, platforms, and carriers via SMS multifactor codes. Losing access to a number can lock users out of many critical accounts. eSIMs are more fungible and vulnerable to glitches or transfer failures, increasing the likelihood of number loss during routine moves. Physical SIM cards rarely fail, are instantly swappable, and do not require carrier support, offering more reliable continuity. Carrier reliance on SMS for account control creates self-defeating security and user-experience problems. App-delivered eSIMs tied to account credentials, authenticator apps, passkeys, and push notifications offer stronger protection against lockout.
Read at Ars Technica
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]