Update: Blizzard has just shared an update on its website – revealing that it will be relaxing the phone number requirements for the majority of current Overwatch players. However, new accounts will still have to meet the requirements of SMS Protect. Here is the full detail in it official forum update:
“We designed Overwatch 2 to be a live service, allowing us to respond to a wide range of player feedback. We’ve made the decision to remove phone number requirements for the majority of players. Overwatch is now available. Any Overwatch player with Battle connected. net account, including all players who have played since June 9, 2021, will not have to provide a phone number to play. We are working on implementing this change and expect it to go live on Friday, October 7. We will update players once it goes into effect.
“We remain committed to combating disruptive behavior in Overwatch 2 — accounts that are not connected to Battle.net as well as new accounts will still have to meet the requirements of SMS Protect, helping to ensure that we are protecting our community against fraud.If a Player is found to be disruptive, their account may be banned whether or not they have a new account. team, we will continue to listen to ongoing feedback and will make further adjustments in this area if necessary.”
Original article: Blizzard is released! Overwatch 2 earlier this week, and it was a disaster – with long queues and connectivity issues.
It seems some people can’t even get past the login screen since this free game’s new “defense matrix” requires users to have a phone number associated with their account in order to play. It’s all part of Blizzard’s two-factor authentication system, but it seems to be giving some heroes a headache.
A post on Overwatch subreddit, which has now generated more than 700 reviews, highlights how many prepaid mobile users in certain locations around the world are unable to use their phone numbers to “SMS Protect” for their accounts. It essentially leaves them with no choice but to sit on the sidelines or consider a new provider.
“Let’s discuss disallowing “Prepaid” Phones – Uh, so I’ll be frank. Many individuals around the world (ie, especially in low economic areas) use the plan. prepaid Many providers (such as MetroPCS) only use prepaid plans Now you are telling me I can’t play the game I bought back in 2016 because of my phone plan That’s pretty demoralizing and honestly, you need to worry about your financial well-being just to play the af***ing video game that is supposed to distract you from the appearances. in the real world.
“Imagine walking into a bank and they refuse to let you open an account with them just because of the type of phone service you use (i.e. or the provider, such as MetroPCS). That’s overwhelming. It’s annoying and disgusting. Blizzard fixed it.”
Some users in specific regions of the world have noted that it’s not necessarily a prepaid phone issue, given how their prepaid devices work. Some argue that it has more to do with certain mobile carriers and those that don’t require users to provide identification to make purchases. A story on Kotaku note how this is affecting mainly US players right now:
“Blizzard’s phone restrictions seem to primarily affect users of US prepaid phone plans… Prepaid phone users in other countries have reported being able to sign in to game without issues, which some players speculate may be because their country requires identification to buy prepaid phones, or because Blizzard only bans known prepaid phone plans .”
Some users are now even calling for an alternative to SMS Protect. Blizzard previously explained that it added this new requirement to give users an extra layer of security, and as a result, it can reduce cheating and disruptive behavior in the game.
How has your own experience with Overwatch 2 been so far? Have you encountered any mobile phone related problems? Let us know in the comments section.
