Reddit makes user authentication seamless with Twilio

Challenge

Reddit wanted to empower its users with a seamless account signup and login experience. That way, users could easily access communities and make authentic human connections.

Solution

Using Twilio Verify, Reddit’s users now can swiftly login or sign up for a new account using SMS one-time passcodes (OTPs). And with Twilio’s Lookup API, Reddit ensures those messages are headed to a number that can receive them, saving on costs and headaches.

If you’re human, you’ve probably heard of Reddit. If you haven’t heard of Reddit, you’ve most likely read it—get it? 

Founded in 2005, Reddit is home to thousands of online communities, conversations, and human connections by providing its users—AKA Redditors—with a platform to share what they care about. In fact, Reddit has sometimes been called the “front page of the internet.”

However, in 2024, the “front page of the internet” looks quite a bit different than it did in 2005, before smartphones and streaming existed. Today, many Redditors access the site through an app on their smartphone or device. While the company has taken huge steps to transform the site to be more secure and mobile-friendly for both users and Reddit’s passionate community of volunteer moderators, user authentication was one area that needed a reboot. 

After doing the research—and likely checking a few r/UserAuthentication subreddits—Reddit product managers were convinced that fast, secure phone authentication would give users a more enjoyable experience. Their authentication team turned to Twilio to help them design a simple and effective SMS verification process for sign ups and logins.

Too many characters—the problem with passwords

Before Reddit partnered with Twilio, user sign ups and logins were handled in large part with an email, username, and password, or Google and Apple single sign-on (SSO). While companies have been using password-based login methods since the dawn of the digital era, the user experience is often less than ideal. Remembering passwords is frustrating and error-prone—becoming quite problematic when stored in the brains of forgetful humans.

Tiffany Ong, a product manager and member of Reddit’s authentication team, knows that signing up or logging in can be a pain. “The authentication process can be lengthy, requiring some combination of a username, email and password,” said Ong. “With phone number authentication, the experience has been simplified. Users only need to enter their phone number, enter a 6-digit verification code, and then they are signed up or logged in.” 

Ong and the rest of the team measure success by whether users have a seamless account login or sign-up experience. They also look at completion rates, or how many users end up finishing the sign-up and login workflows. Their gold standard, she said, is “Something simple, streamlined, and easy to understand—so that users can quickly get to the content that they're looking for.”

Turning roadblocks into onramps

According to Ong, “Since SMS OTP is  popular on other platforms, and we believed it could be quicker than our single sign-on options, we wanted to test it out.”

Since Twilio is an industry leader in user authentication, Reddit decided to integrate Twilio’s Verify API into their system to add seamless SMS verification when users login or sign-up for a new account. During login, when users click “continue with phone number” on the Reddit app or on desktop, they type in their phone number and they’re sent a 6-digit code, also known as an OTP. When the user types in that code, they are logged in if they already have an account. If not, they’re sent to the onboarding process. 

To make sure those codes are delivered to phone numbers that can actually receive a text, not a landline or a VoIP (Voice Over Internet Protocol), Reddit relies on Line Type Intelligence in Twilio’s Lookup API. Lookup has been really useful for Reddit, saving costs by reducing wasted messages.

Reddit is also using Fraud Guard with Twilio Verify, which uses automatic SMS pumping fraud detection to block suspicious messages from being sent by analyzing current and historical SMS traffic for unusual patterns. 

“Fraud Guard has been instrumental in helping us catch suspected cases of SMS pumping,” said Ong. “We’re able to see where fraud is being caught. If we see an uptick in fraud in a specific country, we can implement stricter Fraud Guard measures there as well.”

Increasing mobile sign-ups with a single click

It didn’t take long before the impact became evident. “We ran an experiment where we added a phone authentication option on sign up and login surfaces,” said Ong. “We saw a significant increase in mobile signups. Redditors found it easy to sign up with their phone number and as a result were more likely to complete the signup process.”   

How significant of an increase in mobile signups? In 2023, 14%. Which is huge. Apparently, people choose this option because it’s so familiar. Ong says it’s been a big change for Reddit and a really impactful project. 

Making the future more authentic

As Reddit continues to grow and becomes available in more countries, they’re working closely with Twilio’s innovative authentication solutions to help the company stay secure while their users stay connected. Reddit found it very easy to deploy these solutions across countries by simply checking the box for a new country on the Twilio site.

“Our mission is to bring community,belonging, and empowerment to everyone in the world,” said Ong. “Making it easier for all users to authenticate brings us closer to achieving this mission.”

Twilio’s seamless user authentication solutions and top-tier support teams are helping Reddit stand out by upleveling and streamlining its onboarding experience. With an authentic and passionate user base that values personalization, and an authentication team that isn’t afraid to evolve, Reddit is becoming one of the best places on the internet for people to find their community and thrive.