I understand the cases when sms authentication is used.
Usually it is related to proprietary/valuable information etc.
I have hard times understanding how any game can be considered the same “valuable”.
What is next? Tetris will ask my phone number?
blizzard, please consider making this authentication optional.
Those players who do care and need such security in regard of gaming will use it for sure and will thank you.
Thank you!
Say thanks you to all smur… emh . alt account players for this.
Because it is free, it needs a barrier to entry so that bans don’t mean completely nothing.
It is not about your security but limiting smurfs and cheaters.
With that said, requiring a phone just to play a game is still too much.
I’d rather give them my number than play with smurfs and cheaters.
I don’t care if the player smurf or not.
This must be solved by game’s match making.
Should not game track user stats?
Should not game consider the skills during match making?
With this players with high skills will play with each other. The case dismissed.
The entire point of smurfing is to artificially manipulate the matchmaking. But besides, smurfs aren’t the only threat. There are hackers and toxic people too.
you should because is ONLY their fault if we needed celphone thing
sure, when smurfs do that the match making is inevitably compromised
this
Ok. so this still looks like a flaw in game’s match making and how game tracks user skills.
If there are “hackers” than the game has flaws which should be addressed first.
As for “toxic” players, well, welcome to real world or consider playing offline game, no?
Matchmaker can’t do much if someone throws their games.
Just remove the hackers lol 
Nope. Toxic people should be banned and should stay banned 
So would a lot of people, but some tried to give their number and have found out they’re not allowed to play the game 
ah here we are, someone want an excuse to be toxic, got it.
on this I agree
not exactly, just fix your game.
Nope. This is an online game and it has corresponding rating.
Some one can be ok with “toxic” players.
Seems whole reporting system must be removed and replaced with per account ban system.
I do not want to report specific players, I want to ban them and do not see them in my game anymore. Each player must be able to ban unlimited amount of players; this can lead longer game search but this is expected; unban players and it will start working again.
Also it seems like blizzard has problem with a player base since they have decided to make the game free. But who will come into the game? Fortinite players? That is kids? So what do blizzard expect?