Anthropic's Claude Faces Phone Verification Issues Hampering User Onboarding
Key Takeaways
- ▸Phone verification failures are blocking new user signups on Claude, with unclear error messages failing to explain why verification codes cannot be sent
- ▸Users face extended lockouts (over 1 hour reported) when attempting to change phone numbers, with no resolution pathway provided
- ▸The issue appears linked to Anthropic's phone number reuse policies across accounts, but this restriction is not clearly communicated to users
Summary
A bug report filed on Anthropic's Claude Code repository has exposed significant phone verification issues that are preventing new users from creating accounts. Users attempting to sign up encounter unhelpful error messages when verification codes fail to send, and face extended lockouts lasting hours when attempting to change phone numbers. The issue appears to stem from Anthropic's authentication system reusing phone numbers across multiple accounts without clear communication to users, creating a frustrating user experience that has persisted for years according to community reports on Reddit.
The problem is particularly acute for developers integrating Claude through plugins and third-party applications, who are bringing new users to the platform only to see them abandon signup due to authentication barriers. The reporter noted that Anthropic lacks a clear ticketing or bug reporting system for authentication issues, suggesting broader gaps in user support infrastructure. With vague error messaging and prolonged account lockouts, the current implementation appears to be actively hindering adoption of the platform.
- The problem has persisted for years without resolution, suggesting insufficient bug reporting and remediation infrastructure for authentication issues
