Blizzard announced that pre-paid phones will now work for Overwatch 2’s phone requirement, also known as SMS Protect.
Blizzard created SMS Protect to fend off cheaters, specifically the bad actors who use multiple accounts tied to the same phone number. For players onboarding, the SMS Protect requirement meant that they needed to have a phone number tied to their account–but this number could not be from a pre-paid phone plan.
The exclusion of pre-paid phone plans was controversial among players, and many saw it as an exclusionary policy. In response to the concerns, Blizzard decided to drop the phone registration requirements for many accounts. Overwatch players who had a Battlenet account and played since June 9, 2021 no longer needed a phone number in order to play.