CONFIRMED: X.com Has Officially Killed Email Signup on Web

(Note: Since my English is quite limited, I wrote down my notes and used AI to help rephrase this post. I apologize if the wording feels a bit unnatural, and I appreciate your understanding.)

X (formerly Twitter) has completely blocked new account registration via email on the web browser. If you enter an unregistered email, the server-side API redirects you to a "Download the App" screen. The only remaining web signup option is phone number. Email signup now requires the mobile app.

Just spent the last hour deep-diving into X.com's signup flow and I can confirm what some of you may have already noticed — X has officially killed email-based account registration on the web.

What I Tested​

I went to x.com/i/flow/signup and tested the full registration flow with fresh, never-registered emails. Here's exactly what happens now:

Step 1: You land on a unified auth screen — "See what's happening" — with options for Phone, Apple, Google, and an "Email or username" input field.

Step 2: Enter any unregistered email (e.g. [email protected]) and hit Continue.

Step 3: Instead of getting the old signup form (Name, Date of Birth, etc.), you get:

• Red error: "This email or username is not registered yet"
• A QR code modal: "Get the app to finish signing up"
• Links to App Store / Google Play

That's it. Dead end. No way to proceed with email signup on the web.

Where The Block Happens​

This isn't just a frontend trick — I intercepted the API calls and confirmed it's server-side:

• The X API (graphql/user_flow.json) returns a download_app_pivot subtask instead of the registration form
• The URL hash changes to /s/download_app_pivot/ — the server literally refuses to serve the signup flow
• This means you cannot bypass it by simply manipulating the frontend JS

What Still Works on Web​

• Phone number signup — There's a "Sign up with Phone" button at the bottom of the QR code screen. Phone registration still works directly on the web browser.
• Login with existing accounts — If the email IS registered, it proceeds to password entry normally.

What This Means for Us​

1. Bulk email registration on web = dead. No more scripting signups with disposable emails through a browser.
2. Phone number is now mandatory for web signups — which means SMS verification costs per account.
3. Mobile app registration is now the only path for email-based signups — X likely wants device fingerprints (IMEI, device ID, etc.) to fight bot creation.
4. Google/Apple OAuth on web may still work but routes through their own verification layers.

This is clearly X's latest move to crack down on mass account creation. They've been tightening the screws for months (subnet IP bans, Cloudflare challenges, hCaptcha velocity limits), but this is the biggest change yet.

Anyone else noticed this? And has anyone tested if the mobile app API can still be spoofed for email signups?

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Tested on: May 23, 2026 Browser: Chrome (Desktop) Region: Southeast Asia

Damn...

Yes, X is pushing phone-based signups more now, which may reduce email-based growth funnels and tracking options.

Hey, we do X automation, and have definitely noticed a significant tightening on X's side regarding automation. Specifically, we've seen a surge of Cloudflares, and even after they are resolved, the accounts get hit with "We've added a temporary label to your account which may impact its reach", which shadowbans the account (no notifications are delivered upon interacting with other accounts). It's been almost 1 month, and this shadowban is still not lifted. Does it every go away, or is it permanent?

Send you a DM, let's exchange ideas

Found that one out and was like..bruh..that’s going to make it worst for people who wants to register from pc but now they can’t because whoever owns the platform wants to game their installation count