Consider exempting long-time and paying users from mandatory phone verification in Codex

What variant of Codex are you using?

26.519.41501 (3044)

What feature would you like to see?

I would like to suggest reconsidering the current phone verification requirement for Codex.

Phone verification may be useful for preventing abuse from newly created or high-risk accounts. However, applying the same requirement to long-established and trusted accounts may create unnecessary friction.

Possible exemptions could include:

Long-time OpenAI users with a proven account history
Existing Plus, Pro, Team, or Enterprise subscribers
Users with a history of successful Codex usage
Users who have already enabled other security measures

Many long-time users have already established trust through years of account activity. Requiring mandatory phone verification for these accounts may reduce accessibility without providing significant additional security benefits.

For users in regions where phone verification is unavailable or unsupported, this requirement can effectively block access to Codex despite having a valid OpenAI account.

I believe a risk-based approach would improve the user experience while still protecting against abuse.

Thank you for considering this feedback.

Additional information

_No response_