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October 24, 2026
Open for Voting

Critical UX Bug: Missing email verification at signup causes permanent account lock on partner redemptions

Hello,

I am reporting a critical flaw in the Adobe Express account creation and authentication workflow that completely locks out users who encounter a simple typo during sign-up.

The Issue:
When redeeming an Adobe Express Premium subscription via a partner promotional link (such as the Airtel Entertainment Pack in India), the platform allows a user to create a new profile and immediately access premium features on mobile and desktop without requiring email verification first.

In my case, a typo was made during signup (example@gmal.com instead of @gmail.com). Because Adobe does not gate account access behind a verification link, the profile was successfully created.

The Dead-End:

  1. To change the email address or add a phone number, the system forces you to log into ://adobe.com.
  2. Logging into the website immediately triggers a mandatory Security Code sent to the typo email address (@gmal.com).
  3. Because the domain does not exist, the code can never be retrieved.
  4. The Adobe Express mobile app provides absolutely no feature parity to change account credentials or update an unverified email from within an active application session.
  5. Adobe Web Support states they cannot manually alter or cancel the subscription backend because it is managed via an external telecom partner link.

Suggested Fixes for the Product Team:

  • Implement a Registration Gate: Prevent users from utilizing premium features until the email address is verified.
  • In-App Account Management: Allow users currently signed into active sessions on the mobile Adobe Express app to update or correct their primary email address natively.
  • Session Syncing: If a user is actively authenticated inside the Adobe Express app, launching the web help desk from the app should securely pass a Single Sign-On (SSO) token so they aren't hit with an impenetrable web verification wall.