Guide · 4 min read
What is a virtual phone number for SMS verification?
Virtual phone numbers explained: how they receive verification codes, how they differ from your SIM, what they are good for, and what they are not for.
Updated
The short answer
A virtual phone number is a real mobile number that you use from a website instead of a SIM in your phone. When an app sends a verification code to it, the text is shown to you online. You can choose the country, use it once, and never give the app your personal number.
What people use them for
- Privacy: keeping your personal number away from apps, shops and marketing lists.
- A second account: a business line on WhatsApp, a brand on Instagram, a separate Google account.
- Travel: verifying local apps such as Grab or Uber when your home number does not receive SMS abroad.
- Testing: developers and QA teams checking sign-up flows, often through the API.
One-time, rental and voice-call numbers
A one-time number receives a single verification code for one app and is the cheapest option. A rental keeps one number for days to months and receives every SMS sent to it. A voice-call number is for apps that read the code out in a phone call; the code is shown to you like an SMS. More in one-time numbers vs rentals.
What they are not for
A virtual number is not a way around the rules of the app you sign up for, or the law. Fraud, spam, fake reviews and evading bans are forbidden by our terms, and accounts used for them are closed. Use them for privacy and convenience, within each app’s own terms.