- Is it really free?
- Yes. The public numbers cost nothing and need no account. We cover the cost of leasing them through advertising and through subscriptions to private numbers. There is no trial, no credit card, and no hidden step.
- Do I need to register?
- Not for the free numbers. Open a number page and read what arrives. An account is only needed if you buy a private number, and that is a Google sign-in rather than a new password.
- Can other people see my messages?
- On a free number, yes. Every message is displayed on a public page that anyone can open, including search engines and anyone else using the same number. There is no privacy on a free number by design. A private number is visible only to you.
- How long are messages kept?
- Messages on public numbers are deleted automatically 30 days after they arrive. Messages on private numbers are kept while your subscription is active, and are deleted when you close the account or ask us to remove them.
- Can I send a text message or make a call?
- No. Every number here receives only. There is no way to send an outbound message or place a call from this service, and that is deliberate: inbound-only removes the main way these numbers would otherwise be abused.
- My verification code never arrived. What happened?
- Most often the service refused to send to a virtual number at all, so the message was never handed to a carrier. Other common causes are shared-number rate limits, someone else having already registered with that number, and carrier spam filtering. Trying a number in a different country is the single most effective thing to try.
- Why do some websites reject these numbers?
- Larger platforms check numbers against databases that classify each range as mobile, landline or VoIP. Numbers like ours are classified as non-fixed VoIP, and some services refuse that category outright to make bulk account creation harder. No trick gets around that, and we would not help you find one.
- How fast do messages appear?
- Usually within a few seconds of the carrier delivering them. Number pages stream messages over a websocket, so there is nothing to refresh — leave the tab open and the message appears on its own.
- What is the difference between a free and a private number?
- A free number is shared by every visitor and its messages are public. A private number is assigned to your account alone, its messages are visible only to you, it is not shared with anyone, and it can forward messages to a webhook endpoint you control.
- Can I keep the same private number?
- Yes, for as long as the subscription is active. If a subscription ends, the number is held for 7 days and then returned to the pool. Once released it cannot be recovered, so let the subscription lapse only if you are done with the number.
- Can I get a message removed?
- Yes. If a message on a public number contains your personal data, email us the number and roughly when it arrived and we will delete it. All public messages are deleted after 30 days regardless.
- Which countries do you have numbers in?
- The live list is on the homepage, and it changes as numbers are added and retired. Canada and the United Kingdom are the ranges we keep most consistently available.
- Is using a temporary number legal?
- Using one is lawful in the ordinary case — testing your own systems, keeping a personal number out of a marketing database, a one-off signup. What is not lawful, and is against our terms, is using one to impersonate someone, commit fraud, evade a ban, or defeat a security control protecting other people.
- Can I use this for a bank or government service?
- No, and it will not work anyway. Banks, tax authorities and health services verify numbers against subscriber records, and a virtual number has no subscriber behind it. Use a real line you control.