Anonymous phone number: keep your real number private

"Anonymous" is a big word, so here is exactly what a PhoneBorn number does and doesn't do.

What it does

• Keeps your personal number off apps, listings and databases.
• Keeps your name and ID out of the sign-up: we only ask for an email.
• Keeps your card and bank out of it: payment is crypto only.
• Keeps your messages private: one customer per number, no public inbox, no advertising trackers and no selling of data.

What it doesn't do

• Carriers and apps still see a normal mobile number. The number is provided through telecom partners who route SMS and calls. Apps you sign up to see the number and whatever else you give them.
• Records exist. To run the service we store SMS content (deleted after 90 days) and call and SMS metadata for a limited time, as described in the privacy policy.
• We follow the law. Like any provider, PhoneBorn responds to valid, legally binding requests. Because we collect so little, what we could disclose is limited — but it is not nothing.
• Your own trail still counts. Your device, IP address, photos and usernames can identify you whatever number you use.

So the accurate description is a private phone number with minimal data — excellent for privacy, not a shield for wrongdoing.

Sometimes you don't need a line at all — just one code. For that, PhoneBorn has OTP numbers: a single-use real mobile number that receives one verification code for a chosen app. If the code doesn't arrive in time, the order is refunded automatically. It's the most minimal way to get through a sign-up without giving your real number.

Be aware of the trade-off. If you ever need to recover that account, the app will send a code to the same number — and a single-use number is gone by then. For any account you want to keep, a plan number you renew is safer. Our temporary phone number and burner phone number guides compare the options.

Avoid "free anonymous SMS" websites. Their inboxes are public, so the "anonymous" code is readable by anyone, and anyone could use it to take over the account you just made. See the risks of free SMS sites.

A private number works best alongside a few habits:

1. Use it everywhere by default. Marketplaces, delivery apps, dating profiles, event tickets, hotel Wi-Fi. Save your personal SIM number for family, your bank and your employer.
2. Separate the rest of your identity too. A private number doesn't help if the listing links to a profile with your full name and photo.
3. Never share codes. Anyone asking you to read out a verification code is likely trying to hijack an account.
4. Protect the dashboard. It holds every message to the number, so use a unique password.
5. Keep numbers tied to accounts. Released numbers are eventually reassigned, so move important accounts before you let a number go.

Every plan includes unlimited incoming SMS and calls plus 500 outgoing SMS and 1,000 outgoing minutes a month, so you can reply to buyers or matches without revealing anything more. From $1.80/month on the 12-month plan.

Privacy is legitimate; abuse is not. Harassment, threats, fraud, phishing, impersonation, caller-ID spoofing, spam, bulk messaging and ban evasion are prohibited by our acceptable use policy, and accounts involved may be suspended or closed. Platform rules also still apply to every account you create.

Whether apps accept the number is up to each app. PhoneBorn numbers work with WhatsApp, Facebook, Google, Telegram and 110+ apps, backed by the 7-day replacement guarantee: if yours doesn't work for your app in the first 7 days, you get a free same-country replacement. For whether a second number is legal where you live, see is it legal to use a second phone number? — general information, not legal advice.