Want to message someone who blocked you, prank a friend on WhatsApp, or set up a second account for work? Of course, you’d think you’d need another phone number. However, there are easy ways to set up a WhatsApp account without using your phone number. In this guide, we’ll walk you through the steps to chat on WhatsApp without revealing your identity.
Create a WhatsApp Account Without Using Your Phone Number
Let’s get one thing cleared – you can’t make a WhatsApp account without a phone number. But there is a trick: instead of using your phone number, you can use a third-party app to get a secondary number. That number is usable to create a WhatsApp account.
Note: Using a virtual phone number might violate WhatsApp’s terms of service. While it’s unlikely that your account will be banned for that, so proceed at your own accord.
Step 1: Pick a Third-Party Phone Number App
When opting for a virtual phone number provider app, it’s essential to consider factors like supported countries, pricing models, and available platforms. While there are numerous options available, some are limited to specific countries while others only offer a paid model. Here are a few options to consider, pick an app that fits your needs.
Note: Android users can sideload free apps like TextNow from APKMirror and use them outside the supported countries without issues.
| App | Supported Countries | Pricing Model | Available Platforms |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dingtone | Available globally | Paid | iOS, Android |
| Burner | US, Canada | Paid | iOS, Android |
| TextNow | US, Canada | Free | iOS, Android, Windows, macOS, Web |
There are various other virtual phone number providing apps and most of them provide a similar experience except for the pricing and availability. Among all the available options, we prefer TextNow as it is free and its app can be sideloaded outside the available countries. You don’t need to install the app on the same phone. So iPhone users can use another Android phone or tablet to sideload the app and obtain a virtual number.
Step 2: Get a Second Phone Number
Let’s delve into the process. For this guide, I will use TextNow as an example. The process is similar for most such apps.
- Download or sideload a virtual phone number app from the Play Store (Android) or App Store (iPhone).
- Open and sign up using your Google account or email ID.
- Select your desired country or input the area code to choose a phone number from that region.
- Next, choose a phone number.
- Continue to get the selected phone number.
After obtaining the number, you can make or receive calls and send messages directly through the app. To locate your new number, navigate to the hamburger menu or your profile settings.
Did You Know: It is easy to add an arrow or circle to any photo on WhatsApp.
Step 3: Set up WhatsApp With That Number
After you have your secondary virtual number, follow these steps to set up WhatsApp:
- Open WhatsApp and use the new virtual number. Ensure to include the correct country code, if the number is from a different country.
- WhatsApp will send the verification code to that virtual number.
- You can check the verification message within the virtual phone number app. (E.g., TextNow.)
- You need to wait until the WhatApp automatic verification is completed and manually enter the verification code.
- After that, you can log in to WhatsApp with the second number.
If you encounter an error saying “This is not a valid number,” repeat the process and obtain a new virtual number from the same or other apps.
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If you are not using the number for some time, TextNow will revoke your access to the number. However, you will not lose access to your WhatsApp account unless someone takes that number and creates a new WhatsApp account with it.
