How to Use a Temp Number for WhatsApp Without Losing the Account
You can register a temp number for WhatsApp in a few minutes: enter the number in the app, receive the 6-digit SMS code on the number's page and type it in. The tricky part comes later, because the number is public and someone else could register WhatsApp on it too.
This page covers the registration steps, the problems you're likely to hit, and the settings that make a takeover much harder. Use it for a secondary or test account, never for your main WhatsApp.
Free numbers available now
Click a number to open its public inbox, enter the number on the signup form, then press Update Messages on the number's page to fetch the code.
Register WhatsApp step by step
- Pick a number from the WhatsApp page or the full list, and open its page in your browser.
- Install WhatsApp, open it and agree to the terms. Choose the number's country, then type the rest of the number.
- Confirm the number. If WhatsApp offers more than one way to get the code, choose SMS, since these numbers can't take calls.
- On the number page, press Update Messages and wait about 20 seconds. Look for the newest text from WhatsApp.
- Type the 6-digit code into WhatsApp. It won't fill in by itself, because the text never reached your phone.
- Set your profile name, then go straight to the security settings below before you start chatting.
Common problems and what to do
- WhatsApp asks for a two-step verification PIN you don't know. A previous user protected the number with a PIN. Don't try to work around it; choose another number.
- The number is rejected or reported as unable to use WhatsApp. WhatsApp has blocked it, often after heavy use. Pick a different number.
- The code doesn't arrive. Press Update Messages once more after a short wait. If nothing appears, try another number rather than requesting codes over and over.
- A countdown stops you from requesting another code. WhatsApp limits how often you can ask. Wait for the timer, or switch numbers.
- The number's history shows someone recently set up WhatsApp on it. Registering over it would sign that person out, so leave it and pick another.
The takeover risk and how to reduce it
WhatsApp registers each number on one main phone at a time. If someone later registers WhatsApp with the same public number, the code shows up on the same page you used, and once they enter it, your phone is signed out of the account.
Two settings make this much harder:
- Two-step verification PIN. Usually found under Settings, then Account, then Two-step verification. Once it's on, WhatsApp asks for your 6-digit PIN when the number is registered again.
- An email address. When you set the PIN, add an email you control so you can reset the PIN if you forget it. Newer versions of the app may also let you add an email address in account settings for verification; check the options in your version.
These steps slow a takeover down, but they don't make the number yours. Anyone can still read texts sent to it.
Never use it for your main WhatsApp
Your main account holds your chats, groups and contacts, and the people you talk to know you by that number. Putting it on a public number risks losing all of that to a stranger.
A temp number for WhatsApp fits a second account for testing, a short project or a group you'll leave soon. People you message will see the number, so keep it away from anything personal. For how one-time codes work and expire, see the OTP guide.
If a test account turns into one you want to keep, move it to a number you own while it's still on your phone. WhatsApp has a Change number option, usually under Settings, then Account, which sends a code to the new number.
Questions
Related guides
Virtual Phone number to receive sms messages online without using your real phone number
Blog
Services
Contact
All rights reserved.