6 min read
What “receiving SMS online” means
Instead of a SIM card in your phone, you use a phone number that lives online. Any text sent to it shows up in a web page or dashboard. It's made for one job: catching the one-time code an app sends when you sign up or log in.
Free inbox sites vs a private number
There are two ways to do it, and they work very differently.
- Free receive-SMS sites: public numbers anyone can open. Every message is visible to everyone, including your code, and most apps block these numbers because thousands of people used them.
- A private number: rented for a few minutes, only you see the messages, and apps accept it far more often because it isn't on public lists. It costs a few cents.
When it's a good idea
- Trying an app you don't trust with your real number yet
- Keeping your personal number off marketplaces and sign-up lists
- Separating a work or side-project account from your personal one
- Testing your own app's SMS sign-up flow in other countries
When it isn't
Don't use a temporary number for accounts you'll need to recover later: banks, your main email, anything with money in it. Once the number closes, it can't receive your reset codes.
Which country to pick
- The US, UK and Canada are accepted by the most apps
- Some apps verify faster with a number from the country you're in
- If a country fails, switch country instead of retrying the same one
- Check the price and stock for your app before you buy: it changes during the day
Step by step
- Open an account and add a few dollars (from $2 by card or crypto)
- Choose the app and a country
- Copy the number into the app and ask for the code
- Read it in your dashboard. No code within 20 minutes? The price goes back to your balance automatically.
If the code doesn't arrive
- Wait 2 minutes, then cancel and try another number or country
- Make sure you chose the same country code in the app
- Don't press “resend” again and again: apps pause codes after too many tries