4 min read
Why Snapchat asks for a phone number
Snapchat asks for a phone number at sign-up and uses it to suggest friends from contacts, to log in on new devices and to reset the password. The code comes by SMS.
Can you skip the phone on Snapchat?
Snapchat lets you sign up with an email instead of a phone. It may still ask for a number to verify the account or unlock it later.
Your options without a SIM card
VoIP numbers often get “This number can’t be used” on Snapchat, and public SMS sites expose the code to anyone.
- Email or Google/Apple sign-in, when the app allows it. Free, and no number at all.
- A second SIM or eSIM. Costs a monthly plan, but the number stays yours.
- A private temporary number from CoveSMS. Only you see the code, and you pay nothing if it doesn’t arrive within 20 minutes.
Step by step: get the Snapchat code online
- Buy a Snapchat number in your dashboard.
- In Snapchat, choose the country and paste the number.
- Tap Continue and choose to receive the code by SMS.
- Enter the code from your dashboard.
If the code doesn’t arrive
- If Snapchat says to try again later, it has limited your device for a while. Waiting works better than new numbers.
- Keep Snapchat open while you wait; switching apps can restart the step.
- No code in 20 minutes means the price goes back to your balance automatically.
After you’re in: stop depending on the number
A temporary number is single-use. Set up another way in before it closes:
- Confirm your email in Settings › Email.
- Turn on Two-Factor Authentication with an authenticator app (Settings › Two-Factor Authentication).
- Turn off “Let others find me” by phone, so your temporary number isn’t used for friend suggestions.