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Safety & privacy

How to verify an account without giving your phone number

Ways to get through “Enter your phone number” screens while keeping your number private, from free to a few cents.

3 min read

First, check for a way around

  • Look for “Use email instead” or “Sign up with Google/Apple”
  • Some apps ask for a phone only later, for example before posting or paying
  • On the web version, the phone step is sometimes optional when the app version insists

When the phone is mandatory

Use a number that isn’t yours: a private temporary number receives the code, and your personal number never enters the app’s database.

Afterwards

  • Add an email you control
  • Turn on an authenticator app or passkey
  • Remove the temporary number from the account if the app lets you

Why bother

A phone number is a permanent ID: it links your accounts, it’s what data brokers sell, and it’s the target of SIM-swap attacks. Giving it to fewer apps means less to leak.