In the current landscape of social networks and online services, we often need to provide phone numbers for account registration and verification code reception. However, phone number authentication has become increasingly stringent, and for international businesses, some websites require foreign accounts for registration. This is where number-receiving platforms come in handy. They provide temporary phone numbers that meet the requirements of various countries and platforms, solving these issues. You can use these virtual numbers to register accounts and receive verification codes without having to give out your real phone number. This protects user privacy and avoids problems with harassment and privacy leaks.
Process of Using Number-Receiving Platforms
- Choose a suitable number-receiving website and create an account.
- After registering, you can find the recharge button on the website. The specific amount can be decided based on your needs. It's recommended to start with a small amount to test the waters.
- Select the platform you need service for, such as Facebook, Twitter, PayPal, Amazon, OpenAI, Microsoft, Discord, and Alipay, among various other international platforms.
- Choose from different countries. Generally, if our network is in the United States and we want to register a Gmail account for the US region, we should prioritize a US number. Numbers from other regions may cause account risk control. Different platforms and country numbers correspond to different prices.
- After purchasing, the platform will display a string of numbers. Take the received number to the platform registration, find the verification code on the number-receiving platform, fill it back on the platform, and you can register successfully.
This registration process is generally universal across number-receiving platforms. There might be design differences between platforms, but the process doesn't change much. So no matter which number-receiving platform you use, just follow this process.
Recommended Number-Receiving Platforms
The following recommendations are purely for sharing, with no advertising intent. Choose according to your needs.
5sims
Pricing (for several popular platforms as examples):
Prices are region-based; the following are for the US region:
WhatsApp:$0.28-1.32
Facebook:$0.037-0.19
Amazon:$0.066
PayPal:$0.28
OpenAI:$0.079
Prices for Russia:
WhatsApp:$0.88
Facebook:$0.022-0.43
Amazon:$0.022-0.43
PayPal:$0.037-0.51
OpenAI:$0.29
Prices for India:
WhatsApp:$0.15-0.63
Facebook:$0.055-0.26
Amazon:$0.066-0.43
PayPal:$0.43-0.89
OpenAI:$0.12-0.26
Support: SMS
Countries: 180 countries
Rental or one-time use: Both are available
Wabi
Pricing (not platform-specific, mainly for WhatsApp, but can also be used for other platforms):
$4-15/月
- (varies by region)
- Most countries, such as the US, UK, Canada, Brazil, and Australia, are $5/month
Support: SMS
Countries: Over 60 countries/regions
Rental or one-time use: One-time use
Luban Sms
Pricing (for several popular platforms as examples):
- WhatsApp: $0.18-1
- Facebook: $0.03-0.64
- Amazon: $0.03-0.64
- PayPal: $0.12-0.53
- OpenAI: $0.13-1.5
Support: SMS
Countries: 221 countries
Rental or one-time use: Both are available
SMS-BUS
Pricing (for several popular platforms as examples):
- WhatsApp: $0.35
- Facebook: $0.14
- Amazon: $0.28
- PayPal: $0.68
- OpenAI: $0.25
Support: SMS
Countries: Not specified on the official website, but most countries seem supported in practice
Rental or one-time use: Both available (physical and virtual numbers)
Online SIM
Pricing (for several popular platforms as examples):
-
Prices are region-based; the following are for the US region:
- WhatsApp: $2
- Facebook: $1.28
- Amazon: $1.28
- PayPal: $1.28
- OpenAI: $3
-
Prices for Russia:
- WhatsApp: $2
- Facebook: $0.27
- Amazon: $0.17
- OpenAI: $0.4
-
Prices for India:
- WhatsApp: $0.86
- Facebook: $0.19
- Amazon: $0.28
- OpenAI: $0.8
Support: SMS
Countries: Over 90 countries
Rental or one-time use: Both are available
Sms Man
Pricing (for several popular platforms as examples):
-
Prices are region-based; the following are for the US region:
- WhatsApp: $0.77
- Facebook: $0.27
- Amazon: $0.53
- PayPal: $1.06
- OpenAI: $0.57
-
Prices for Russia:
- WhatsApp: $0.22
- Facebook: $0.17
- Amazon: $0.15
- PayPal: $0.29
- OpenAI: $0.26
-
Prices for India:
- WhatsApp: $0.63
- Facebook: $0.13
- Amazon: $0.20
- PayPal: $0.36
- OpenAI: $0.2
Support: SMS
Countries: 182 countries
Rental or one-time use: Both are available (rental up to 90 days)
Google Voice
Google Voice is a phone service launched by Google. It's a free virtual US phone number that has the basic functions of a physical SIM card, such as making and receiving calls, receiving text messages, voicemail, call forwarding, etc.
Features:
- No real-name registration is required, one needs a US account for registration
- No monthly fee, free calls to the US and Canada, and free text messaging
- Can be used to register on 90% of foreign platforms (except some that do not support virtual numbers); receiving text messages is free. For example, you can use Google Voice to register and receive verification codes for platforms like Facebook, TikTok, Instagram, WhatsApp, etc.
- The number is for long-term rental
Summary
While number-receiving platforms can help international businesses overcome most of the account troubles faced during platform registration, some websites and applications may detect and prohibit the use of virtual numbers for registration. Therefore, before using number-receiving platforms, be sure to review the terms and conditions of the respective services.