A cell phone is a frequent security requirement.
This is a common question when faced with services like Google and others that appear to insist you have a mobile number before you can create an account.
While I believe their reasons are both legit and important, not everyone agrees.
So, what can we do? I can think of a few options.
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Getting text messages without a cell phone
Mobile phone verification is a challenge for folks without a text-capable phone because some services require SMS verification for security. Alternatives include: choosing alternative services, getting a cheap flip phone and service, converting landlines to mobile, using third-party SMS-capable VOIP services, and using a trusted friend’s number.
Use a different service
I know this is annoying as heck and not always an option, but the bottom line is: if a service requires you to have something you do not and will not have, then don’t use that service. Find another without the same requirements.
For example, if it’s email you’re looking for, there are several providers that don’t have the mobile number requirement. ProtonMail is one example, but there are others.
Unfortunately, this doesn’t help if what you’re looking for isn’t provided elsewhere (Google has many services beyond email, for example) or need the account to collaborate or interact with others using the same service.
We need other options.
Related
Why Do Services Like Google and Microsoft Ask for a Phone Number?
Many online services request your phone number. I'll look at how that's typically used and why it's a good thing.Get a dirt-cheap flip phone and plan
I get that this is “caving” to the requirement, but it’s one practical solution.
Look at your local mobile provider for the cheapest phone and the cheapest plan you can get. Be sure to look at the smaller carriers as well, as they often have cut-rate plans and devices. Remember, you don’t need a new or “smart” phone to receive text messages. An older flip phone will work just fine and are significantly less expensive.
With this approach, you’ll be assigned a phone number that you can use for text messages as long as you own the phone and stay subscribed to the mobile carrier.
This does represent an ongoing expense, but hopefully, you can minimize it to an acceptable level.
“Port” your landline to a mobile
If you are one of the 30% of American households (in 2024) who still have landlines, consider going mobile-only.
Usually, you can “port” your phone number so the phone number assigned to your current landline is reassigned to your new mobile. It then immediately becomes text/SMS capable.
Exactly how you do this will vary based on the carriers involved, but it’s generally available and a great way to keep that phone number you’ve given to absolutely everyone.
Third-party SMS services
One solution is to sign up for a service that gives you text messaging capabilities using the internet and doesn’t require a phone at all.
There are, essentially, three types of these services. The first two tend to involve a subscription fee.
- VOIP providers. These services provide full “voice over IP” telephone services. You’re assigned a number that can receive both voice calls and text messages. The specifics of how these are accessed vary depending on the provider.
- SMS-only providers. There are fewer of these, but they essentially do the same thing: assign you a number capable of receiving texts that are provided to you via email, web notifications, or something else.
In both of these cases, you’re assigned a phone number just as if you had set up a new account with a landline or mobile provider — hence the cost.
The third type is not something I recommend.
- Temporary SMS providers. These allow you to use a specific phone number for a very limited time in order to receive a text message.
I don’t recommend these. The reason the service wants you to have a text-capable number in the first place is so you can recover your account if you get locked out at some point in the future. Since the number used is temporary, you lose access to it after you’ve used it for the initial short period.
I include it because some people are willing to live with the possibility of losing their account later.
Use a trusted friend with a mobile phone
This might be the cheapest and quickest solution. If you have a friend you truly trust who has a phone number capable of receiving text messages, use their number (with their permission, of course).
You only need to coordinate with them when initially setting up the account that requires a mobile number, and then possibly later if you ever find yourself being asked for additional verification (such as when attempting to recover the account).
Do beware, though: they could take over your account. If you ever fall out of friendship or lose trust in them, make sure to change your mobile number to something else.
Do this
Phone numbers are a critical component to being able to recover your account should you need to in the future. Even though there should be other options (like alternate email addresses or the ability to use a landline), those options may not exist or may not be used when you expect them to be.
I strongly recommend you provide a mobile number if at all possible.
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Footnotes & References
A note about Google Voice: you’ll see it recommended often in discussions relating to VOIP and SMS services without needing a phone, but you need a phone to set up your Google account to begin with. It’s a chicken-and-egg situation.
I live in Germany and you can get a prepaid mobile number almost for free. There are services that charge about 10 euros for the SIM card which includes 10 euros credit for calls and texts. It doesn’t cost to receive an SMS text or phone call and only a few cents a minute or send a text. There are phones for as low as 20 euros, so for 30 euros ($33), you can receive as many texts or calls as you want. I believe you have to send a text or make a call once every few months to keep the service alive. I have a paranoid friend, the kind who runs Debian Linux and only uses TOR for the Web, who does this.
This is also available in the Philippines. A SIM costs about 40PHP (about 70 cents US) and add 10 or 15PHP. In the Philippines though, one much on a monthly basis add a few pisos (that is the correct spelling for Philippine Pisos) just to keep the SIM active. TXT messages to the Phone are free.
I’ve been in many countries, and the only country I’ve ever been in that doesn’t have cheap pay by the minute cell service.
I pay 9 euros (~$10) a month for unlimited talk and text including 5GB Internet. The cheapest I’ve found in the US is $15 a month if you pay for a year in advance.
I have a Magic Jack which I’ve set up to receive text messages. That might be a solution for those in the US or eve outside the US who need a US phone number.
How did you do that? I have had a Magic Jack for about 20 years.
Thanks.
Magic Jack can receive SMS texts on their Magic App. Go to magicjack.com and install the Magic App on your smartphone.
Are you sure that Google Voice requires a mobile phone number? I’ve used Google Voice for several years, and I never gave them a mobile number because I didn’t have one. (I did give them my landline number.) I get texts on Google Voice, which automatically forwards them to my Gmail account, where they look just like emails. But it says “SMS” on top, so I know it’s a text. I can respond to a text message with a text, just as I would respond to an email.
Years ago Google didn’t require a mobile number to sign up.
I too have used Google Voice for several years and a mobile number has not ever been requested by Google. Usually a text message will go through to my Google Voice phone number, and I can send text messages from Google Voice. But sometimes a landline or subscription mobile phone is required by the sender to receive messages – so evidently purchase of an unwanted device is becoming a necessity.
I’ve found the VoIP solutions are not always accepted for SMS two-factor authentication, especially those I would want to protect the most (such as financial sites). I tried Google Voice as well as several others, to no avail. My bank (for instance) accepted none of them, insisting I have to use a “real” phone number. In fact, those entities which will accept a VoIP number appear far outweighed by those that do not. I keep hearing there is a workaround for this but can never find one.
I opted to use tello.com, who offers unlimited text, 100 calling minutes, and no data for $5/month. (300 minutes is only a dollar more.) You get an actual number, but you do need a device. It rides on the T-Mobile (GSM) network. Their cheapest phone is $89, so I can’t recommend that. But, you can find an even cheaper used/renewed/refurbished basic phone on Amazon or eBay. Or perhaps you know someone who is retiring their phone. Just make sure the phone will work on a GSM network and is unlocked.
Some people live where no cell service. rural Newfoundland.
I have a Magic Jack and I have their Magic App installed on my phone. I opened a Gmail account using that number. You can get a Canadian Phone number with Magic Jack and use it as a mobile phone as long as you have inernet access.
What about iPad Text Message?
iPad text doesn’t have a number to get SMS texts. It only receives texts forwarded from an iPhone.
Is it associated with a phone number? (Meaning can someone with only an SMS-capable phone send it a message?) If so, fine. If not, then that’s not true SMS text messaging.
Some landline providers will accept sms messages and convert them to voice recordings. Telus in Canada did this. I have not confirmed that they still do. There may also be a small charge added to the phone bill. Might be worth checking with your provider.
Place/port your number with “Number Barn” (https://www.numberbarn.com) most texts they get on “your number” convert to an email message. —
Problems?
– You must log into Numberbarn to reply to the text message.
– Pay a monthly fee.
– A few places that detect your number is “landline” won’t send you a text.
— Using NB for many years now.