How to receive SMS online without using your real mobile number
The article “Virtual phone numbers: why should I buy one?” lists a number of reasons to buy a virtual number. One of them is that you can use virtual numbers to receive SMS. Although virtual numbers on the market are generally fixed network numbers that do not support SMS reception, you can find providers that sells mobile numbers.
If you decide to choose one provider, first of all you should do a checklist of the purposes and reasons why you need a virtual mobile number. Let’s make some clarifying examples.
You need a mobile number to create a Whatsapp account
To create a Whatsapp account you need a number that is not only able to receive SMS, but has also the format (i.e. the prefix) of a real mobile number. This is important to highlight, because some providers have virtual numbers that although are able to receive SMS, have the prefix of landline numbers so they are not accepted by Whatsapp.
Another important factor to keep in mind is the fact that Whatsapp requires a new authentication, with SMS verification, every time you change your mobile phone. So you cannot use a disposable number: you need to own that number until you want to use the Whatsapp account that is linked to it. One of the most serious consequences of not having more access to the number is the impossibility of recovering old conversations, including images and movies that are contained in them.
On the other hand, for Whatsapp the country of the mobile number is not so important. For example you can create a Whatsapp account using an Ukraininian or Israelian number and take advantage of all the benefits of Whatsapp without any limitation.
So you may be interested in buying a virtual cell phone number like those offered by this provider:
https://www.buylocalnumbers.com/mobile-numbers-menu.html
You should take care of the column of the table that is named “Has a mobile prefix”: Only these numbers are valid for Whatsapp.
You need a mobile number for your Paypal account
To open a Personal account, you need to “provide your first and last name, address, phone number, and email address” (see Paypal FAQ). And you cannot use a phone number of whichever country: the number must be of the same country as the Paypal account.
On the other hand, unlike Whatsapp, it is not mandatory to use a virtual mobile number: you can use a virtual landline number, which is more easily available in the market. You will receive from Paypal the activation code by means of an automated call instead of an SMS.
Nevertheless, if you want to use the Paypal app on a smartphone, even in this case the number must be able to receive SMS and must have a mobile prefix.
Read more about Paypal automated call and SMS verification here: Paypal security check
You need a mobile number for Facebook and Gmail.
The situation of Facebook and gmail is similar to that of Whatsapp: you need a number with mobile prefix, where you’ll receive a verification SMS. Theoretically you could use a disposable number, but this could be dangerous because Facebook or Google at some point could decide, for security reason (for example when you access from an unusual IP address), to ask you a new verification by sending you an SMS. So it is highly recommended to buy a virtual mobile number and keep it until you need the account.
See also:
Why am I being asked to add my mobile phone number to my Facebook account?
Why do I need to confirm my mobile phone number to get back into my Facebook account?
When Google might send you a text
You are only interested in receiving a single or few text messages in short time
You can find several websites that provide disposable numbers. They are easy to use and work very well. The only problem is that the received messages are published in the web page and everybody can see them. If you just need to activate some account and your aren’t interested in keeping it forever, this is the right solution for you.
This is completely free:
These are free as well, but they force you to disable the ads block plugins in your browser