Your phone number is already linked to another account: what to do

Many apps and games link each phone number to one account. If your number is already on an old account, a family member’s, or a friend’s you once helped set up, the app refuses it when you try to sign up again. Here are your options, starting with the ones that cost nothing.

1. Take the number off the old account

If you can still sign in to the old account, open its settings, find the phone number, and remove it or change it to a different contact method. The number is then free for the new account. Some apps keep a number locked for a while after it’s removed, so if it’s still refused, try again a day later.

2. Get back into the old account instead

If all you need is to use the app again, recovering the old account is often quicker than starting over. Most apps have a “Forgot password” or “Can’t sign in” page that sends a code to the number or email on the account.

3. Use a different number for the new account

If the old account has to keep its number, the new account needs another one: a second SIM, a number from a family member who agrees to it, or a one-time number like ours, which receives the app’s code on screen for 20 minutes.

Check the app’s rules first

Some apps allow one account per person, whatever the number. Read the app’s terms before you open a second account, and don’t use a new account to get round a ban: that breaks their rules and ours (see our Acceptable use policy).

After you sign up

A one-time number won’t receive codes later. As soon as you’re in, add an email address or an authenticator app to the new account, so you can still sign in from a new device or recover the account.