How to keep an account after verifying with a temporary number

A one-time or temporary number gets you through sign-up, but apps don’t forget it. They may send a code to it again when you sign in on a new device, reset your password, change your details, or when they notice something unusual. If the number no longer receives texts, that code never arrives. These steps, done once while you’re still signed in, stop it from locking you out.

1. Add an email address you check

Most apps can send sign-in and recovery codes by email. Add yours in the account settings and confirm it with the link or code the app sends.

2. Switch two-step sign-in to an authenticator app

If the app offers two-step verification, choose an authenticator app or a passkey instead of text messages. Codes then come from your own phone, whatever happens to the number.

3. Save the backup codes

When you turn on two-step verification, many apps show a set of backup or recovery codes. Save them somewhere safe, such as a password manager. They’re your way back in if you lose the authenticator.

4. Set a password, or connect Google or Apple sign-in

Some apps sign you in with a code by text alone. If yours lets you set a password or connect another way to sign in, do it, so signing in doesn’t depend on a text.

5. Know which apps are tied to the number

For some messaging apps the number is the account. WhatsApp, Signal, Telegram and imo all send a new code to the number when you set them up on another phone. With a temporary number, stay on the phone you set up, back up your chats, and turn on the app’s PIN or password. WhatsApp can also send codes to an email you add in advance, where it offers that.

If you’ll rely on the account for years

Many apps let you change the number in the account settings, and moving an important account to a number you keep is the surest way never to lose it. Some apps, Ticketmaster among them in some countries, send a code to the old number before they let you change it, which a temporary number won’t receive. Check the app’s help pages before you count on changing it later.