A temporary phone number for SMS verification

What a temporary number for verification is

Most apps ask for a phone number when you create an account and send a short code by SMS to prove the number is real. A temporary number for verification is a number you rent just for that moment: it receives the code, you enter the code, and you never need the number again.

On TempCode every number is a real mobile operator number from the country you choose, reserved for you alone while you wait for the code. It is not a public page where anyone can read the messages, and it is not a recycled number that hundreds of people have already used on the same service.

When people use one

• Keeping a personal number off a new social, dating or marketplace profile.
• Opening a second account for work, a side project or testing, when the service allows it.
• Signing up to a service that only accepts numbers from a certain country, such as a US number.
• Trying an AI tool or a new app before deciding whether it deserves your real number.
• Travelling, or waiting for a new SIM card, when your own number cannot receive SMS.

Why some numbers are rejected

Large services check the type of number you enter. Many of them block VoIP and virtual landline numbers, the kind you get from calling apps, because those are easy to create in bulk. Others reject numbers that already appear on their own records.

Free receive-SMS sites have both problems: their numbers are shared and public, so they were used on the popular services long ago. That is why the code usually never comes. A private operator number that has not been used on your service has a much better chance, and we show the live success rate per country so you can pick the one that is delivering right now.

Choosing a country

Some services accept numbers from almost anywhere. Others prefer or require a number from your region. If a service asks specifically for a US number, start with a US number for verification; if price matters more, the cheapest countries are listed first on every service page.

Each service supports up to 140 countries, and prices differ by country because operators charge differently. You always see the exact price in your currency before you rent.

Price, and what happens if no code arrives

TempCode is a paid service: verification numbers start at $0.75 per code, paid from a prepaid balance that you top up by card. There is no subscription and no monthly fee.

If the code does not arrive, you do not pay for it. You can cancel while you wait and the credit goes straight back to your balance, or it is returned automatically when the number expires without an SMS. You can then try another country with the same balance.

A temporary number, a second SIM or a calling app

A second SIM card gives you a number you keep, but it costs a monthly plan, needs a device slot and usually asks for your ID. A calling app gives you a number in minutes, but most of those numbers are VoIP, which the big services refuse at sign-up.

A temporary number sits between the two. It is a real mobile number like a SIM, so it passes the checks that VoIP fails, and it costs one small payment for one code, with nothing to cancel afterwards. The trade-off is that it is gone after the code, so it only fits accounts you will not need to recover by SMS.

What we keep about you

You sign in with a one-time code sent to your email, so there is no password to leak. We do not ask for ID, card details go straight to our payment processor and never reach us, and we do not store the content of the SMS messages you receive once the order is closed.

The service you sign up to only ever sees the temporary number, not your own phone number or your email address at TempCode.

What a temporary number is not for

The number is used once. It is right for receiving one sign-up code, and wrong for anything you will need again later: password resets, two-step login codes, bank accounts or your main email. For those, use a number you will keep. Also follow the terms of the service you sign up to; a temporary number does not change them.