Your chats are tied to a number. Keep it when you move.
Messaging apps use your phone number as your identity: it's how contacts find you and how your account gets verified. A U.S. mobile number that lives in your browser keeps that identity steady, wherever your SIM card comes from.
Why messaging apps verify by text
When you register or move to a new phone, a messaging app sends a code to your number to prove it's yours. Lose the number, and getting the account back, with its groups and contacts, can turn into a struggle. Many apps refuse VoIP numbers at this step; TwinNumber numbers are registered as mobile.
Tips
- 01
Read the code in your browser
Install the app on your phone as usual and enter your TwinNumber. When the code lands in your TwinNumber inbox, type it into the app.
- 02
Turn on the app's PIN
Many messaging apps offer a registration PIN or password. Turn it on, so moving your account to a new phone takes more than a text code.
- 03
Bring your contacts along
If you're moving an account from an old number, use the app's change-number option, where there is one, so your contacts and groups follow you.
Questions
Do my chats go through TwinNumber?
No. Your messages stay in the messaging app. TwinNumber receives the texts and calls sent to the number itself, such as verification codes.
Can I get the code by voice call?
Yes. If an app offers to call you with the code, the call rings in your browser.
I'm moving abroad. Can I keep my U.S. WhatsApp?
Yes, if you bring your U.S. number to TwinNumber (porting) or switch the account to a TwinNumber before your U.S. plan ends. Either way, the account keeps verifying on a U.S. number.
Will my contacts see the number?
Often, yes, since many messaging apps use your phone number as your contact ID. That's a good reason to use a TwinNumber, not your personal number, in groups with people you don't know well.
Your private number is waiting.
Join the waitlist and be among the first to get your U.S. number.