WhatsApp Virtual Number: How to Use WhatsApp Without a SIM

WhatsApp needs a phone number that can receive its verification code, but that number doesn’t have to belong to the SIM in your phone — or to any SIM you own. A WhatsApp virtual number receives the code online, which is how you can use WhatsApp without a SIM: on a phone with no SIM card, on a second phone, or simply without handing over your personal number.

It works, but WhatsApp has firmer rules than most apps about numbers, attempts and re-verification. Knowing them in advance saves you time, money and, sometimes, the account.

What to expect before you start#

• The number is the account. WhatsApp identifies you by your number, and at the time of writing the people you message can usually see it.
• WhatsApp verifies again. When you reinstall the app or move to a new phone — and occasionally as a security check — it sends a new code to the same number. If you no longer have that number, you can lose the account.
• SMS only. Virtual numbers receive text messages. They can’t take the voice call WhatsApp sometimes offers instead.
• WhatsApp is strict. In our experience it’s one of the pickier apps about which numbers it accepts, and it limits how often you can request a code.

For an account you’ll keep, a rental is usually the better choice: it stays yours for 7, 14 or 30 days and receives every WhatsApp code sent to it, including the ones after a reinstall.

A one-time number suits a short-lived account you won’t need to verify again. Our guide to renting vs one-time numbers helps you decide.

Step by step: verify WhatsApp with a SimBeep number#

1. Install WhatsApp and stop at the phone number screen. Open the app, agree to the terms, and wait on the screen that asks for your number. The number’s 20-minute window starts when you get it, so get here first.
2. Get a number. On the WhatsApp numbers page, pick a country. Each network shows its live price, free numbers and delivery rate, and the best one is pre-selected. Press “Get number” — the price is held on your balance, not charged. If you’re keeping the account, rent a number instead.
3. Choose the country code and enter the number. Select the country that matches the number’s prefix, paste the remaining digits, and confirm when WhatsApp asks whether the number is right. A typo wastes an attempt and can start a timer.
4. Pick SMS, not a call. WhatsApp may offer several ways to verify: a text message, a voice call, and on some Android phones a missed call it reads from your call log. Only the text message can reach a virtual number. If WhatsApp offers only a call, look for another way to verify, or wait for the SMS option to become available.
5. Copy the WhatsApp verification code. It’s six digits and appears in your order seconds after WhatsApp sends it, with a copy button. Type it in, add your name, and you’re set. The held amount is charged only now; if no SMS comes within 20 minutes, it’s released automatically, and after 2 minutes you can cancel and try another network.

Protect the account: PIN and backups#

Do these before you start chatting. Menu names shift a little between versions and platforms.

Two-step verification PIN

Go to Settings → Account → Two-step verification, turn it on and choose a six-digit PIN. Add an email address when asked, so you can reset the PIN if you forget it. From then on, registering your number on a phone takes the PIN as well as the SMS code. That matters with a virtual number: if it ever goes back to the network’s pool and someone else tries to register WhatsApp with it, the PIN makes that much harder.

Backups

Turn on chat backup under Settings → Chats → Chat backup — to Google Drive on Android or iCloud on iPhone — and switch on end-to-end encryption for it if you like. One catch: to restore a backup on a new phone, WhatsApp first verifies the same number. The backup keeps your chats safe; only the number gets you back to them.

Email and linked devices

Newer versions of WhatsApp also let you add an email address under Settings → Account, which WhatsApp may offer as another way to receive a login code — worth adding, but don’t count on it replacing the number. And once you’re registered, WhatsApp Web and the desktop app link by scanning a QR code from your phone, not by SMS, so they don’t need the number again.

Moving to a new phone later#

This is where a rented number pays for itself. To move the account:

1. Back up on the old phone and make sure you know your two-step PIN.
2. Check the rental’s end date. If it’s close, extend it from your account first; the new days are added to the current end date.
3. Install WhatsApp on the new phone and enter the same number. The code lands in the rental’s inbox like any other SMS.
4. Enter the code and your PIN, then restore the backup when WhatsApp offers it.

With a one-time number there’s no step 3: the number is no longer yours, so the account lasts only as long as its current installation.

Choosing a country and network#

The WhatsApp numbers page lists the countries with numbers in stock, with their price, free numbers and delivery rate; pick one and each of its networks appears with the same details. The four signal bars show the measured delivery rate: the share of recent orders where the code actually arrived.

• Favor the bars over the price. A failed code costs you nothing, but every extra attempt can lengthen the wait before WhatsApp lets you ask again. A better-rated network usually saves you time.
• Pick a country you’re comfortable showing. WhatsApp generally doesn’t require the number to match where you live, but the people you message will usually see its country code.
• Start from the country if you have one in mind. Country pages such as United Kingdom numbers show what’s in stock there and let you order directly.
• For a rental, choose a physical SIM or a premium line. They’re the most widely accepted line types, which matters more when you pay for the whole term upfront.

Common problems and fixes#

A timer before you can request another code

After each request, WhatsApp may make you wait before asking again, and the wait tends to grow with every attempt — from a minute or two to several hours. Entering wrong codes can lock you out for a while too. Don’t keep tapping resend. Wait out the timer, and if the SMS still hasn’t come, cancel the number (you’re not charged) and try another network once WhatsApp allows it.

The number is banned or not allowed

WhatsApp has refused that number, or its range, and nothing you type will change its mind. Cancel after 2 minutes — no SMS arrived, so you pay nothing — and choose another network or country, ideally one with more bars. If it’s your own account that WhatsApp banned, a new number isn’t the fix: use the review request WhatsApp offers in the app.

The code doesn’t arrive

Check that the country code and digits match your order exactly, and that you chose SMS rather than a call. Give it a couple of minutes, then cancel and switch networks. Our guide to SMS codes that don’t arrive covers the less common causes.

Use it responsibly#

WhatsApp bans accounts that send bulk or automated messages, contact lots of people who don’t have their number saved, or get reported as spam, and new accounts tend to be watched closely. We don’t allow that use either: SimBeep numbers are for privacy and legitimate use, not for spam, scams or getting around a ban (our acceptable use policy has the details). Use the account the way a person would: message people who expect to hear from you, and build up contacts and groups gradually.

Next step: pick a country on the WhatsApp numbers page — and if you’re keeping the account, rent the number instead, so every future code still reaches you.