Why people use a virtual number for WhatsApp
- A second account: run a separate WhatsApp account without using your personal line.
- Business: keep WhatsApp Business apart from your personal number and avoid handing it to customers.
- Privacy: when you talk to people you do not know, your own number is not exposed.
- Testing: developers and marketers can test the signup flow without a real SIM.
Which country should you choose?
WhatsApp accepts numbers from most countries, but which one works best on a given day changes. US (+1) and UK (+44) numbers are commonly tried, along with countries that have plenty of stock. Prices and stock are listed per country on the WhatsApp service page.
WhatsApp can limit how often it sends codes to the same number. If a code does not arrive, cancelling and trying another number or country is usually faster than retrying the same one.
WhatsApp Business with a virtual number
WhatsApp Business is verified with the same SMS code. Because a business account should stay on one number for a long time, consider a rental: the number stays yours for the period you choose, so you can receive a code again if you need to re-verify.
If the WhatsApp code does not arrive
- Check that you entered the number with the country code and without spaces.
- Wait a few minutes; operators can be slow. If nothing arrives, cancel the number.
- Try another number in the same country, or switch to a different country.
- If no SMS arrived, cancelling returns the amount to your balance.
- Avoid many attempts in a short time; WhatsApp may pause sending codes for a while.
Keep control of your account
With a one-time number, the number does not stay yours. If you plan to keep the account, use WhatsApp's "Change number" feature to move it to your own permanent number, or start with a rental. Otherwise you may lose access when WhatsApp asks you to verify again.
Follow WhatsApp's terms of service. Spam, bulk messaging and unlawful use can get the account banned, and this service must not be used for those purposes.