this post was submitted on 18 Jun 2023
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Privacy

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So, lately a loooot of Services want a phone number from you even for th slightiest Things.

9 of 10 cases i dont wanna Do that so cannot use that Service. But sometimes i really need a specific Service But dont see the reason why it need my (Real) phone number.

So have anybody any Tips for me?

The reasons i wanna Do that is obciously besides privacy that i so far never had receive any Spam SMS in my Life and still wanna keep it that way.

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[–] [email protected] 5 points 1 year ago (1 children)

I like using https://onlinesim.io when an account requires a phone number to setup. It's designed specifically for online account activation. Jabber (https://jmp.chat) is another option to checkout. They offer phone numbers for $3/month currently. You can call and text from the number as long as you keep paying the $3/month and have an internet collection. Even allows you to set up your smartphone to have multiple functional numbers at a super reasonable price.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 year ago (1 children)

I would love to use jmp.chat for calls and sms, but it's not affordable in most European countries at the moment.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 year ago

Really? That's surprising, what are they asking for per month?

[–] [email protected] 4 points 1 year ago

I have done my research a few years ago and came to the solution, that there is no free method. You will need to pay for a service. I use smspva.com for registrations. But that only works, if you only need to read an sms once. After 10minutes or so, you will not have access to the inbox anymore. Depending on the service, you need a number for and the country you want it to be from, it costs between $0,10 to $1,5 per number. Sadly you have to pay a minimum balance of $5.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 year ago

Can you travel to another EU country and buy a Sim and phone if yours is not unlocked ? They share a roming agreement so you can just topup online

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Get a prepaid SIM card from eBay or at an airport and a cheap dimbphone. You'll get a phone number that's valid for everything, unlike some VoIP services, and you can recharge a couple € a year to keep the number alive.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 year ago (1 children)

In germany the Main Problem is that i have to use my ID to get a prepaid card. Sure it helps the Problem what i have right now But i dunno if I wanna Do that either :/

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 year ago (1 children)

You (most likely) don't need a German card, just get one from any provider from within the EU.

But I bet that even in Germany you can get one without registration if you look at online marketplaces.

[–] [email protected] 0 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Sometimes there are so simple solutions xD

Yeah gonna Check out some International cards ^^

Thank you :3

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 year ago

Volla Phone, makers of some degoogled phones, actually asked for if people wanted that on Twitter a while back.

Dunno if they went through with it, though. Would also be interested in hiding my phone number; would allow me to come back to Whatsapp. I ain't giving Meta my number... xD

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 year ago

There are services with disposable phone numbers but they often don't work. Here is an example: https://smsreceivefree.com/

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 year ago

You can check SMS services on kycnot.me.