Gone are the days of signing up for a business phone service and being given random digits. In the past, traditional telephone carriers made it difficult and expensive to choose a custom number. Today with VoIP, it’s easier than ever to choose a new phone number for your business. Now, you can find phone numbers online, meaning you don’t even have to pick up the phone. Show You may be familiar with custom numbers for personal use. For example, there are apps that provide customers options for new virtual phone numbers, allowing them to make local calls from wherever they are, even if they’re out of the country. They can buy phone numbers for any area code or country code they require. A business phone number that’s easy to remember improves your credibility and brand recognition. But how do you go about buying a specific phone number? Google Voice gives you a phone number for calls, texts, and voicemails. You can use this number to make domestic and international calls from your web browser and mobile devices. If you're in the US, you can choose your own number. In addition to using Google Voice for calls, texts, and voicemails, you can also:
Google Voice saves and processes your call, text, and voicemail information. What you need to use Google VoiceSupported operating systems:
Supported web browsers:
Sign up for Google Voice & get your numberImportant: Google Voice doesn’t offer 1–800 numbers. Set up Google Voice on Web
Tip: After setting up Google Voice, you can link another phone number. Learn more about setting up phones. Decades ago, people changed their phone numbers all the time—if you had to move to a new town, you didn't get to keep your number. Now, you can take your first cell phone number with you for life, even keeping the area code on a new continent if you're willing to pay for it. That has downsides. Having another number associated with you for life, much like your Social Security number or driver's license number, means it's another easy thing for bad actors and Big Brother to use for tracking you. Especially since your mobile phone number is likely associated with just about every digital account you have. The way to get around that is to never hand out your personal phone number, except to friends and family. There are a lot of good reasons for this. Perhaps you buy or sell items on Facebook Marketplace, manage an Airbnb listing, are hunting for a job, have a career that requires lots of phone calls, or you're online dating. Give all of them a burner number. Typically, a burner is a no-contract, prepaid mobile phone, usually an ultra-cheap handset you buy in a store (with cash, for privacy), activate with a call or online, use for a while, then discard. The throwing away is the "burning" part, but tossing the phone/number is optional, as the owner can "top off" the minutes on a prepaid phone and keep using it. With a burner, you don't have to block a person (or stalker, shady marketer, or robo-caller) from your permanent phone. Nor do you need to get a new number. But the option is there, while your original phone number is intact. For a second number, you can always get a prepaid SIM card on a cheap carrier if you want to go that route. It might even be handy if you have an extra phone around. Many new unlocked phones support eSIM standards where the SIM card that identifies you with the carrier is fully integrated and only changeable via remote software. But eSIM isn't much of an option for a burner-style number. And swapping physical SIM cards to change phone numbers is a pain, at best. You probably already have a iPhone or Android smartphone that can't handle two numbers, so you don't want another handset. Thankfully, there are still many ways to get an extra, (possibly) temporary phone number that works with your smartphone (or even on your tablet). The numbers can even be used to send and receive texts with photos. This isn't like using *67 or #31# before a call, which shows you as Blocked or Unknown. The services below make a point of displaying a temporary number when you call, so return calls can happen—until you want them to stop. If you just want the numbers to take calls, all the burner services feature things like voicemail and call forwarding. There are some drawbacks to these burner apps and services. The biggest is that you typically can't use them to call 911 for help. Some build that limit into their terms of service—they don't want to get sued. Second, the companies behind some of these solutions have a very limited number of phone numbers to use. Research from 2014 found(Opens in a new window) that some companies recycle numbers quickly, meaning you could be on the receiving end of calls from people trying to reach someone who previously had your number. If you can overlook all that and still need a secondary number, get ready to access some apps and services that will maintain your privacy by becoming the number you hand out when you aren't sure who to trust. Burner
Burner(Opens in a new window) grabbed the best name for this kind of product. Limited to US and Canadian numbers, the service offers limited-time access to certain digits. If your account or free trial lapses without an upgrade, so does the number. A premium subscription option provides up to three phone numbers with unlimited minutes and texts. (It’s best to register a Burner subscription on the web(Opens in a new window) rather than the mobile apps, so Apple or Google don't become part of the transaction. Don't pay the Apple Tax(Opens in a new window).) It promises to be 100% ad-free, blocks spammers, and also supports picture messages. When you make a call via Burner, it’s actually your smartphone calling Burner, which in turn places a relay call to the number you want to reach (so it is indeed eating into your talk plan minutes). The steps are spelled out as you go, so you're not confused. A PIN lock(Opens in a new window) keeps the app secure; it integrates with fingerprint or face scanners on your smartphone.
$4.99 Per Month at Ad Hoc Labs See It (Opens in a new window)Hushed
Hushed(Opens in a new window) (available for iOS and Android) is a lot like Burner, but available in over 40 countries, and with a simplicity that makes it worth considering. Don't worry about the minutes left on your actual mobile phone contract, Hushed uses VoIP, so calls are made over Wi-Fi (or using your cellular data). No minutes on your phone voice plan get used (unless you set up something like Call Forwarding or Call Routing(Opens in a new window)). Subscribers can get up to three lines bundled. Text communications between Hushed app users are all free, and auto-delete after being read.
$3.99 Per Month at Hushed See It (Opens in a new window)Flyp
Want multiple numbers across multiple area codes? You can get up to five with different "locations" with Flyp(Opens in a new window) for iOS and Android. Each number has unlimited calling, texting, picture messaging, and voicemail. It's expensive but simple. One of the interesting extras is the ability to create a whitelist of who can contact each number.
$7.99 at Flyp See It (Opens in a new window)Google Voice I've been writing about computers, the internet, and technology professionally for 30 years, more than half of that time with PCMag. I run several special projects including the Readers' Choice and Business Choice surveys, and yearly coverage of the Fastest ISPs and Best Gaming ISPs. I work from my home, and did it long before pandemics made it cool. How do I create a new mobile number?Apps That Give Out Free Phone Numbers
Google Voice is one example, but there are many others that will give you a real phone number to make and receive internet calls. For example, you can download the FreedomPop app, the TextNow app, or the TextFree app from their respective websites.
What app lets you make your own number?Burner is the most reliable and fully featured virtual phone number app available, boasting premium calling & texting features that include blocking, muting, and do-not-disturb settings plus the ability to easily switch lines when needed.
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Can you create your own phone number
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