What WhatsApp checks
At signup WhatsApp sends a six-digit SMS code. If the SMS fails, it offers a voice call that reads the code after a short wait. Both are ordinary carrier deliveries, and both land on our mobile lines.
- Mobile prefixes, in practice. WhatsApp checks the type of the range. Fixed lines are sometimes accepted through the voice-call option (WhatsApp Business allows landlines explicitly), but a mobile line is the safe choice.
- Range history. A number that carried many WhatsApp accounts before is refused or banned within hours. A dedicated line from a clean carrier block has no such history.
- Re-verification. This is what makes WhatsApp different. It re-checks the number when you change phone, reinstall, or restore a backup — and occasionally on its own. If the line is gone by then, the account is gone with it.
Which line and country to pick
Take a mobile line from a broadly accepted country: the United Kingdom, Germany or the Netherlands are the ranges we see refused least. WhatsApp is stricter with cheap ranges than Telegram is; a budget country is fine for a temporary account, not for the one your family uses.
Turn on the PIN right after signup. Settings → Account → Two-step verification. Registering the number on any device then needs the six-digit PIN. Without it, whoever ends up holding that number after you can register it and take the account, chats included.
Step by step
- Pick the line. Choose a mobile line in United Kingdom or another recommended country. The exact price, activation included, is shown before you pay.
- Pay in crypto. Send any of 8 cryptocurrencies to a one-time deposit address. The line is live about a minute after the payment confirms; no e-mail, no document.
- Enter the number in WhatsApp. Type the number where WhatsApp asks for it and request the code — by SMS, or by voice call if offered.
- Read the code in the panel. The SMS lands in your inbox with the code extracted and copyable; a voice call is answered by the voicemail and transcribed. Developers get it on a webhook.
- Lock the account. Set Two-step verification PIN so the account does not depend on the number alone.
If WhatsApp refuses the number. It is the range, not the line. Ask for a swap — free within 7 days — and you get a number from a different carrier block, with the remaining period carried over.
Keeping the account
- Never let the line lapse while the account matters. WhatsApp will ask for a code again, and there is no appeal for a number you no longer hold.
- The number is public to your contacts. That is the point of using a second one, but remember that anyone who has the line saved in their phone sees the account exists.
- Contact upload. WhatsApp reads your address book to find contacts. On a phone that holds your real contacts, the second number ends up linked to them in other people's apps.
- No bulk. Sending the same message to many strangers gets the number banned by WhatsApp itself, usually within the hour. Our acceptable use policy says the same thing.
What a number for WhatsApp costs
Prices per month for the countries we recommend for WhatsApp, plus a one-time $10.00 activation per number. Quarterly billing takes 10% off, yearly 25%. Calls, SMS, voicemail and the API are included; you pay in crypto at the live rate.
| Country | Line | Per month | Due today |
|---|---|---|---|
| United Kingdom +44 | Mobile | $19.40 | $29.40 |
| Germany +49 | Mobile | $12.90 | $22.90 |
| Netherlands +31 | Mobile | $12.90 | $22.90 |
Any of the other 44 countries works too; these three are the ones we see refused least by WhatsApp.
Questions
Can I use WhatsApp with a virtual number?
Yes, on a mobile line. The code arrives by SMS or voice call. Set the two-step verification PIN immediately and keep the line paid: WhatsApp re-verifies on every device change.
Does WhatsApp accept landline numbers?
Sometimes, through the voice-call option, and WhatsApp Business supports landlines explicitly. It is not reliable enough to recommend: take a mobile line for WhatsApp.
Why was my number rejected by WhatsApp?
Almost always the range, not the line: WhatsApp keeps lists of ranges with a bad history, and cheap countries appear on them more often. Ask for a swap — free within 7 days — and pick a broadly accepted country the second time.
Will my contacts see the virtual number?
Yes. WhatsApp has no usernames; the number is the identity. Use a second line precisely for that: people get a number that is not your real one.
What if I change phones later?
WhatsApp sends a new code to the number. As long as you still hold the line, you receive it in your panel and carry on. That is why the line must stay paid for as long as the account matters.
Written from what actually lands on our lines, and updated when WhatsApp changes its checks. If something here is out of date, tell us — we fix pages faster than we fix code.