How to use Signal without your real phone number

Does Signal need a phone number?

Yes, to sign up — but it doesn’t have to be yours, and nobody has to see it. Signal uses a phone number to create your account and to slow down mass sign-ups by bots. You verify it once, with a code sent by SMS or read out in a phone call. After that, the number works like a key to the account: whoever controls it can try to register Signal again on a new device.

That is why the number you pick matters more than it seems. It should be one that:

• isn’t already public — not the number on your CV, your listings or your invoices;
• you will still control in a year, because you may need it to register again;
• can receive a verification code by SMS or by voice call.

Since February 2024, when Signal introduced usernames and phone number privacy, the number no longer has to be shared with the people you talk to. You can register with a private number and give out a username instead.

Choosing the number

For Signal, a real mobile number is the safest bet. Many services check whether a number is mobile or VoIP before sending a code, and a carrier-issued mobile line passes more of those checks. A VoIP number from a calling app can work too, but the acceptance of VoIP numbers changes over time and varies by country.

On Numonym, each number shows its line type and whether it receives texts and short codes, before you pay. If the code never arrives, you can swap the number for free within 72 hours.

Register Signal step by step

1. Get the number. Reserve it on Numonym and pay in crypto; it’s live the moment it’s paid.
2. Open the inbox. Keep your Numonym account open in a browser tab so you see the code as soon as it lands.
3. Install Signal on the phone you will use as your main device, and start the registration.
4. Enter the number with its country code.
5. Type the code. It appears in your inbox with a one-tap copy button. If Signal offers to call you instead, accept: voicemail is transcribed and codes read aloud are detected too.
6. Set your Signal PIN when asked. Choose something long and keep it in a password manager.

Registering on a computer? Signal Desktop is linked to your phone by scanning a QR code, so the verification code is only needed once, on the phone.

Hide the number behind a username

Once you are registered, make sure nobody can see the number or look you up with it:

1. Open Settings → Privacy → Phone number.
2. Set Who can see my number to Nobody.
3. Set Who can find me by number to Nobody, so people who already have the number can’t discover your account.
4. In your profile, create a username. That is what you share with new contacts, and you can change it whenever you like.

Menu names can differ slightly between Android, iPhone and desktop versions, but the options are the same everywhere.

Lock the account

The main risk for any account tied to a phone number is someone else taking over the number and registering the app again. Two settings close that door:

• Registration Lock (Settings → Account). With it on, registering your number on a new device requires your Signal PIN. Without the PIN, a newcomer has to wait until your account has been inactive for seven days.
• Your Signal PIN. Keep the PIN reminders on for a while, so you actually remember it when you need it.

On the Numonym side, transfers and port-outs of your number need your PIN and your 2FA. Our support team has no way to move a number on your behalf — which is exactly what makes SIM-swap attacks possible at many mobile carriers. More in how to protect your accounts from SIM swapping.

Keep it working for years

• Renew early. Reminders start 14 days before the renewal date, and automatic renewal from your balance means you never have to think about it.
• Missed a renewal? You still have 30 days to renew at the normal price, with no reactivation fee. Only then is the number released — into quarantine, never straight to someone else.
• Linked devices such as Signal Desktop keep working through your main phone. You only need a new code when you set up a new main device or reinstall the app.
• Write down what matters: the number, your Signal PIN and your Numonym account number, stored somewhere safe and offline.

Learn more about how we keep numbers safe over time.