How to use WhatsApp with a second number (no new SIM)

Two WhatsApp accounts on one phone

WhatsApp ties each account to one phone number. To run a second account you need a second number — but not a second SIM. The number only has to receive the verification code, by SMS or by phone call. After that, WhatsApp runs on your phone as usual, over your data or Wi-Fi connection.

Depending on your device, you can run the two accounts side by side:

• Two accounts in one app: open WhatsApp’s Settings, tap the arrow next to your name, then Add account, and switch between the two whenever you like. Android came first; on iPhone the option has been rolling out gradually since 2026.
• WhatsApp Business: a separate free app for Android and iPhone that runs next to WhatsApp, with its own number.
• Computer: WhatsApp Desktop and WhatsApp Web work as linked devices of an account that lives on a phone.

Which number works best

WhatsApp checks numbers before sending a code, and some internet (VoIP) ranges are refused. A real mobile number gives you the best chance of a smooth verification.

• For a personal second account, choose a real mobile number in the country where your contacts are, so the number looks familiar to them.
• For a business account, a local or national number can also work: WhatsApp Business can verify numbers that don’t receive texts by calling them. On Numonym, the code read aloud during the call is transcribed and detected in your voicemail.

Every number on Numonym shows its line type and its capabilities — texts, short codes, calls — before you pay. If verification fails, you can swap the number for free within 72 hours.

Verify the number

1. Reserve the number and pay in crypto. It’s live the moment it’s paid.
2. Open your Numonym inbox in a browser tab.
3. Start the WhatsApp registration (or Add account) and enter the number with its country code.
4. Wait for the code. It shows up in your inbox with a copy button. If WhatsApp offers a call instead, accept it — the call can go to voicemail, where the code is transcribed and detected.
5. Enter the code in WhatsApp and set up your profile.

Turn on two-step verification

A WhatsApp account can be moved to a new phone by anyone who receives a code for its number. Two-step verification adds a password that is required whenever the number is registered again.

1. Open Settings → Account → Two-step verification.
2. Choose Turn on and create a strong password you don’t use anywhere else. Older versions of the app ask for a 6-digit PIN instead.
3. WhatsApp also asks for an email address, used to reset the password. Pick one that isn’t linked to your name, and keep the password in a password manager.

While you are in the settings, open Privacy and choose who can see your profile photo, your “last seen” and your “about”, and who can add you to groups. A second number protects your identity only if the profile doesn’t give it away.

Keep the account for the long run

• Keep the number. WhatsApp may ask you to verify it again when you change phones or reinstall the app. If the number is gone, so is your way back in.
• Stay active. WhatsApp generally deletes accounts that haven’t connected for 120 days — 365 days in the US. Opening the app with an internet connection from time to time is enough.
• Renew on time. Numonym sends reminders from 14 days before the renewal date, and gives you 30 extra days to renew at the normal price if you miss it. Released numbers go into quarantine; they are never handed straight to someone else.
• Lock the number itself. Transfers and port-outs of a Numonym number need your PIN and your 2FA, so nobody can talk a support agent into moving it.

Also back up your chats. In Settings → Chats → Chat backup, WhatsApp can save your history to Google Drive or iCloud, and you can turn on an end-to-end encrypted backup protected by a password or a 64-digit key. Without a backup, a new phone means an empty chat list — even if you still control the number.

Finally, remember that linked devices such as WhatsApp Web depend on the phone account. If you log out of the phone or lose the number, they stop working too.

Using it for a business

If the second WhatsApp account is for customers, a few extras help:

• Use WhatsApp Business for its catalog, quick replies and away messages.
• Put the same number on your website. Calls to it can go through a Numonym call flow with business hours and a menu, while chats stay in WhatsApp.
• If several people need to answer calls, the phone system adds as many extensions as you need, without per-seat pricing.