One of the greatest advancements in communication after the traditional cellular calling has been SMS, which created an entire platform for users to get their message across through texting. Back in the day, network carriers charged users for each text, which is why the introduction of messaging services such as WhatsApp was a groundbreaking achievement.

Today, WhatsApp is used by over a billion people around the world every day, toppling even the use of regular SMS by miles. But what about all of those times when you wanted to create a secondary WhatsApp account but didn’t have a mobile number to link it to?

Thanks to several apps and services that offer a ‘burner’ virtual phone number, you can set up a secondary WhatsApp account and have the number verified without even needing the OTP verification code sent to an actual phone number.

Related: 3 coolest WhatsApp pranks to annoy your friends

How to get a virtual mobile number for free

You’ll find the Google Play Store littered with apps that offer secondary phone numbers, and while most of them are good quality apps that deliver, others aren’t visually or functionally good enough. We’ve tried and tested the 2ndLine app and it seemed to work like a charm, which is why we’ve based this guide on it.

Download the 2ndLine – Second Phone Number android app.

Open the 2ndLine app and sign up using your email address and a password. Next up, you’ll be asked to either use your current location to find a phone number or enter an Area Code to ‘Choose a phone number‘.

You’ll be presented with 5 different numbers to choose from, so select one and hit the Continue

The number will now be allocated to you, so go ahead and tap on it to copy it.

While setting up the 2ndLine app, you’ll be asked to grant the app permissions to make/receive calls and messages, so make sure that you grant them access.

Related: Useful WhatsApp tips and tricks that you should know

How to set up WhatsApp using the secondary number

Now that you’ve received your temporary phone number, you can go ahead and install the WhatsApp app from the Google Play Store. If you’re trying to set up two different WhatsApp accounts on the same device, here’s a guide that can help you do that.

Open WhatsApp and proceed to the screen where it asks you to enter your phone number.

Make sure to select the country from where you’ve generated your temporary phone number from. Copy your phone number from the 2ndLine app and paste it on to the WhatsApp screen and hit the Next.

WhatsApp will begin connecting to the service and you may get the verification code over at the 2ndLine app right away, or you might end up receiving an error.

In case of an error, select the ‘Call me‘ option and wait to receive a phone call or a voice mail from WhatsApp which includes the verification code.

In our case, we received a voicemail, and then the WhatsApp account was verified immediately.

That’s all you need to do! With the process done and your virtual number ready to go, you can use your truly anonymous WhatsApp account to prank your friends, have a private line of chat with your loved ones, or keep a separate window for business conversations.

Obviously, the application of a temporary number is not limited to WhatsApp by any means, so you can use it for free to create secondary accounts for almost any service.

Are you rushing over to 2ndLine to create your virtual number and get an anonymous WhatsApp account right now?

The ‘2nd line’ app given above seems to have been geo-restricted to only some users in recent times. If you are unable to download the app, then various alternatives are currently available on the market that you can download using the links below. Most of these apps work similarly to 2nd line, whereupon creating an account, you are given a temporary phone number which you can then register on Whatsapp. Let’s take a look at some alternatives to the 2nd line app.

Note: While US users can also use the apps listed for global users, it will unfortunately not work the other way round. You can however use a VPN to run the US only apps or even download .apk from third party sources. But these practices involve risks and failures of their own hence only resort to US alternatives if none of the global alternatives work for you.

US only alternatives apps

  • TextNow by TextNow Inc. | Download
  • Text Free by Pinger, Inc. | Download
  • Text Me by TextMe Inc. | Download
  • Burner – Second phone number by Ad Hoc Labs, Inc. | Download

Note: When you use Burner, your phone number will stick to your device until you let go of it, in favor of a new virtual number. They also have a subscription-based model and only offer a 7 day trial period, but it should be enough to get your second WhatsApp activated.

  • Hushed by AffinityClick Inc. | Download

Note: Hushed too has a 3 day trial period after which you will have to get a subscription if you wish to keep using your virtual phone number.

Global Alternatives

Note: Both the apps right above tend to work but have tons of ad and mediocre customer support at best. Proceed with caution and maybe try them as a last resort if nothing else on the list works for you.

  • Free phone calls, free texting SMS on free number by Dingtone Inc | Download
  • Freetone by TextMe Inc. | Download

Disadvantages of using Virtual numbers as second WhatsApp number

There are multiple disadvantages and frankly risks associated with virtual numbers. Let’s take a quick look at each one of them.

Retainability

Virtual Numbers are not associated with specific users for a long time unless you pay for them. So if you are planning to skip the payment then you should keep in mind that you will have to keep using the number constantly daily to keep it active and in your possession.

Reusability

As most virtual numbers get reused and assigned to new users, you run the risk of getting an already used number. If the previous user had signed up to Whatsapp then you won’t be able to use this account unless you can delete the previous one.

Risk of losing data

Another major risk involved is that someone else might gain access to your Whatsapp account. If you get rid of your virtual number and someone else signs up to Whatsapp using it then you won’t be able to get your account back. They will be able to see all your stored chats as well as your backed up data if any. Moreover, any contact trying to contact you will be redirected to the new user.

Risk of losing payment modes

Only a handful of virtual number services out there are from reliable sources like Google. Even then, breaches happen which could result in your data getting stolen. When you take into account that most of these providers are credit card dependent with no reputation to their name, then the prospect of disclosing your payment information to such providers becomes increasingly risky.

How to use your landline number to sign up to Whatsapp instead

If you are worried about solicitation calls or random numbers and advertisements, then signing up with your landline will help you bypass all these drawbacks. You will also be able to set up your second WhatsApp account with the same phone number. Let’s take a look at how you can sign up for a new Whatsapp account using your landline.

Download and open your second Whatsapp on your device. Tap on ‘Agree and Continue’ at the bottom.

Now enter your landline number along with your country code. Tap on ‘Next’ once you are done.

The app will now send you a verification code via SMS but as it is a landline, you won’t be able to receive it. Wait for 5 mins and the option titled ‘Call Me’ will be available to you. Once available, tap on it.

You should now get a call on your landline with the verification code. Once you enter the code in your Whatsapp, it will be activated and you can now set your profile picture and username.

You should now be able to use Whatsapp with your landline.