I collected and organized some information online, including free and expensive options, to provide more choices for everyone.
Recommended free US number apps:
- Textnow
[Website Introduction]: Textnow is the largest free phone app in the United States, which was launched in 2009. Their app has been downloaded over 200 million times worldwide, helping many people make free calls and chat. Just log in with your Facebook, Google, or Apple account, register for this app, and you will have a free US phone number without having to pay.
With this number, you can make calls and send messages freely, but only to numbers in the United States and Canada. So if you want to register for Telegram or other apps, it's not a problem, and you can remove the private chat restrictions.
[Textnow Download]
iOS users can search for TextNow in the App Store
Android users can search for TextNow in Google Play
iOS users need to download and register with a US ID and a VPN app called "Shadowrocket". The VPN app needs to be set to use a global proxy and set to the United States because it can only be used in the United States.
https://www.textnow.com/
[Textnow Pros and Cons]
First, it's free, but there are ads, both in the app and on the website. The ads are quite large and easy to accidentally click on, which can be annoying. If you can't stand it, you can pay 3 cents to remove the ads for half an hour.
Second, you can also earn points by watching ads, and these points can be used to make calls to countries other than the United States and Canada.
Third, if you don't use the number for a week, it will be taken back, and you will have to choose a new one. So if you don't want to keep changing numbers, you can subscribe to the number retention service.
Fourth, because it is a virtual number, it cannot be used to register on all websites, but it can be used to register on Telegram, I have tried it.
Fifth, the app can make calls, but the website can only send messages.
[Textnow Registration]
There are three ways to create a TextNow account, as follows:
Facebook account
Google account
Or a US Apple account
You can choose any of them, but more people use Google accounts.
[Textnow Number Retention]
If you don't use the TextNow number for a week, it will be taken back. Before it is taken back, you will receive an email reminder. So whenever you receive a reminder email, go online and send a message or make a call to keep the number.
But if you don't want to go online every week to do this, and you're afraid you'll forget and lose the number, then use the automatic retention method.
The simplest way to automatically retain the number is to subscribe to their advertising messages. Open TextNow and send "auto" to the number 67135, then reply with "Y" to subscribe. You will receive 4 Autozone automotive parts advertising messages every week. It's also easy to unsubscribe in the future, just reply with "2".
- Textfree
[Website Address]: https://textfree.us/
[Website Introduction]: Textfree is similar to Textnow, with similar functions and user interfaces. Textfree's parent company is Pinger, specializing in virtual phone numbers and SMS services. After registering for Textfree with a Google or Facebook account, you will be assigned a free US virtual phone number, which can be used to send and receive messages and make calls to the US and Canada in the Textfree app.
Textfree will become invalid if not used for 30 days. The methods to retain the number are the same as Textnow.
- Twilio
[Website Address]: https://www.twilio.com/
[Website Introduction]: Twilio is a US cloud communications company founded in 2007, headquartered in San Francisco. It mainly provides programming interface APIs for developers to make calls and send messages through code.
In fact, Twilio is mainly for programmers, allowing websites and apps to automatically send and receive SMS verification codes, etc. It offers a $15 credit upon registration, which can be used to buy a US phone number for one year, mainly for receiving SMS messages.
The US numbers provided by Twilio are mobile numbers and can be used to verify WeChat and activate WeChat's international calling feature.
In short, Twilio is also a good choice for obtaining a virtual US number. Programmers can use its API for projects, and ordinary people can use its free numbers to receive verification codes and send messages.
[Twilio Pros and Cons]
A free US phone number for one year, it will not be taken back unless it expires, and it can be used even if not used in the middle;
During the registration process, there is no need to bind a Google or Facebook account for verification;
The number is a mobile phone number, not a landline number, so it can be used to register more applications;
Because it is mainly for programmers, the backend SMS sending and receiving is slightly more complex;
It cannot make or receive calls, only receive SMS messages.
Recommended physical US number cards:
- KnowRoaming
The advantage of KnowRoaming is that it is free to receive messages in China without a monthly fee. The disadvantage is that it still provides virtual numbers and cannot be used to verify bank accounts, etc.
The minimum recharge amount is $25, and the balance expires after 9 months. If you only need to receive messages, you don't need to recharge, just activate the card.
The number is valid for 9 months, and you only need to use the app occasionally to retain the number. It can be used to register for apps like Telegram and TikTok.
In terms of charges, receiving messages is free, sending international messages costs 21 cents per message, making calls costs 39-48 cents per minute, and using the internet costs 30 cents per megabyte.
However, an eSIM card is required, and it requires a phone that supports eSIM. Only the Apple Watch can be used in China, not mobile phones. And phones purchased abroad may not work in China.
KnowRoaming's official website only provides eSIM cards and only accepts payment via foreign credit cards or PayPal. If purchased from China, it will be shipped from Hong Kong and arrive in about half a month.
2. UltraMobile PayGo
UltraMobile is not a virtual number but a physical SIM card that can receive bank SMS verification codes. It can be used to successfully register for services like Google Voice that require a US number.
UltraMobile PayGo Plan is a US physical phone card that can roam in mainland China. The monthly fee is only $3, including:
100 minutes of talk time, available for roaming when WiFi Calling is enabled;
100 SMS messages;
100MB of 4G data, not available for roaming;
For calls or messages outside the plan or in non-Wi-Fi calling environments outside the United States, the rates are $3.59 per minute for calls, $0.1 per message for receiving messages, $0.5 per message for sending messages, and $0.2 per MB for data.
It can be used for long-term roaming in China and uses China Mobile's network. There are international roaming packages available for $5, $10, or $20, and the balance will not expire if not used up in the current month, it will automatically roll over to the next month. New registered users will also receive $5 in international roaming credits.
The official website also has a Chinese webpage, and clicking on the purchase button will directly redirect to eBay.
- Connect by T-Mobile
Connect by T-Mobile also supports WiFi Calling in mainland China. T-Mobile SIM cards support registration, SMS verification, and binding for US banks, US e-commerce platforms, and more.
These are the recommendations for now, and if you need them, you can follow for more updates.