How to Get a Virtual Phone Number
9 min read
Maybe you want a separate number for work so clients stop calling your personal mobile. Maybe you're selling online and don't want strangers to have your real number. Or maybe your whole team needs business phone numbers, and buying a phone for every person isn't an option.
In all of these cases, the answer is the same: a virtual phone number. This guide explains what a virtual number is, how it compares to a second SIM, and exactly how to get one with Second Number, whether you want a number on your own iPhone or Android phone or a set of numbers for a team working in the browser.
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What is a virtual phone number? A virtual phone number is a real phone number that isn't tied to a SIM card or a physical phone line. Instead, calls run over the internet, through an app on your phone or a tab in your browser.
To the people you call, nothing looks different. They see a normal phone number, they can save it, and they can call it back. The difference is on your side:
• No extra hardware. You don't need a second phone, a second SIM or a desk phone. • It lives alongside your own number. Your personal number keeps working as usual, and the virtual number sits next to it as a second line. • You can choose the area code. Instead of taking whatever number a carrier gives you, you pick a local number that fits where you or your customers are. • It goes where you go. Because it runs over the internet, you can make and take calls from anywhere you have a connection.
People often call this a second phone number, a second line or an online phone number. They all mean the same thing: an extra number that works on the devices you already have.
How to get a virtual phone number on iPhone or Android
If you want a second number on your own phone, the Second Number app is the quickest route. There's no account to create: you download the app, pick a country and choose your number. It works the same way on iPhone and Android.
1. Download the app. On iPhone, open the App Store. On Android, open Google Play. Search for Second Number, or use the App Store and Google Play buttons on the 2ndnumber.co homepage.
2. Pick a country. Open the app and choose the country you want your number from. That can be where you live, or the country where your customers or contacts are.
3. Choose your number. Pick a number from the available options. Choosing a local area code helps people recognize your calls.
4. Allow calls and notifications. When the app asks for microphone and notification access, allow both, so you can talk on calls and see incoming calls and texts.
5. Start calling and texting. Your new line is ready. The app includes unlimited calling and texting from your second number, right alongside your regular one.
Tips for your new second number
• Save it in your own contacts. Label it clearly, such as "My work line", so you always know which number you're sharing. • Use it everywhere strangers see your number. Marketplace listings, sign-up forms, deliveries and first contact with new clients are all good places for a private phone number. • Tell regular contacts which number to use. If it's your work line, add it to your email signature and business profile so clients start using it straight away.
How to get virtual phone numbers for your team on the web Second Number for Teams is a business phone system that runs in a browser tab. There are six steps from sign-up to your first call, and one of them is ours: we review every new organization before any payment goes through.
Step 1: Create your free account
Go to 2ndnumber.co and choose Create free account. You'll need your name, your work email and a password of at least 12 characters, including a capital letter, a number and a symbol. Confirm your email address, then sign in. No credit card is needed to sign up.
Step 2: Name your organization, and we review it
Name your organization, and you become its first admin. Our team reviews every new organization before any payments can be made. Your portal shows the review status, and while you wait, you can already invite people and set things up. Buying numbers and making calls unlock once you're approved.
This check exists to keep business calling trustworthy. It helps stop the account from being used for fraud or spam, which protects every customer's numbers.
Step 3: Add credit to your shared balance
Phone numbers and call minutes are paid from one prepaid balance for the whole organization. Only admins can top it up, by card or Apple Pay. Credit is added as soon as payment is confirmed, and there's no subscription to cancel.
Step 4: Buy your virtual phone numbers
Open Numbers, search by area code, add the numbers you want to a cart and buy them together. Then choose which agent each number rings. A new number rings nobody until you assign it, so calls never go to the wrong person by accident. Each number renews monthly from your credit balance, and only admins can buy numbers.
Step 5: Invite your team
Invite each person by email as an admin, supervisor or agent. They get a link, choose a password and go straight to their phone screen. Invite links work once and expire after seven days, and each person gets their own calling line.
Step 6: Make and take calls in your browser
Plug in a headset and open the phone page. The phone connects as soon as an agent signs in. Once they set themselves to available, calls to their number ring right in the tab, with caller ID shown before they answer. Agents set to away don't get rung, and calls stay connected while they move between pages.
One important note: emergency calls aren't supported. Keep a mobile phone or landline available for emergency services.
How to choose the right virtual number A few minutes of thought before you pick a number pays off for years: • Match the area code to your customers. A local area code tells people you're nearby, which matters most for local service businesses. On the web platform, you can search United States and Canada numbers by area code. • Get one number per region you genuinely serve. If your team covers two cities, a number in each gives customers there a familiar number to call. • Keep numbers consistent. People learn to recognize a number they've seen before. Changing numbers often makes your calls look unfamiliar. • Separate personal and business use. Use your virtual number for anything work-related or public, and keep your personal mobile for friends and family.
What to do after you get your number
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Register it before you make outbound calls. Adding your number to the Free Caller Registry tells the main US call analytics companies who you are, which lowers the chance of your calls showing as Spam Likely.
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Put it everywhere customers look. Add it to your website, email signature, Google Business Profile and listings, so it becomes the number people know.
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On the web platform, check your routing. Make sure every number rings a person who's actually working, and that agents keep their availability up to date.
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Log your calls. Tag each call's outcome and add a short note, so follow-ups don't get forgotten and you can see what's working.
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On the web platform, keep enough credit on your balance. Numbers renew monthly from your organization's credit, so keep the balance topped up to avoid surprises.
Frequently asked questions
How do I get a virtual phone number?
For a number on your own phone, download the Second Number app from the App Store or Google Play, pick a country and choose your number. No account is needed. For a team, create a free account at 2ndnumber.co, wait for your organization to be approved, add credit, then search for numbers by area code and assign each one to a person.
Is a virtual phone number a real phone number?
Yes. It's a real number that people can call, text or save like any other. It simply runs over the internet instead of through a SIM card.
How do I get a new phone number without changing my current one?
Get a virtual number. Your current number stays exactly as it is, and the virtual number works next to it as a second line.
**Can I get a second phone number on my iPhone without a second SIM? **
Yes. The Second Number app gives you a second line on your existing iPhone or Android phone, with no extra SIM or carrier plan.
Can I send texts from a virtual number?
With the Second Number app, yes: it includes unlimited calling and texting from your second number. Second Number for Teams, the web platform, is built around calling for teams.
Can I buy phone numbers for my whole team?
Yes. On Second Number for Teams, admins can search by area code, buy several numbers in one cart and choose which person each number rings.
Can I call emergency services from a virtual number?
Emergency calls aren't supported on Second Number for Teams. Always keep a regular mobile phone or landline available for emergencies. Get your virtual phone number today
Just for you? Download the Second Number app for a second line with unlimited calling and texting on your iPhone or Android phone. Download on the App Store · Get it on Google Play
For your team? Create a free account and run your business calls from a browser tab, with numbers by area code, a live wallboard and reports.