The phone number is essential for the use of some social networks such as WhatsApp. But is it possible to use WhatsApp without a real phone number by resorting to some trick?

It is true that without a phone number we cannot activate a WhatsApp account, since through it we are identified, instead of a username and password. However, it is possible to get a free and anonymous number to use in the application, so we can use it without depending on our operator’s SIM.

Especially since WhatsApp requires the phone number exclusively to receive the verification SMS when installing the app, from then on we won’t need it anymore, since the connection is made via WiFi or through a mobile data plan.

We can even receive the code on another mobile phone, enter it manually, and it will work just the same, without changing the SIM card from one device to another.

First of all, some concepts must be clarified: it is not possible to have two WhatsApp accounts activated on the same mobile device, even if we have two phone numbers.

With a virtual number
Although you cannot have WhatsApp without a phone number, at least it can be linked to a different number, which keeps you anonymous, and does not force you to register with an operator. We could use a virtual phone number as an alternative.

There are many ways to obtain a virtual number, one of them is to contact our operator and have them provide us with an additional virtual number added to our  main one, that is, it will not be the same as the one we have in our SIM.

Most of these types of services involve some sort of a cost (around $10 per month), although, for example, one of the best-known virtual number platforms such as Zadarma offers this service for around $2 per month.

If we don’t want to spend money, there are certain applications with which to get a free virtual phone number, some of them are paid, but they offer us a free trial period that will be enough to activate WhatsApp.

Among the apps to obtain a virtual number, the following stand out:

• Hushed.
• Sideline.
• Telos.
• TextPlus.
• GrooveIP.

With that phone number, we will follow the usual process to activate WhatsApp, either in the main application or in a secondary version created using an app cloner.

Once we have linked WhatsApp to a virtual phone number, we will not need that number. Of course, we will only need to have an Internet connection through WiFi or through our data plan of our phone.

Take advantage of a phone number from your environment

Perhaps around us we have a phone number that hasn’t been linked to WhatsApp: a company mobile, one of a relative old enough or a second line that our operator has given us and we do not use.

The idea is to activate the account through the verification SMS, and then forget about the original line. In principle, if another person uses it, we will not interfere with their calls and messages.

This system is safer than a virtual number, since there is less risk of dropping the line, although always depending on its origin. For example, if it is a business phone and it we have to bring it back to the company, its next owner may leave us without the WhatsApp should they active it.

Use a new prepaid SIM
There is also the possibility of acquiring a prepaid SIM card and only using it to activate WhatsApp, but we will have to pay some money to get it, and make a minimum top-ups from time to time.

In this way, we will have a number with which other people will not recognize us, which will result in greater privacy. We should not consider it anonymous, because in many countries you have to identify yourself when registering a prepaid line, so it is possible to discover our identity.

These are the most similar alternatives to activating WhatsApp without an associated phone number, which are not perfect, but the way the service works it imposes limitations on us. In fact, you may opt for Telegram which many consider better than WhatsApp.