Creating a “burner” phone number?

Matthew

Matthew

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Is there an app or other way to create a phone number that can be used for sending and receiving group texts that’s tied to your real number? This would be a number that could easily be changed if necessary. This would allow sending and receiving texts through a disposable number while protecting your real number.

This would be pretty much just a “text only” number.
 
I’ve done something similar using Google phone when putting up for sale ads. Create the number on Google, tie it to your phone, delete when done. Don’t know if it’ll group text or not.
 
jsstevens said:
I’ve done something similar using Google phone when putting up for sale ads. Create the number on Google, tie it to your phone, delete when done. Don’t know if it’ll group text or not.
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Thx.

My daughter is trying to head off potential problems. She has a work email but not a work phone (HS teacher). With everything going text based now she doesn’t want to broadcast her personal number to her students and parents.
 
Hell, the spammers have no trouble with this and much more, why can’t we?
 
What you want is a VOIP solution with SMS/MMS capability. The most popular example of that is Google Voice.
 
I use GVoice for something similar to this, but it's not "linked" to my main number in a meaningful way for SMS -- I use the Voice app to read SMS on the GV number, and the regular messages app to read them on my main number -- so it's sort of two apps.
 
Used to be, you couldn't get a new G Voice number if you already had one; no longer so?
 
If you're halfway technical, Twilio is the gold standard for building out voice- and sms-enabled services. Would be simple to set something up like this. Charge is something like $1-2 per phone number per month, and about 1 cent per text, but incoming from (presumably) student and outgoing to your daughter's real phone would each count as a leg. It would take some programming to actually set up.

Google Voice is great, but changing the number often is a problem. I would look into things like WhatsApp and Skype and similar that allow you to buy a phone number to use for messaging. Should be easier to switch numbers when needed, and your daughter would have work texts sequestered in one app.
 
I think now that I, and she, have a starting point of where to look and what to look for, she'll find something easily enough. Her particular situation and school district don't seem to be one of those locations that has a lot of tension between the school and parents. But there's always that kid that's going to abuse a personal phone number or that parent that just won't stop texting. A work email is great for a lot of things, but it seems that almost all communications are moving to texts now. Probably because people will check their texts way more often than emails. I don't think she's a fan of that, but that's the way it's going so she has to find a way to work something out.

Even if changing a Google number is inconvenient, as long as she isn't tying her personal number I think she can find a way to just keep that Google number. Even if that number gets abused, she can either filter or block whoever is the problem or change it for the next school year. As long as her personal number never gets used, this would catch all that kind of junk.
 
mcmanigle said:
If you're halfway technical, Twilio is the gold standard for building out voice- and sms-enabled services. Would be simple to set something up like this. Charge is something like $1-2 per phone number per month, and about 1 cent per text, but incoming from (presumably) student and outgoing to your daughter's real phone would each count as a leg. It would take some programming to actually set up.

Google Voice is great, but changing the number often is a problem. I would look into things like WhatsApp and Skype and similar that allow you to buy a phone number to use for messaging. Should be easier to switch numbers when needed, and your daughter would have work texts sequestered in one app.
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I've only used Skype a few times during Covid. But I'm not sure that it supports texts to a group. I think it can do one at a time. I'll check out What's App, too, I've never used it.
 
Google Voice will work for you and it’s free. If you get a paid service (Google voice also has a paid service) then you can create multiple numbers as needed. But given you are saying it’s a method to communicate with parents, Google voice would be a good option as you’ll likely only use one phone number per year and the means to communicate may end once students move up a year so one phone number that you can set a DND as needed and you can read texts online on your computer at voice.google.com or via the Google voice app on your personal phone. You set incoming calls to direct to your personal number without revealing your personal phone number or to the Google voice app or website. Google voice does not work with sending videos and quality of received videos is terrible, however images in and out are fine. Group chat does work on Google voice.

With WhatsApp, you reveal your personal phone number and everyone has to have the WhatsApp app. Those parents who don’t understand will likely call or text your personal phone number which defeats the purpose of using WhatsApp. You can use your computer or the app to use it. Great for sending voice audio, text, images, videos and documents, also voice video and group voice and video calls - could also be used accidentally too, something to keep in mind. Group chats are well organized. It is also free. You’d loose your privacy though, you could create a Google voice number and link your WhatsApp to that, I believe. Sometimes services won’t work with a VOIP number such as Google voice.

Texting might be a little too real time for a teacher though, you might want to consider something slower that won’t overwhelm yourself. Email or email lists is a good option too.

Or just use Google voice, set incoming calls to DND to to the Google voice app only, and log onto voice.google.com via your computer when you want to be “online” and when you log off you won’t hear anything. Google voice also sends you emails when you get texts or voicemails if desired.
 
I just did something like this with Twilio. We’ve got a UK employee that needed a US phone number. When I dug a little deeper, she just needed a US cell number for text messages for things like web site login authentication. Bought a Twilio voice number and set up a little app to reroute texts to her UK mobile number. It’s slick and pretty cheap, I think about a buck a month.

edit: I didn’t set up anything for outgoing texts. It can be done, but I didn’t look into how since it wasn’t a requirement.
 
I use Google voice for my home number. It is great for transcribing voicemail also. Someone calls and leaves a message - GV may be set to transcribe that message and forward it to text or email.

Currently using a Obi202 connected to home ethernet cable, but I read GV is sunsetting support for the device next year with no replacement announced yet. Of course one may use GV without a Obi202, but then you wouldn't have a "landline" at the house.
 
FORANE said:
I use Google voice for my home number. It is great for transcribing voicemail also. Someone calls and leaves a message - GV may be set to transcribe that message and forward it to text or email.

Currently using a Obi202 connected to home ethernet cable, but I read GV is sunsetting support for the device next year with no replacement announced yet. Of course one may use GV without a Obi202, but then you wouldn't have a "landline" at the house.
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That Obi202 seems cool. Does it specifically connect to Google Voice? Wondering if you could program a VOIP phone to do that. Sad to see lots of new tech calling end of life though. Is there another comparable or newer tech to this?
 
mandm said:
That Obi202 seems cool. Does it specifically connect to Google Voice? Wondering if you could program a VOIP phone to do that. Sad to see lots of new tech calling end of life though. Is there another comparable or newer tech to this?
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The Obi202 (I think) is capable of acting as a VOIP phone adapter device for any VOIP service. It specifically states it is compatible with Google Voice and I can attest it was super simple to setup with Google Voice. The GV setup is completed through the Obi202 website login which communicates with your specific Obi202 device to complete the setup. It works perfectly with Google Voice and a regular home phone system. Once this device is purchased, there is zero cost for home phone unless you wish to pay for the optional 911 service.
Further, I have a fax machine connected to the second phone port and it has worked well too which is surprising to me as I have experienced fax failures with other VOIP services/devices.

As to if one could program a VOIP phone to connect to Google Voice, someone may be able to do it but I am not that someone. I sure hope someone does bring an alternative to market though because I don't want another VOIP service. I really like Google Voice.
 
Every time I've gotten a burner number from one of these apps, it's been a number that's already been flagged as "excessively used" and sites won't accept it.
 
bflynn said:
Every time I've gotten a burner number from one of these apps, it's been a number that's already been flagged as "excessively used" and sites won't accept it.
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True but it isn’t necessarily that it is excessively used, rather numbers are either designated as VOIP (with no verification of owner) or postpaid plans (Verizon, AT&T, etc) that have owners identification on file. A lot of spam comes from unverified sources so many websites opt to block VOIP altogether as it is an unverified source and can be easily replicated in mass.
 
FORANE said:
The Obi202 (I think) is capable of acting as a VOIP phone adapter device for any VOIP service. It specifically states it is compatible with Google Voice and I can attest it was super simple to setup with Google Voice. The GV setup is completed through the Obi202 website login which communicates with your specific Obi202 device to complete the setup. It works perfectly with Google Voice and a regular home phone system. Once this device is purchased, there is zero cost for home phone unless you wish to pay for the optional 911 service.
Further, I have a fax machine connected to the second phone port and it has worked well too which is surprising to me as I have experienced fax failures with other VOIP services/devices.

As to if one could program a VOIP phone to connect to Google Voice, someone may be able to do it but I am not that someone. I sure hope someone does bring an alternative to market though because I don't want another VOIP service. I really like Google Voice.
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GV is free and works better than the paid services, so I have to agree with you.
 
Not sure if it is a viable solution for communicating with parents, but using an app like Telegram for messaging doesn't require sharing the phone number. It's free and it would be possible.to set up a group for group messaging.
 
I posted a similar thread a while back so I could have a way to have a mobile cell phone that couldn't be tracked by the MAN. The solution was a Google phone number, linked to a burner phone data connection only, so that my location and whereabouts wouldn't be known unless the MAN made my burner phone.

FYI I am not a career criminal that needs to mask his whereabouts, but why burn bridges unnecessarily.
 
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