phones

Private Numbers Apps for Your Cell Phone

The need to keep your number private increases by the day.  Websites, and Applications constantly request your cell phone number to verify who you are, when you sign up, but how do you know you can trust these sites?  Who has access to your cell phone number now?  The lack of privacy is growing by the day.  I don’t know about you, but I do not want my cell number all over craigslist every time I contact a potential seller for something.

The solution to the problem is easy, keep your cell number private and use a temporary number to Text, or Call from.  You can receive temporary numbers to get the access you need and still remain private.  Below you will find a list of applications that will help you on this quest, and a bit of info about each.

Hushed:
– No phone number required during Sign-Up
– No email required during Sign-Up
– You can purchase a number for a few dollars through the App Store, instead of putting your info into some third party site
– Allows for a secure passcode when you open the app each time

TextFree:
– Requires an email address to join, however this can be a throwaway address from any domain such as gmail
– You will have a free number to use for text messaging or receiving text messages, and you can use this to sign up for other apps on the list if you so choose.

Flyp:
– Verification using a phone number that the app can text. You could use a TextFree number to receive this verification.
– App requires you to buy a package immediately during signup, so this is where my research ended

Unlisted:
– Name and Email address required during Sign-Up. You can use a free email service to receive the verification.
– App requires you to buy a package immediately to receive a phone number, so this is where I stopped as well.

Burner:
– Requires a number to Sign-Up. You CAN NOT use a TextFree number for this verification, it gives you an error about an Unsupported Carrier. So it will require your actual cell phone number sign up, and defeats the purpose of why we want the app.

Sideline:
– Requires a number when signing up. This can be a TextFree number.
– 7-Day Free Trial is available as well. So you can use this service, just remember to cancel it after the 7 days is up, unless you want the number for a longer period of time.

Choose which works best for you, or a combination of two apps.  I liked the ability to get a free TextFree Number to receive the verifications from the other apps, and would suggest starting with that.