Plus, all calls, texts and voicemails are stored and backed up to make it easy for you to search your history. Don't like listening to voicemail? Google Voice provides voicemail transcription so you can read the text of the voicemail via the app or have it sent to your email. Like TextNow, Google Voice supports forwarding calls and voicemail. Google says spam is automatically filtered, plus you can block numbers you don't want to hear from. and Canada, while international calls may be less than what your mobile carrier charges. This one number synchronizes across your devices, so you can always be reached with your new number. You will need a Google account, such as a Gmail address, to get going. It allows you to place and receive calls and texts through a free U.S.-based telephone number, chosen from available numbers in selected area codes. Launched in 2009, it also works on both smartphones and the web. Google Voice. Another way to score a free secondary line is through Google Voice. Google Voice can ring across all your devices Along with requiring a phone that's compatible with Sprint, be aware a plan that includes data - so you can browse the Internet - starts at an extra $10 a month. In 2018, the average American spent $99 a month on a phone plan, up nearly $23 from five years before.Īll plans have no contract and you may cancel your plan whenever you like without penalty or additional charges. It can be completely free to use for calls and texts if you're willing to see advertisements, or $9.99 a month for an AdFree+ call and text plan. If not, you can buy a new SIM card to swap in from the company, a one-time fee, for $9.99.Īlternatively, TextNow also offers inexpensive phones and cellular plans that leverage the Sprint network. If it was a Sprint phone, it's already compatible for free cellular service. When it comes to messaging, TextNow supports emojis, gifs, photos, stickers and videos.Ī bonus: If you don't have a smartphone, you can take a hand-me-down device from a friend or relative, reset it to factory specifications using instructions on TextNow's website and install this app to have a free phone number that will work on Wi-Fi. And you can change the tune and vibration if you like.Īlso free are services such as call forwarding, caller ID, conference calls and voicemail. If you install this app on your existing smartphone, you'll notice the new ringtone is different from your main number. The first step is to select a desired area code and number that's available. International calls require credits, which can be earned or purchased (and are very affordable ). It works on Mac and Windows computers and tablets, too.Īll calls and texts to and from the U.S. TextNow. Available for iPhone and Android devices, TextNow is an 11-year-old app that gives you a secondary number for incoming and outgoing calls and text messages. The best part: Burner numbers, which you can get without buying a burner phone, are free. These burner numbers that scammers can use to shield themselves from detection also can shield you from revealing your personal phone number, one you can take with you even if you move out of state, to anyone you don't really know. People working from home likely want to give out a different phone than their personal mobile number or home phone. Teachers working online during the pandemic might be asked to provide a number for concerned parents. Curbside pickup at your home improvement store may require a number. Often called a “burner” number - something that can protect your privacy and is easily disposable if you want a different one down the road - these are even more relevant during the coronavirus crisis. What if the online classifieds guy turns out to be sketchy? Did entering that contest initiate a deluge of spammed messages and robocalls? Has your blind date turned out to be a creep and now he has your number?įor these reasons, giving out an alternative number is smarter, just in case. The problem: All three of these scenarios require you to reveal your phone number. And while dipping your toe in a new “single seniors” app, your first date says to call when you arrive at the coffee shop. Or perhaps you see an ad promoting a vacation contest and the company wants you to text a code to be eligible to win. En español | You're selling an old couch over Craigslist, and the person you're meeting asks for your mobile number to coordinate the exchange.
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