How to get a temporary phone number on iPhone

November 6, 2026

A temporary phone number is a number you use once, usually to receive a verification code, so the service you are signing up for never sees your real one. On iPhone the quickest way to get one is an app that rents numbers for a single code and shows the incoming SMS on screen.

When a temporary number makes sense

• Signing up for a service you only want to try once.
• Keeping marketplace, dating or gaming accounts away from your personal number.
• Separating work and personal sign-ups.
• Avoiding the marketing texts that follow once a company has your number.

How it works in CodeInbox

1. Open the app. There is no account to create: no email, no password and no phone number of your own.
2. Choose the service you are signing up for. More than 130 are listed, across over 140 countries.
3. Choose a country, or a specific operator. Each option shows its price in credits; with Plus you also see its real delivery rate.
4. Copy the number and enter it on the service.
5. The SMS arrives in the app within minutes, with the code ready to copy.

What it costs

CodeInbox runs on credits. You buy a pack, spend credits when you need a number, and keep the rest; credits do not expire. Many services start at 2 credits. If no code arrives, you do not pay: cancel before the code lands and the credits come straight back, and a number that expires empty is refunded automatically.

Plus is an optional subscription for frequent use. It adds 50 credits each period, one free activation every week on services under 15 credits, success rates for every country and operator, and up to 20 temporary email addresses at once.

What a temporary number cannot do

• It is not yours to keep. Numbers come from third-party providers and are shared and temporary. Someone else may hold the same number later.
• It is for receiving codes, not for calls. If you need a number people can call or text for months, a second-line app is the better fit. See How to get a second phone number on iPhone.
• Some services refuse virtual numbers. When that happens, try another country or operator; the app shows what is available right now.

Do not use a temporary number for banking, payments or any account you may need to recover later. Recovery codes go to the number on file, and you will not have that number again.