How it works
Temporary or long-term? How long to keep a second phone number
Extra numbers can be bought for 7 days, 30 days, 90 days or a year. Which term to choose depends on whether the number is for a moment, a project or a permanent second life.
The term you choose for a second number is a statement of intent. A number for a car sale should not outlive the car. A number on your business cards should never lapse. Second Phone gives extra numbers four terms, 7 days, 30 days, 90 days and 1 year, paid with coins, and a renewal setting on each. Choosing well means never paying for a number you no longer need, and never losing one you do.
A week: for a moment
Selling one thing, a short trip, a single event. Buy the number for 7 days, set it not to renew, and let it go. If the sale drags on, renew it in the app for another term. The advantage over a longer term is obvious: you pay for the week you use.
A month or three: for a project
A house move, a season abroad, a semester, a job search, a building project. A 30-day or 90-day term covers the period without needing attention, and you decide at the end whether the project has finished. Numbers used for sign-ups often live here too, replaced when they attract too much noise.
A year: for a second life
A work line, a family number, a permanent "public" number for everything transactional. Buy it for a year and switch on auto-renew, and it becomes as permanent as your main number, at a fraction of the attention. This is the number on your website and in your relatives' phones; it must not lapse.
Auto-renew and the coin balance
Auto-renew pays for the next term from your coin balance when the current one ends. If there are not enough coins, the number expires instead, so a long-term number wants a balance that can cover it, and the app warns you by notification when the balance runs low. Turn auto-renew off for numbers that should end on their own. The setting is in each number's details; see Rename a number, set auto-renew, switch it off or delete it.
Expired is not gone, for 30 days
When a term ends without renewal the number shows Expired on your Profile. It cannot make or receive calls or texts, but it is still yours: renew it and it comes back. After 30 days expired, it is deleted and released to the pool, and cannot be recovered. See Renew an expired number.
Deactivated is different
Deactivating a number pauses it: no calls or texts reach you, but the number stays yours and its term and renewal carry on. Use it for a seasonal line or a number you will need again. Deactivating does not save the renewal cost; letting a number expire does.
Your primary number
The first number on the account is covered by a subscription, not coins, and renews with it. The terms above apply to the extra numbers.
Frequently asked questions
Can I extend a 7-day number instead of losing it?
Yes. Renew it in the app before or after it expires (within the 30-day window), choosing any term.
If I buy a year and delete the number after a month, do I get coins back?
No. Coins spent on a term are spent. Choose the shorter term if you are unsure, and renew.
Does an expired number still cost coins?
No. Nothing is charged while a number is expired. Renewing it charges the term you choose.