Help and FAQ

Second Phone is a phone within your phone. It gives you local and mobile phone numbers in other countries and lets you use them from one app on the device you already carry: calls, SMS and MMS, voice notes, voicemail, call recording and a private contacts list.

There is no second handset to buy, no SIM to swap and no contract. Your existing number and mobile plan carry on exactly as before.

Download the app, sign in, choose a country and a number, and start a subscription for your first number. From then on you call and text from the app, switching between your numbers whenever you like. Extra numbers are bought with coins, the in-app currency that also pays for calls and outgoing messages.

Step by step: Get your first number

No. Second Phone runs alongside your current number and contract, which are not affected in any way. Everything happens inside the app over your data or Wi-Fi connection.

Yes. Each one is a local or mobile number from the country you choose, shown in that country's own format. People call and text it like any other number, and you answer in the app.

The countries on sale are listed in the app when you choose a number, most popular first, together with what each supports: calls, SMS and MMS. The list changes as we add coverage, so the app is always the up-to-date source.

Step by step: Get your first number

Second Phone is available as an iPhone app on the App Store and as an Android app on Google Play. Your account and numbers belong to you, not to the device: sign in on a new phone and everything is there.

Yes. Calls and messages travel over your phone's data or Wi-Fi connection, so your numbers work wherever your phone is online, at home or travelling.

They see your Second Phone number, just as they would any other phone number. Your personal mobile number is never shown.

Sixteen: English, Arabic, Danish, German, Spanish, Finnish, French, Italian, Japanese, Norwegian Bokmål, Portuguese (Brazil), Portuguese (Portugal), Russian, Swedish, Simplified Chinese and Traditional Chinese. The app follows the language your phone is set to.

Step by step: Use the app in your language

Second Phone is made by Enterprise Architects LLC. You may come across the product's earlier name, Number2Go, in older material.

iPhone: Sign in with Apple, choosing whether to share or hide your email address, or sign in with your phone number and the 4-digit code we text you.

Android: sign in with your Google account.

Before you sign up, the app shows a short privacy notice and asks for the permissions it needs. Your acceptance is recorded once, when your account is created.

Step by step: Create your account and sign in

Check that the number and country code you entered are right, then tap Resend Code. To protect the service, resends are limited: after three you wait five minutes, and after three more, ten minutes. On iPhone you can also sign in with Apple instead.

Step by step: Create your account and sign in

• Microphone for calls and voice notes.
• Notifications so you hear about incoming calls, messages and voicemails.
• Contacts if you want to call or message people from your phone's address book.
• Photos when you add a picture to a contact or send one in a chat.
• App Tracking Transparency (iPhone only): Apple's standard prompt, which you can decline.

You can change any of these later in your phone's settings.

Step by step: Create your account and sign in

Tap Get a number. Choose a country, then a region if the country has them, then pick the number you like. Your first number comes with a subscription, so the app asks you to choose a plan and confirm the purchase with the App Store or Google Play.

The number then appears on your Profile as your primary number, marked with a crown, and is ready to call and text from. If the country requires a registered address, you will be asked for it first.

Step by step: Get your first number

Where a country offers regional numbers, yes: you pick the region first and then a number from it. Mobile numbers are not tied to a region. Some countries offer only one list of numbers.

Step by step: Get your first number

Local regulations in some countries require a registered address before a phone number can go live. The number stays in Draft until you provide it, and you have 7 days to do so; after that the number is released. Tap the Draft number on your Profile to complete the address, or swipe left to delete it.

Step by step: Add the address a country requires

Straight away, as soon as the purchase completes. The only exception is a country that requires an address, where the number is activated once the address has been provided.

Your first (primary) number, with calling and messaging from it, plus its number settings: voicemail with business hours, call forwarding and call recording. Calls and messages from the primary number are covered by the subscription; extra numbers and their usage are paid with coins.

Without an active subscription you can still open the app and see your Profile, but you cannot call or message from the primary number until it is renewed.

On iPhone you can choose a yearly plan (the best value, shown with its price per month), a monthly plan or a weekly plan. Android offers its own set of plans. Prices are set for your region and shown in the app before you buy.

Step by step: Get your first number

Only when the App Store or Google Play offers an introductory period on a plan, in which case the subscription screen shows it. There is no fixed trial, and none on numbers bought with coins. Any unused part of a trial is forfeited when you buy a subscription.

Through your Apple or Google account, at confirmation of purchase. The subscription renews automatically at the end of each period unless auto-renew is turned off at least 24 hours before the period ends; the renewal is charged within the 24 hours before it. You manage the subscription in your App Store or Google Play account settings, not in the app.

Step by step: Restore, manage or cancel your subscription

In your App Store or Google Play subscription settings (Settings → Manage Subscriptions in the app takes you there). Your primary number stays active until the end of the period you have paid for and then expires. See What happens when a number expires?

Step by step: Restore, manage or cancel your subscription

Install the app, sign in with the same account, and tap Restore on the subscription screen. Your purchase is restored from your Apple or Google account and your numbers appear on your Profile.

Step by step: Restore, manage or cancel your subscription

No. One account holds one subscription, which covers your primary number. Every additional number is bought and renewed with coins.

Yes. You can replace your primary number once for free. Further replacements are an in-app purchase.

Step by step: Replace your primary number

Make sure you are signed in to Second Phone with the account you used when you subscribed, then tap Restore on the subscription screen. If it still cannot be matched, contact us with the email address or phone number you sign in with and, if you have it, your App Store or Google Play receipt.

Step by step: Contact support from the app

Coins are the in-app currency for everything the subscription does not cover: extra numbers and their renewals, calls, and the SMS and MMS you send. Receiving SMS is always free. Your balance is shown at the top of your Profile and during calls.

Step by step: Buy coins

Coins come in packs of 200, 700, 1,000 and 3,000, bought as in-app purchases. Tap Buy Coins next to your balance on the Profile or Keypad screen. Pack prices are set for your region and shown before you buy.

Step by step: Buy coins

It depends on the country your number is in and the country you are calling. Calls are charged per minute, rounded up to the next full minute, for both outgoing and incoming calls. Open Settings → Pricing, choose a from and a to country, and the calculator shows the coins for an outgoing call, an incoming call, an outgoing SMS and an outgoing MMS.

Step by step: Check prices and track your spending

Receiving an SMS is free. Receiving a call uses coins at the incoming-call rate for your number's country, which the Pricing calculator shows.

Step by step: Check prices and track your spending

You receive a Balance running low notification before it does. If the balance goes below zero, your numbers cannot make or receive calls or texts until you top up, and the app takes you to the coins screen. Topping up restores service immediately.

Step by step: Buy coins

Settings → Expenses lists every credit and debit on your account: calls with their duration, SMS and MMS, number purchases and renewals, subscription purchases and renewals, and coin purchases. Credits are shown in blue, spending in grey.

Step by step: Check prices and track your spending

Not at the moment. Coins are currently bought in the app as coin packs.

Step by step: Buy coins

Subscriptions and coin packs are purchased through the App Store or Google Play, and refunds are handled by Apple or Google under their policies. Request a refund from your Apple or Google account, and contact us if you need help with anything on the Second Phone side.

Step by step: Restore, manage or cancel your subscription

Up to 10 on one account, all active at the same time. You can have several numbers in the same country.

Step by step: Add another number with coins

On your Profile, below your numbers, tap get another number and choose a country and number as before. Extra numbers are paid with coins for 7 days, 30 days, 90 days or 1 year; the coin price of each term is shown before you confirm. You also choose whether the number should renew itself from your balance.

Step by step: Add another number with coins

• Active: working normally.
• Deactivated: switched off by you; swipe left on the card to switch it back on.
• Expired: the subscription or coin term has run out; renew it to use it again.
• Draft: bought, but waiting for the address the country requires.

Each card also shows the days remaining and whether auto-renew is on, plus the voicemail, call recording and call forwarding status of the number.

Step by step: Read your number card

When you buy an extra number you choose its renewal: don't renew, or renew for a further term when the current one ends. Renewal deducts the coins from your balance automatically. If there are not enough coins, the number expires and you can renew it by hand once you have topped up. You can change the setting at any time in the number's settings.

Step by step: Rename a number, set auto-renew, switch it off or delete it

Yes. Swipe left on an active number's card and choose Deactivate; it stops taking calls and messages until you activate it again the same way. The number stays yours.

Step by step: Rename a number, set auto-renew, switch it off or delete it

An expired number cannot make or receive calls or messages, but it stays on your Profile so you can renew it: the primary number through your subscription, an extra number with coins. Before renewing, the app checks the number is still available; if it has gone, it offers you a new one.

A number that stays expired for 30 days is deleted and released, and cannot be recovered.

Step by step: Renew an expired number

For an extra number, open its settings from the Profile and tap the bin icon. Expired and Draft numbers can be deleted by swiping left on their card. An active primary number cannot be deleted by swiping, which protects you from losing it by accident. A deleted number is released and cannot be brought back.

Step by step: Rename a number, set auto-renew, switch it off or delete it

Yes. Open the number's settings and tap Rename. Names can be up to 20 characters, for example Work or Berlin flat; the real number is shown in smaller text beneath. Delete the name to show the number on its own again.

Step by step: Rename a number, set auto-renew, switch it off or delete it

Each tab needs a number that can do the job. Messages needs a number with SMS; Keypad and Recents need a number that can make calls. A voice-only number has no Messages, an SMS-only number has no Keypad, and until you have a primary number the Keypad is disabled. Use the number switcher at the top of a tab to pick a number with the right capability.

Step by step: Switch the number you are using

Yes. Your numbers belong to your Second Phone account, not to a SIM or a device. Changing your main mobile number changes nothing; on a new phone, install the app, sign in and restore your subscription.

Step by step: Create your account and sign in

Open the Keypad, tap the flag to pick the country, dial the number and tap the blue call button; it lights up once the number is valid. You can also call from a contact's profile, from an entry in Recents, or from the header of a chat. The call is made from the number selected in the number switcher.

Step by step: Make a call

Yes. The number switcher at the top of the Keypad, Recents and Messages tabs sets the number in use. Each number has its own call history and conversations.

Step by step: Switch the number you are using

An incoming call shows the caller's number or contact name. You can accept, decline, or respond with SMS, which declines the call and opens a conversation so you can text a quick reply. Incoming calls need an active subscription (primary number) or coins (extra numbers).

Step by step: Answer, decline or text back an incoming call

You can call any valid phone number, at the rate the Pricing calculator shows for that pair of countries. Premium-rate numbers cannot be called.

Step by step: Make a call

Mute, switch to speaker, open a keypad to send tones (for menus and extensions), and record the call if recording is on for that number. The call timer and your coin balance are shown, and the balance is updated every minute and when the call ends.

Step by step: Make a call

Yes, with other Second Phone users. When a contact is a Second Phone user, their profile shows a video call button alongside the audio one. Video calls to ordinary phone numbers are not possible.

Step by step: Video call another Second Phone user

Turn on Call recording in the number's settings. During a call from that number, tap Record; you can pause, resume and stop whenever you like, and the screen shows recording… while it runs. Stopping saves a recording; recording again in the same call saves a second one. Find them under Recents → Recordings.

Laws on recording calls vary by country and region. Before recording, make sure you know the rules that apply where you and the other party are, including whether you must tell them.

Step by step: Record a call

Turn on Voicemail in the number's settings. With voicemail on and no business hours set, every call goes to voicemail. You can type a personal voicemail message for callers to hear, or leave the standard greeting.

To take calls at certain times, switch on the days you want and set a time range for each (the default is 09:00–17:00 in your local time zone); outside those hours, and on days you leave off, callers reach voicemail.

Voicemails are listed under Recents → Voicemail, with the caller, the duration and when it was left. A blue chevron marks one you have not yet played on this device.

Step by step: Set up voicemail and business hours

Turn on Call forwarding in the number's settings and enter the destination number in international format, picking its country code from the list. All calls to that number are then forwarded. Turn it off to receive calls in the app again.

Step by step: Forward your calls to another phone

Any phone number that can receive SMS or MMS, anywhere in the world, and other Second Phone users, who get the full chat experience. Each of your numbers has its own list of conversations; use the number switcher to move between them.

Step by step: Start a conversation and send a message

Text, photos, videos and files, and voice notes recorded in the chat. Voice notes and media go to numbers that support MMS and to Second Phone users. Each message shows whether it has been sent and delivered.

Step by step: Send a photo, video, file or voice note

Tap the pencil icon on the Messages tab, then either pick a contact or enter a phone number: choose the country code, type the number, and tap the arrow once it is valid. You can also message from a contact's profile.

Step by step: Start a conversation and send a message

Outgoing SMS and MMS use coins at the rate for the two countries involved, shown in the Pricing calculator. Incoming SMS are free.

Step by step: Check prices and track your spending

Yes. Swipe left on a conversation to delete it, or press and hold a message inside a conversation to delete just that message, whether you sent or received it. Deleting removes it from your app only; it does not recall it from the other person.

That number is voice-only. Only numbers with SMS capability can start conversations; the capabilities of each country are shown when you choose a number, and the number switcher on the Messages tab lists only numbers that can message.

Step by step: Switch the number you are using

On the Recents tab, per number. All lists every call with the contact or number, the country and the time; outgoing calls carry a phone icon. Missed shows only missed calls, and the Voicemail and Recordings tabs hold your voicemails and call recordings. Swipe left on an entry to delete it.

Step by step: Check missed calls, voicemails and recordings

Open Recents → Voicemail or Recordings and tap the entry. Each shows who it involved, how long it is and when it was made. A blue chevron means it has not been played on this device yet; the audio is downloaded to your phone the first time you play it.

Step by step: Check missed calls, voicemails and recordings

No. Playing back voicemails and recordings does not use coins.

Step by step: Check missed calls, voicemails and recordings

The Contacts tab shows two lists. Device contacts are the people already in your phone's address book, which the app reads with your permission. Second Phone contacts are private to the app: they never appear in your phone's address book, which keeps your second life separate.

Step by step: Create a private Second Phone contact

Tap + on the Contacts tab. A contact needs a first name and at least one phone number; a last name and a picture from your photo library are optional. You can add several numbers, each with a type such as mobile or work, and a country code. Contacts can also be created from the keypad and from a conversation header when the number is not saved yet.

Step by step: Create a private Second Phone contact

Call them, video call them if they are a Second Phone user, message them, or send a voice note. You can also edit the contact and share it as a contact card through your phone's share sheet.

Step by step: Create a private Second Phone contact

Use the search field at the top of the list, or jump with the A–Z index down the right-hand side, which works for first and last names.

Step by step: Create a private Second Phone contact

Settings → PIN Lock, then choose a 4-digit PIN. The app asks for it whenever it opens. To change or turn off the PIN you enter the current one first. The PIN is stored only as a hash, never as the digits themselves.

Step by step: Lock the app with a PIN or biometrics

Yes. Settings → Biometric Lock uses the biometrics registered on your phone: Face ID or Touch ID on iPhone, fingerprint or face unlock on Android.

Step by step: Lock the app with a PIN or biometrics

The details you sign in with, the numbers you buy, and what is needed to route your calls and messages and to run, protect and improve the app. Contact pictures are stored only when you add them, and removed when you delete the contact. The full Privacy Policy describes what we collect, why, and the choices you have.

In a limited way. Your Profile, numbers, recents, conversations and contacts stay readable from the app's local copy. Making calls and sending or receiving messages needs a data or Wi-Fi connection.

Settings → Delete Account. This removes your account and everything on it, including your numbers, and cannot be undone. A subscription bought through the App Store or Google Play is managed by Apple or Google, so cancel it in your store account as well; deleting the account does not cancel it.

Step by step: Delete your account, or just log out

Incoming calls, new messages, missed calls and new voicemails, plus events on your account: a number about to expire or expired, a renewal, and a coin balance running low. The bell on your Profile opens a list of the notifications you have received.

Step by step: Manage notifications

Check that notifications are allowed for Second Phone in your phone's settings, and that the phone is not in a Focus or Do Not Disturb mode that silences them. Notifications for calls and messages need a data or Wi-Fi connection.

Step by step: Manage notifications

In the app, go to Settings → Support, enter your email address and a description of the problem, attach a screenshot if it helps, and send. This creates a support ticket for our team. You can do the same from the Contact us page on this site.

Step by step: Contact support from the app

If you see this message, contact us with the email address or phone number you sign in with and we will look into it and explain what has happened.

Step by step: Contact support from the app

Occasionally a release is required for the app to keep working with our service. Install the latest version from the App Store or Google Play and open the app again.

Settings → Logout. Your numbers and subscription stay on your account; sign in again to pick up where you left off.

Here on this site: Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. They are also linked from Settings in the app and from the subscription screen.