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A virtual phone number is a regular phone number that isn’t attached to a physical SIM card or a specific phone. It lives in an app or an online account, and calls and texts reach you over the internet.
A number without a SIM card
A normal mobile number belongs to the SIM in your phone. A virtual number belongs to an account with a phone service, which routes it to wherever you are signed in. That is why you can add one to the phone you already have without a second SIM, and why some services let the same number ring on several devices at once.
How calls and texts reach you
When someone calls or texts a virtual number, the provider receives it and forwards it to your app over Wi-Fi or cellular data. When you call or text out from the app, the other person sees the virtual number, not your SIM number.
What a virtual number can do
- •Make and receive calls and texts with anyone, on any phone
- •Use a local area code in a city where you don’t live
- •Keep work, selling, or dating separate from your personal number
- •Add several numbers to one phone, each with its own settings
What it can’t do
- •Call 911 or emergency services, on most app-based services including Ghost. Keep your regular line for emergencies.
- •Always receive verification codes. Some banks and apps block virtual numbers for signup and security codes.
- •Work without a connection. It needs Wi-Fi or cellular data.
Choosing an area code
Pick the area code of the people you’ll be talking to. A local number gets answered more often by buyers, clients, and landlords. Ghost offers 200+ US and Canadian area codes, and you can browse them by state on our virtual phone number pages.
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