Before posting here, I did search the forums for information on virtual phone numbers, but couldn’t really find much that was up to date.
My situation is that I ported my old US number over to a Google Voice number many years ago. It mostly works fine to receive SMS but some service providers flag it as an unsupported virtual number. For example, PayPal won’t accept it as a contact number to issue me a debit card. I wondered if there are any good alternatives to GV out there these days that are suitable for individual / small business use? It looks like some of the virtual number providers like Plivo are really aimed at larger businesses. Thanks!
The best approach is to port your number to a carrier offer eSIMs that works abroad (even if it means through WiFi calling). It’s very easy to use if you have an iPhone supporting dual SIMs.
The carrier I’d recommend for most people is Tello. Here are some notes I took when I tested Tello a year ago:
Tello
Price: $5/mo + taxes/fees
Included usage:
100 min (300 for $1 extra, unlimited for $3 extra)
Unlimited texts
0 MB (500 MB for $1 extra)
Supported Apple features (Ting):
5G
FaceTime over Cellular
LTE
Personal Hotspot
VoLTE
Wi-Fi Calling
Pros:
Offers both eSIM and physical SIM
Easy, self-serve transfer of eSIM (log into online account, generate QR code, scan with new phone)
Affordable and flexible upgrades from base plan
In addition to WiFi Calling, you can make outbound calls with the My Tello app (no texts or inbound calls, however)
Free international calls to 61 countries (landline + mobile in 42 countries, plus landline only in 19 countries)
Cons:
Might run out of included minutes in base plan if using number for phone calls (banking, airlines, whatever), but upgrades are very cheap
A couple dollars more expensive than the cheapest options
Result of testing the SIM while physically in Europe (SIM activated in the US):
Does not connect to any cell networks (need to rely on WiFi Calling)
Works after enabling WiFi Calling
SMS OK
Outbound calling OK
Receiving calls on other devices (iPhone) but only when on same network
Some other carriers to consider include Ultra Mobile Paygo, US Mobile, and T-Mobile Connect. Here are my notes from when I tested those a year ago:
Ultra Mobile Paygo
Price: $3/month (+ taxes/fees)
Included usage:
100 min
100 text
100 MB
Features:
US network: T-Mobile
Pros:
Ultra low cost (pun intended) with included usage sufficient for typical 2FA needs
Cons:
Might run out of included minutes if using number for phone calls (banking, airlines, whatever)
Only physical SIM cards available (no eSIM), meaning you’ll need to get your hands on a SIM card in the US first
Conflicting reports whether WiFi calling can be enabled abroad without initial US activation
European test with already activated SIM from the US:
Works (with WiFi Calling on)
SMS OK
Outbound calling OK
Receiving calls on other devices (iPhone) but only when on same network
Works somewhat on local mobile network
Can receive SMS
Can receive calls
Cannot make outbound calls (or maybe not sufficient funds)
Can send SMS
Uses balance… and/or credits:
Receiving SMS uses 1 SMS credit
Outbound SMS also uses 1 credit
So receiving a call must have used the balance
Documentation says there’s a charge, so guessing both balance plus charge (although the charges have not appeared yet)
Need to be careful to not connect to network (e.g. by selecting unsupported network) to make sure the call is routed via WiFi calling
Was able to reactivate WiFi calling on phone (when only disabled on phone)
Disabling WiFi calling online: Was still able to reactivate it online (not just by using phone menu). Started working again after about a minute. No VPN used.
US Mobile
Price: $5/month (incl taxes/fees)
Included usage:
500 min
500 texts
500 MB
US network: T-Mobile (GSM) or Verizon (Warp 5G)
Supported Apple features (Warp?):
5G
Wi-Fi Calling
WiFi Calling on iCloud Connected Devices (on Warp 5G, according to Reddit post)
Pros:
Good price/benefit ratio
24/7 chat support
Cons:
Having two different networks can make the product pages confusing, with some features only working on one network
Claims WiFi calling can only be enabled while in the US, not personally tested yet (could be VPN works)
Enabling WiFi calling is only self-serve on the Warp 5G plans, on GSM plans you need to contact support
Europe test with already activated SIM (Verizon physical sim, couldn’t enable Verizon eSIM while in the US, didn’t accept my IMEI):
Works after enabling WiFi Calling
SMS OK
Outbound calling OK
Receiving calls on other devices (iPhone) but only when on same network
Does not connect to any networks
Has setting to prefer WiFi calling when roaming
Testing transfer from SIM to eSIM, using QR code. Shows Verizon WiFi network, but not working immediately. Might take a little.
Did not see option to enable “WiFi Calling on iCloud Connected Devices”
T-Mobile Connect (pre-paid)
Price: $10 (including taxes/fees)
Included usage:
1000 min
1000 text
1 GB
US network: T-Mobile
Supported Apple features (T-Mobile):
5G
eSIM
FaceTime over Cellular
LTE
Personal Hotspot
Visual Voicemail
VoLTE
Wi-Fi Calling
Wi-Fi Calling on supported iCloud-connected devices
Pros:
Can be set up via eSIM app anywhere in the world via WiFi-calling (full activation only possible in the US)
Cons:
No self-serve eSIM transfer via app (only for new eSIMs). Some reports of direct iPhone to iPhone transfer possible, but not personally confirmed. Otherwise need to message customer service (e.g. via iMessage)
Three times more expensive than the cheapest options
Thank you! @tkrunning - that is an amazing write-up. It will take me a while to work through it and figure out the best option for me, but I feel confident that one of the choices you mention here will work! Thanks again.
Yes, that’s right (both calls and SMS, inbound and outbound).
On iOS you need to either be on WiFi or have another (e)SIM in the phone with cellular data enabled. Typically you are then billed for usage of the SIM card with WiFi calling as if you were physically its country of origin (US in this case).
Not sure how it works on Android, but I assume it’s similar.
Thomas, you truly are a tech guru!
I was able to put my in-roaming sim into a wifi calling mode, and upon further research I have found a way to force the iphone into wifi only mode (by switching on the airplane mode and then switching back on wifi only).
Which I suppose should eliminate any possible roaming charges for incoming calls/sms.
Here’s where I checked if my sim provider supports wifi-calling:
I am checking out a service called NumberBarn that offers a $2/month plan to park your number. Callers will get an automated response and can leave a message, SMS can be sent and received using an app or the browser. Seems ideal so I poked a bit more deeply, and got an email response:
I asked them to double-check the billing address requirement because that’s a problem for us, but it still might work for somebody planning to maintain/borrow a US address.
I’ve used Google Voice as my main number since before it was owned by Google, so I’m very familiar with your issue. Here’s what I do:
In the US I use Mint Mobile as my provider. I prepay a year for $180 and it includes 5GB data plus unlimited voice and text. I only use this when I am in the US (it works in Canada now, not sure about Mexico).
Outside the US I use Google Fi as my provider. I have the $20/month plan that charges an additional $10 per GB of data. You only pay for what you use. The GREAT thing about this plan is that you can “Pause” it when you don’t need it. I un-pause when I am traveling and use it for a week or two, then pause it when I get on the plane to fly home.
Google Fi will give you a US number where you can receive texts when it is not paused. You could literally pay next to nothing if you un-paused it for a few minutes while waiting for the two-factor-authorization text, then re-pause it.
The Google Voice app works independently on both SIMs, or with WiFi. My phone allows me to use two SIMS and switch between them easily.
I imagine this will only work if you have a US based address on your Google billing account. And they might not allow you to download an e-SIM if you are not in the US, but it’s worth a try if this sounds appealing. It’s unbelievably cheap!
Thanks for this suggestion, @cleversprites . It looked great at first, but then I noticed this message on the page about text messaging:
NumberBarn’s numbers are classified as “wireline” or landline. Some short code verification messages will only be sent to wireless phone numbers as it is the policy of the sender. NumberBarn cannot change this classification to accept these messages.
I guess that means it’s a non-starter for purposes such as giving a number for PayPal.
Thanks for this, @smh . From reading threads elsewhere, it sounds like the account needs to be activated on the US cellular network (i.e., a VPN won’t cut it).
Something to be aware of is Google FI will cut you off if you are outside of the States for greater than one year. To reactivate it, you have to be in the US, and I wasn’t able to circumvent this with a VPN.
As I had ported my Google Voice to the Google FI number, when they cut me off without warning, and wouldn’t reactivate until I returned to the US, it put me in a difficult bind requiring a trip back to the US.
I have trashed Google FI due to this and have had good luck with Tello for the last couple of years.
That’s awful! Although I only use Google Fi when I am out of the US, but I guess I do re-pause it in the US as it automatically restarts after 90 days of being paused (which always happens when I am back in the US). I did not port my Google Voice number to Fi because when Fi is paused you cannot use that number. I keep them separate and do not use the Fi phone number for voice or texts, only for data.
I have also used Numberbarn for the past few years on the 2$ plan for forwarding SMS and it is hit and miss. Some big banks and government services will successfully send SMS for two level authorizations and sometimes not. I’ve also had some banks ‘upgrade’ their verification systems and the SMS will no longer work.
I think the only concern I would have with all these little carriers is they might blow up on you and go bankrupt or something, which would be inconvenient; the “safety” of something like T-Mobile might be worth the few bucks. But if you’re back and forth anyway then maybe it’s not an issue.
One thing I did was adopt other multi-factor authentication (MFA) options that my bank/financial institutions supported that don’t use SMS. Fidelity offers TOTP for MFA to login for instance so I can use google authenticator (or another authenticator app) and don’t need to worry about SMS. Better security than SMS and more accessible when traveling
Thanks for the great reviews! Not sure if Imissed it in your report or not, but are any eSIMs able to be activated while abroad to work as a US SMS number?
thanks