In most cases you cannot create an Apple Account, formerly Apple ID, without a phone number. On the web Apple asks for a phone number you can always access and verifies it together with your email address. That number becomes your trusted number for sign-in codes and account recovery, so it should be one you will keep, not one that disappears after a single code.
What Apple asks for when you create an account
| Phone number | |
|---|---|
| Web (account.apple.com) | Asked for: one you can always access, verified on screen |
| App Store or Mac | You confirm your phone number to verify identity and help recovery |
| iPhone, iPad, Vision Pro | You might be asked for a phone number, or a payment method |
| Windows PC (Apple Music or Apple TV app) | Apple's steps do not mention one |
From Apple's support article on creating an Apple Account. Every route also verifies your email address.
Apple at a glance
- Virtual numbers
- Often refused: try another country
- Code sent by
- SMS · phone call
- Code length
- 6 digits
- Asks for the number again later
- Yes
- One number per account
- No
Can you skip the phone number?
Only on some routes, and Apple does not promise any of them. Even where creation works without one, two-factor authentication sends codes to trusted devices or a trusted phone number when you sign in on a new device or the web.
In practice an Apple Account without any phone number is fragile. If your only Apple device breaks, the trusted number is how a code reaches you.
Which number to use as your trusted number
| Suitable? | Why | |
|---|---|---|
| Your own mobile number | Yes | You will still have it next time you set up a phone |
| A family member's number, added as a second trusted number | Yes, as a backup | Apple lets you add more than one trusted number |
| A landline that can take calls | Possible | Apple can deliver the code by phone call |
| A temporary number | No | It closes after one code; later codes go nowhere |
Using a number only for the first code: the risk
- Sign-in codes go to the trusted number when no trusted device is at hand. A closed number cannot receive them.
- Recovery is slow. Apple says regaining an account without its trusted number can take days or longer, and support cannot speed it up.
- Purchases and backups hang on the account. Losing it means losing access to both.
Codes that do not arrive are covered in Apple verification code not received. Which other accounts check your number again is in which accounts re-verify.
For one-off sign-ups at apps that only ask once, a temporary number keeps your own out of it. Apple is not one of them.
Common questions
Can I create an Apple ID without a phone number?
Usually not on the web: Apple asks for a number you can always access. Some device routes may not ask, but sign-in codes still need a trusted device or number later.
Can I use someone else's number for my Apple Account?
As an extra trusted number, a family member's number can help as a backup. Your own number should be the main one.
Does Apple send the code by text or call?
Either. Apple sends a text message or makes a phone call to the trusted number with the verification code.
What happens if I lose my trusted number?
If you are still signed in on a trusted device, add a new number there. If not, Apple's account recovery applies, which can take days or longer.