Of the big messengers, Threema works without any phone number, and Discord signs you up with an email address. Signal, Telegram and WhatsApp still require a number, but let you hide it behind a username or privacy setting. WeChat, Viber, LINE and BiP ask for a number when you register.
Which messengers require a number (table)
| Number to sign up | Reach people without sharing it | |
|---|---|---|
| Threema | No; linking one is optional | Your Threema ID |
| Discord | No, email; a phone only if Discord asks you to verify | Your username |
| Signal | Yes | A username; your number is hidden by default |
| Telegram | Yes, mobile only | A public username; number visible to contacts only by default |
| Yes, a number you own | Usernames, being rolled out gradually | |
| Yes, one number per account | Not covered here | |
| Viber, LINE, imo, BiP | Yes, at first start or sign-up | Not covered here |
Taken from each app's own help pages and our service fact sheets. Where we found nothing official, the cell says so.
What you give up without a number
- Being found by friends. Apps match numbers from address books. Without one, people need your ID or username, as Threema's own FAQ points out.
- A familiar way back in. Number-based apps re-register you by SMS on a new phone. Without a number, find out before you start how the app moves your account to a new device.
- Privacy, on the other hand, you keep. There is no number to leak, to match against address books or to be recycled to a stranger.
Messengers that ask once vs. again later
This matters more than the sign-up itself. An app that asks again sends a fresh code to the same number whenever you move to a new phone or reinstall.
| Asks for the number again later | One number, one account | |
|---|---|---|
| Yes | Yes | |
| Telegram | Yes | Yes |
| Signal | Yes | Yes |
| Viber | Yes | Yes |
| LINE | Yes | Yes |
| BiP | Yes | Yes |
| imo | No | Yes |
| Discord | No | Yes, per Discord's help |
Signal 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
- Yes
If your messenger needs a number
- Hide it inside the app In Signal set who can see and who can find you by number to Nobody, then share a username. In Telegram limit the number under Privacy and Security.
- Use a second number you keep A second SIM or eSIM keeps your main number out of new contacts while still receiving the codes the app sends later.
- One-time numbers only where the app asks once For apps that re-verify, a number that is gone after one code means losing the account at the next phone change.
In detail: hiding your number in WhatsApp, Telegram and Signal, Signal without sharing your number.
Common questions
Which messaging app works without a phone number?
Threema can be used without a phone number or email; you get a random Threema ID instead. Discord signs you up with an email address.
Can I use Signal without a phone number?
Not to register. Signal still needs a number, but you can hide it completely and let people reach you by username.
Does WhatsApp have usernames?
WhatsApp is rolling them out gradually. A phone number is still required for the account, but people who do not have it saved see your username instead.
Is Telegram private without showing my number?
By default only people in your contacts see your number, and you can restrict it further. A Telegram username, though, is public.