Whether you can create an account without a phone number depends on the app. Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Snapchat and Amazon accept an email address. Google usually lets you skip the phone step. WhatsApp, Telegram, Signal and Apple Accounts need a number, but it only has to receive a code, and you rarely have to show it to anyone.
App by app: is a phone number needed?
| Phone number needed? | What to do | |
|---|---|---|
| No, email works | Choose your email address on the sign-up form | |
| No, email works | Pick email on the sign-up screen and confirm the code | |
| TikTok | No, email works | Choose email as your sign-up method |
| Snapchat | No, one verified contact is enough | A verified email address counts |
| Amazon | No, an email account works | Sign up with your address and confirm it |
| Usually optional | Skip the step; if Google insists, the code cannot be skipped | |
| Yes, a number but no SIM | The number only has to receive one registration code | |
| Telegram | Yes, at sign-up | Register with a number you keep private, then set a username |
| Signal | Yes, to register | Hide the number behind a username afterwards |
| Apple Account | In most cases yes | Use a number you will keep as your trusted number |
Each app name opens its own guide with the steps.
Apps that take an email address
On these five, the number is a choice you make later, not a condition of the account. Choose email on the sign-up screen, confirm the code that arrives in your inbox, and you have an account.
- An inbox only you can open is the one thing to get right: it is how you reset a forgotten password.
- A prompt to add a number is usually a suggestion. Skipping it keeps the account working.
- Security checks can still ask for a number at a later login, so save backup codes while you are signed in.
Apps that need a number but do not show it
A messenger identifies you by a number, so registration cannot skip it. What you control is who sees it.
- Needs a number to receive one code. A SIM card in the phone is not required.
- Telegram
- Needs a number at sign-up. Set a username and change the number setting to Nobody.
- Signal
- Needs a number to register. A username and two privacy settings keep it hidden.
Other messengers sit between these cases. For the full list, see messaging apps without a phone number.
Before you pick a way
- Check what the app asks at sign-up Look for an email option first. Many sign-up screens show the number field by default and hide the email link beneath it.
- Decide which number, if any, goes on the account Your own number is simplest for accounts you will use for years. A one-time number can receive a single sign-up code, but some apps, Snapchat among them, advise against it.
- Set up a second way back in Add an email you can open, save backup codes and consider an authenticator app, so a lost number never locks you out.
Common questions
Can you create a Facebook account without a phone number?
Yes. The sign-up form takes an email address instead, and Facebook confirms it with a code or link sent to that inbox.
Can you use WhatsApp without a phone number?
No. WhatsApp needs a number that can receive one registration code, but not a SIM card in the phone you use it on.
Can you use Telegram without a phone number?
Not to register. Telegram needs a number at sign-up, and afterwards you can hide it behind a username.
Which accounts can I create with only an email address?
Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Snapchat and Amazon accept an email address at sign-up. Google usually lets you skip the phone step.
Why does an app ask for a number if I signed up with email?
Apps use a number for security checks and recovery. It is usually optional; if a check insists, the app tells you which code it needs.