Can I receive SMS on a TwinPhone number?
Short answer
Yes. A rented US or Canadian TwinPhone number, from $3.19 a month, receives SMS in the Messages inbox in your browser and in the iPhone app. Texts from US and Canadian senders arrive; texts from phones in other countries often do not. The number receives only — it cannot send an SMS.
Which texts arrive?
Texts sent from US and Canadian phones and from US short codes — the five- and six-digit numbers companies use for verification codes — arrive on a rented number within seconds. Our US numbers are registered with the carrier as application-to-person long codes, and on that product texts from outside the US and Canada are often dropped before they reach us. In all of our history, 12 texts from non-North-American phones reached any TwinPhone number, so treat that path as unreliable.
If a friend abroad wants to reach you, ask them to call the number instead: calls from any country ring normally.
Where do I read the messages?
Open Messages in the TwinPhone dialer in your browser, or the Messages tab in the iPhone app. Each text shows the sender and the time it arrived. Message text is stored encrypted and deleted after 7 days, so copy anything you need to keep.
Do I need a number to receive SMS?
Yes. A free account can make calls but has no inbox: texts need a number to land on. Numbers are rented monthly from $3.19 and renew at the same price until you cancel. See US virtual numbers for the numbers available now.
More questions
Can someone in another country text my TwinPhone number?
Often not. Texts from phones outside the US and Canada are frequently dropped by the carrier before they reach the number. Ask them to call instead.
How long are text messages kept?
Message text is encrypted at rest and deleted after 7 days.
Still stuck?
Write to support@twin-phone.com from the email on your account. We reply to every message.
Contact support