A second phone number app such as Google Voice, Hushed or Burner gives you a separate line that runs over the internet, but Twitch, WhatsApp and Discord all document that they reject VoIP numbers, and Google Voice's single-user plans are only available in the US. If the number will ever receive a verification code, a second mobile service on an eSIM or physical SIM is the sturdier business line; keep app numbers for the contact details you hand out publicly.
The goal here is separation: brand managers, collaborators and couriers get a number that is not the one your family and bank use. It is not a way to open extra accounts that a platform's rules prohibit, and nothing below helps with that. Identity separation as a whole is covered in the anonymous creator privacy guide; facts below come from official pages read on 2 October 2026.
Mobile line or app number: the difference that matters
A mobile line comes from a telco and lives on a SIM card or eSIM. An app number is issued by an internet calling service and works wherever the app has a data connection. Both ring and receive texts, but services that send verification codes often treat them differently.
- Twitch's phone number help page says that, for security, it only accepts mobile numbers on a cellular network, naming Google Voice as an example of an unsupported VoIP number.
- WhatsApp's registration troubleshooting article lists VoIP numbers among those that cannot be registered, and allows landlines only in the WhatsApp Business app.
- Discord's phone error guide tells users to check that the number is not tied to a landline or VoIP device and belongs to a mobile.
Many services do not publish a rule either way, so an app number that works today can be refused at the next re-verification. That uncertainty is the main reason not to hang account recovery on one.
Option matrix
Prices are as each provider's page showed them on 2 October 2026, in US dollars where the provider is American. Telco plan prices vary too widely to list, so that row describes the cost rather than quoting one.
| Option | Cost | Verification acceptance | Portability | Privacy trade-off |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Second eSIM or SIM on a Dual SIM phone | One extra mobile plan, prepaid or post-paid, at your telco's price | A cellular mobile number, the kind Twitch, WhatsApp and Discord ask for | ACMA says mobile numbers, prepaid included, can usually be ported while active | Registered with the telco under your name, date of birth and address |
| A second, separate handset | A basic phone plus its own mobile plan | Same as any mobile line on a cellular network | Same telco porting rules as the first row | Physical separation from your personal apps, but one more device to lock, update and keep charged |
| Google Voice | No charge for personal use; Starter standalone at $10 a month; single-user plans are US only | VoIP, which Twitch names as unsupported | Port out after a $3 unlock, waived if you ported the number in | Linked to your Google account, and reclaimed if left inactive |
| Hushed | From $6.99 a month on an auto-renewing Unlimited plan, or from $7.99 a month prepaid | An internet-based number, so the VoIP refusals above apply | Not described on the pricing or country pages we read | Numbers offered for Canada, the US and the UK, and none for Australia |
| Burner | Shown in the app; Burner says pricing varies with current promotions | Sells a separate Verified Number that it says works on more third-party sites | Not described; prepaid Burner numbers auto-burn after 30 days | Temporary numbers suit one-off contacts, never account sign-ups |
Google's own pages fill in the Voice details. Its reclaim article says a number with no activity is removed after a warning, and can be recovered for 45 days after the reclaim date; a call, a text or listening to voicemail before that date keeps it. The porting article sets out the unlock fee and adds that accounts needing identity verification must complete it before porting out. Hushed's country list adds Puerto Rico and says availability depends on stock in the app.
Match the option to the job
Most creators need two kinds of number, not one. A public number appears in a media kit or on a booking form and mostly receives calls from people you have not met yet. An account number sits behind your logins and receives codes. Mixing the two puts your recovery route in front of strangers.
- For a number printed in a media kit or rate card, an app number is often enough, and you can change it cheaply if it attracts spam.
- For sign-ups, payouts and login codes on business accounts, use a mobile line you control in your own name, and keep it off every public page.
- For calls with managers, editors or a photographer, a business eSIM on your main phone is usually simplest, because you will actually carry it.
- For shoots in other people's spaces, consider a second handset that holds work contacts only, so lending or losing it exposes nothing personal.
The Australian picture
For a creator based in Australia, the app shortcuts mostly fall away: Google Voice's single-user plans are US only, and the Hushed numbers on offer are from North America and the UK. That leaves a second mobile service. ACMA's page on ID checks for prepaid mobiles says telcos must collect your name, date of birth and home address and verify your ID before activating even a prepaid service, or a business name and address when you activate for a business. A second number therefore hides your personal line from the public, not your identity from the telco.
ACMA's guide to keeping or porting your number carries two warnings for a business line. Only active numbers can be ported, and once a telco disconnects a service you lose your rights to the number, which then sits in quarantine. An expired prepaid recharge can therefore take your business line with it, along with any account that sends codes to it. The same page notes that telcos must use two or more proofs of identity before high-risk transactions such as a SIM swap.
Dual SIM details that trip people up
Apple's Dual SIM with eSIM guide lists one number for business and one for personal calls as a standard use. It needs an iPhone XS or later, and if your two plans come from different carriers, the iPhone must be unlocked. Three behaviours matter once both lines are live.
- When you call a contact, the iPhone uses whichever number you used with that contact last time, so one slip from the personal line can stick. Set the line on each work contact's card instead.
- iMessage and FaceTime can be switched on for either or both numbers, so check which lines they use before messaging a brand from the Messages app.
- During a call on one line, a call to the other can go straight to voicemail without a missed-call notification unless Wi-Fi calling and data switching are set up, so ask your carrier about call forwarding if you cannot miss calls.
Business-line setup checklist
- Write down what the line is for, such as brand deals, collaborators and deliveries, and what it is not for.
- Choose a mobile service on an eSIM or SIM if the number will ever receive sign-up or login codes; use an app number only for details you publish.
- Activate it in your own name or your business's name, as the ID-check rules require, and keep the account login with your other business records.
- Label the lines Business and Personal, set the default line, and assign the business line to every work contact.
- Record a voicemail greeting that uses only your stage or business name.
- Set a unique account PIN with the telco and ask about extra fraud protections, following our SIM swap protection steps.
- Prefer authenticator apps or passkeys over text codes on business accounts, and store the number, telco PIN and recovery details in a password manager; our password manager guide for creators covers how to organise them.
- Turn on auto-renew or a recharge reminder so the service is never disconnected, and for Google Voice, use the number before any reclaim date.
- On Telegram, set Settings, Privacy and Security, Phone Number to the narrowest audience; its FAQ also suggests a second account on a second number to keep work and personal chats apart.
- Keep a short register of which accounts and contacts use the business number, and update it whenever the number changes.
What a second number does not hide
A new number keeps your personal line out of brand inboxes and public bios. It does not stop the telco, the platforms you verify with, or a payment provider from knowing who you are, and it does not stop a contact from saving the number next to your legal name if they already know it. Telegram's FAQ makes the same point about its own app: people who already have your number saved will always see it. If your personal number is already listed on people-search sites, our DeleteMe vs Incogni comparison covers paid removal services, and app privacy settings for keeping work off a family phone are in our guide to promoting without family knowing.
Limitations
This comparison has limits. It uses only the pages each provider and platform published on 2 October 2026, it does not test whether a given number passes a given sign-up, and verification rules can change without notice. App prices are in US dollars and exclude tax, and telco plans, ID requirements and porting fees differ by provider and country. Nothing here is legal advice; if a number is tied to a registered business, a contract or a safety concern, check with your telco and a qualified adviser, and if you are being harassed through your phone, contact police and your carrier.