Most ways to get a second phone number need no second phone.
A second phone number comes from a second line on your phone (an eSIM or dual SIM), a Google Voice number, a second-number app, a forwarding number or a cheap prepaid phone, and only the last one means carrying another phone. ExpressNumber is a forwarding number: it rings the phone you already carry, takes texts in a web inbox, and you burn a number in one tap when it gets spammed.
These are the five ways to get a second number, side by side.
Facts read on each company's own pages in November 2026. ExpressNumber is first.
| Way | What it costs | What you need | Calls and texts | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
$0 todayfor 7 days, then $9.99 a month for 5 numbers. | Nothing to install. Calls ring the phone you already carry and texts land in a web inbox. | No. In only. It takes calls and texts and never makes them. | Giving a number to listings, dealers, quotes, dates and deliveries. | |
| AppleGoogle PixelQuo guide | A second plan from a wireless company. Quo's guide puts it at $10 to $100 a month. | A phone that supports eSIM or two SIMs, and a wireless company that supports eSIM. | Yes. In and out. It works like your main number. | A full second line, such as work and personal on one phone. |
| Personal useID check | $0for personal use, US only. | A Google account, and a phone that can get a text during setup. | Yes. In and out, once a new number passes a government ID check. | One free number you can call and text from. |
| Burner FAQHushed pricing | Burner from $7.99 a month. Hushed from $6.99 a month. | An app on the phone you already carry. | Yes. In and out. Both call and text from the number. | Calling and texting from a second number. |
| Burner guide | The phone, plus airtime you pay for up front. | A second phone to carry and charge, and a trip to a store or a wait for shipping. | Yes. In and out, on its own number. | A separate device for one job. |
Which one fits you
Pick the way by what the second number has to do.
Which way of getting a second phone number fits you?
Pick by what the number has to do. If you must call and text from it, use a second line on your phone, Google Voice or an app that calls out. If you want to hand a number out and answer on the phone you already carry, a forwarding number such as ExpressNumber does that.
A cheap prepaid phone works too, but it is the only choice here that means carrying a second phone.
Some banks and services refuse virtual numbers, so keep your real number for your bank and for anything you cannot afford to lose access to.
What is the difference between a second number and a second phone?
A second phone is a device with its own SIM and plan. A second number is only a number, and it works on the phone you already own.
Three of the five ways give you a number on the phone in your pocket: Google Voice, an app and a forwarding number. An eSIM or dual SIM adds a second line inside that same phone. Only the prepaid option puts a second device in your bag.
What changes between them is where the call lands and who can answer. The picture shows where a call to each kind of number ends up.
Where your calls go
Where a call to your second number ends up.
- Someone calls the number you gave them.
- It forwards to the mobile you confirmed.
- Your phone rings. No app.
- Someone calls your second line.
- It rings on your second plan.
- You answer like on your first line.
- Someone calls the number the app gave you.
- The call reaches the app.
- You answer in the app.
- Someone calls the prepaid number.
- It rings the second phone.
- You answer on a phone you carry for it.
How do you get a second phone number on an iPhone?
Add an eSIM plan from a wireless company that supports eSIM, then label the two lines. Apple says it works on an iPhone XS, iPhone XS Max, iPhone XR or later.
These are the steps, as Apple writes them.
Get an eSIM plan.
Your wireless company sends a QR code, a link or an app. To use plans from two companies, Apple says your company must unlock the iPhone, or both plans must be from the same company.
Add the plan in Settings.
Scan the QR code with the Camera app and tap Cellular Plan Detected, or open Settings, tap Cellular or Mobile Data, and tap Add Cellular Plan.
Label each line.
Name the lines Business and Personal, or anything you like. Open Settings, tap Cellular or Mobile Data, tap the number, then tap Cellular Plan Label.
Choose the default line.
The default is used for calls and texts to people who are not in your Contacts. For a saved contact, tap the contact, tap default and pick the number to use.
This is what Apple says you need.
An iPhone XS, iPhone XS Max, iPhone XR or later, and a wireless company that supports eSIM.
The page was published October 22, 2026 and lists the other ways to set up an eSIM too.
Apple Support: set up eSIM on iPhoneBoth lines can handle FaceTime and iMessage.
During setup you choose which plans iMessage and FaceTime use.
Apple Support: using Dual SIM with an eSIM
How do you get a second phone number on an Android phone?
On a Google Pixel 3a or newer, add an eSIM next to your physical SIM. Google calls the option Dual SIM Dual Standby, and it works with some mobile companies, so ask yours first.
Other Android makers use their own menus, so look in your phone maker’s help for the same steps.
These are the steps, as Google writes them for a Pixel.
Open the SIMs menu.
In Settings, go to Network & internet, then SIMs.
Add an eSIM.
Tap Add SIM, then Set up an eSIM, and pick the eSIM plan’s network provider to begin.
Finish the prompt.
When setup ends, tap Settings. At the SIM preferences prompt, tap Get started, then Next, then Done.
Choose which line does what.
Under Your primary SIMs, set the line for Calls, Texts and Mobile data. Only one SIM can be the default for data.
Before you start
What you need to start each way.
- ExpressNumberA US or Canada mobile that answers.
- A second line on an iPhoneAn iPhone XS, XS Max, XR or later, and a wireless company that supports eSIM.
- A second line on a PixelA Pixel 3a or newer, and a mobile company that supports dual SIM.
- Google VoiceA Google Account, a phone that can get a text, and a government ID for a new number.
- The Burner appThe app, an email address and an area code.
- A cheap prepaid phoneA second phone, and a trip to a store or a wait for shipping.
How do you get a second phone number with Google Voice?
Sign in to Google Voice with a Google Account, pick a number by city or area code, and follow the prompts. It is free for personal use in the US, and a new number needs a government ID check before it can send or receive calls and texts.
These are the steps, as Google writes them.
Sign in.
Go to voice.google.com, or open the Google Voice app, and sign in to your Google Account. Your phone has to be on and able to get a text, because Google texts you to check it.
Accept the terms.
Review the Terms of Service and Privacy Policy, then continue.
Pick your number.
Search by city or area code and select the number you want. If none shows, try a nearby city or area code.
Do the ID check.
Have a valid government-issued ID ready, choose the document and submit one that is current and not expired.
This is what Google says about the free plan and the ID check.
The basic plan is for personal use, costs $0 and is only available in the US.
It includes unlimited domestic calls and texts, and it gives one user one number.
Google Voice Help: Google Voice for personal useA new number cannot send or receive messages or calls until the ID check is done.
Google says a manual review can take up to 3 business days.
Google Voice Help: identity checks for Google Voice usersGoogle Voice does not offer 1-800 numbers.
After setup you can link another phone number to the account.
Google Voice Help: set up Google Voice
How do you get a second phone number with ExpressNumber?
Pick an area code, confirm your mobile once, and give the number out. ExpressNumber is a forwarding number, so calls ring the phone you already carry and texts land in a web inbox, free for 7 days with $0 today.
ExpressNumber takes calls and texts and never makes them, so it is the way to pick when you want a number to give out, not a number to call from. The second phone number page covers it in full.
These are the steps, as the site shows them.
Pick an area code.
Your new US number is live in about a minute.
Confirm your mobile once.
It is where your calls ring, so it has to be a real mobile that answers. You confirm it once, with a text from that mobile to your new number, and ExpressNumber shows you exactly what to send.
Give that one out.
Listings, dates, quotes, deliveries. Name each number after where it goes, and your real number stays private.
Answer on your phone.
Calls ring your real phone. Texts land in your inbox.
This is a second number you can burn in one tap.
- Pick a US area code and the number is live in about a minute.
- Give each site, store or dealer its own number, and name it.
- Burn a number and forwarding stops at once. It rests 30 days, and your messages stay in your inbox.
How ExpressNumber works
A call rings your phone and a text lands in your inbox.
Can you get a second phone number for free?
Yes. Google Voice is free for personal use in the US, and ExpressNumber is free for 7 days with $0 today. After that the second line on your phone, a number app and a prepaid phone all cost money.
The free second phone number guide goes through what each free option lets you keep, and the best second phone number apps list ranks the apps.
Does a second phone number hide who you are?
It hides your real number from the people you give the second one to. It does not hide you from the company that provides the number, or from the law.
Google Voice asks for a government ID, a number app keeps an account, and a wireless company keeps records of every line. What you gain is distance from sellers, dealers, strangers and every list they pass your number to.
The what is a burner phone guide covers who can trace a burner number, and the anonymous phone number page covers what stays private.
These are the questions people ask first.
Add an eSIM line to your phone, sign up for Google Voice, install a second-number app, get a forwarding number such as ExpressNumber, or buy a cheap prepaid phone. The first four need no second phone.
Yes. An eSIM or dual SIM puts two lines in one phone. Google Voice, a number app and a forwarding number each add a second number to the phone you already own, with no second SIM.
Add an eSIM plan from a wireless company that supports eSIM. In Settings, tap Cellular or Mobile Data, tap Add Cellular Plan, then label each line and choose a default. Apple says it works on an iPhone XS, iPhone XS Max, iPhone XR or later.
Google Voice is free for personal use in the US, and a new number needs a government ID check before it can send or receive calls and texts. ExpressNumber is free for 7 days with $0 today, then $9.99 a month for 5 numbers.
It depends on what the number does. Burner (from $7.99 a month) and Hushed (from $6.99 a month) call and text out. Google Voice is $0 for personal use. ExpressNumber only receives, which suits a number you give out.
Google Voice is $0 for personal use. A number app starts at $6.99 a month on Hushed and $7.99 a month on Burner. ExpressNumber is $9.99 a month for 5 numbers after 7 free days. An eSIM line is a second plan from a wireless company.
No. ExpressNumber numbers take calls and texts and never make them. You answer calls on your own phone and cannot reply to a text from the inbox. They also cannot reach 911, so keep your real line for emergencies, and they are US numbers only.
No. Keep your real number for your bank and anything you cannot afford to lose access to. Some banks and services refuse virtual numbers, and nothing on our side changes that.
There are more guides on the same question.
Every outside fact on this page comes from these pages.
Read November 4, 2026. Prices move: if something here is out of date, tell us and we will fix it.
- Apple Support: set up eSIM on iPhone
- Apple Support: using Dual SIM with an eSIM
- Pixel Phone Help: how to use dual SIMs on your Google Pixel phone
- Google Voice Help: set up Google Voice
- Google Voice Help: Google Voice for personal use
- Google Voice Help: identity checks for Google Voice users
- Burner: FAQ
- Burner blog: How to get a second phone number
- Hushed: pricing
- Quo: how to get a second phone number
Try it for a week. Judge it yourself.
Hand out a number you can burn. Keep the one your family calls.
Try it free for 7 days