Did you recently lose access to your TextNow number?
TextNow regularly recycles phone numbers that are no longer being actively used, so they can provide them to other users. If you need to get your old TextNow number back however, is there anything that can be done?
In this article, I’ll be covering everything that you need to know about recovering your TextNow number, as well as share some tips on what to do next.
Can You Recover Your Textnow Number?
Unfortunately, the answer is no. Once the phone number has been issued to someone else, TextNow has publicly stated that they are unable to get it back.
While some people have stated that they’ve had success with contacting TextNow, this likely only works if you contact them before the number is given to somebody else.
You can contact TextNow by clicking the chat bubble in the bottom-right here.
That being said, TextNow does have a service that allows you to ‘lock in’ the number, keeping it reserved to you even if you are not actively using the TextNow service.
We will talk more about that a little later on.
More importantly, there are some things that you should immediately once you’ve realized that your lost your phone number, to avoid sensitive information or your personal accounts from getting stolen.
What To Do After You’ve Lost Your TextNow Number
After losing your TextNow number, there are a series of steps you should do immediately, as someone new may end up with your old phone number.
This means that any calls, texts or verification codes will be sent to that new phone number, potentially putting your accounts at risk.
So, read on to learn how to keep your information safe, as well as prevent yourself from losing any other TextNow numbers in the future!
1. Register For A New Number
The first thing you’ll want to do is immediately register for a new phone number with TextNow.
TextNow does not completely close your account when a phone number is recycled. Instead, they simply detach the number from your account, leaving you without one until you begin using the service again.
Once you open the app once more, you’ll be able to choose a phone number.
Since TextNow allows you to choose your own area code and also allows you to select from multiple different phone numbers, you can grab a number that’s fairly similar to the one that you had before!
2. Change Any Services That Relied On The Old Number
Next, you should revisit all of the services you used to use with your phone number.
If your phone number is still tied to these accounts and services, the person with the new phone number may receive important text messages or phone calls from these platforms. If the receiver has malicious intent, this can be problematic for you – especially if they are able to find out any of your other personal information.
Therefore, you should update these services with your new TextNow number – or your new (actual) phone number instead, to ensure that all of your accounts and information are secure.
3. Purchase TextNow’s ‘Lock-in’ Service
Did you know that TextNow has a service that will allow you to keep your phone number as long as you want, even if you don’t use it?
While TextNow already allows you to keep phone numbers indefinitely for free, you are required to regularly use the phone number in order for it to remain active.
This means even if you take a short break from using the phone number, it may be recycled and given to someone else. While TextNow states the exact time is different for everyone and they couldn’t give any hard guidelines to follow, reports from other users state that they’ve lost their number in as little as a few days of inactivity.
So, if you want to use TextNow as a true replacement to a traditional phone number, it’s worth purchasing TextNow’s number lock-in service.
You can purchase it by going to the ‘My Store’ section within the TextApp application on your phone, and then following the on-screen instructions.
Again, this isn’t necessary if you regularly use your TextNow number. However, it does offer peace-of-mind!
4. (Optional) Reach Out To The New Owner Of The Number
Finally, you may wish to send a message to the new owner of your TextNow number.
If there’s something important they should know, use your new number to send a message to your old number. Explain that you are one of the previous owners of the number, and what you want them to do (for example, ask them if they can notify the sender of any messages that they receive that your number has changed.)
This way, if there is somebody you forgot to share your new phone number with, they can hopefully let them know about your new number.
Of course, you should be careful to not reveal any sensitive information. Additionally, keep in mind that they may also receive messages that were meant for the people that owned the number before you did.
After all, who knows how many people had the same number before it was ever assigned to you!
Conclusion
Unfortunately, there is no way to get your old TextNow number back once it has been reassigned to another person. Even if it were possible, it wouldn’t be fair to the new phone number.
However, TextNow will allow you to reserve a new number, and even offers a service that will allow you to lock-in the number, so it won’t be automatically reassigned to others later.
I hope that you’ve found this article helpful, even though it may not have been the answer you were hoping to hear. If you have any other questions about TextNow, please ask them using the comment form below.
Wishing you the best,
– James McAllister