One of the most frustrating things about signing up for new websites today, is that so many of them want you to use a phone number to sign up.
Instagram unfortunately, is no exception. Since most people have a smartphone these days, they encourage you to sign up with your phone number.
But did you know that this isn’t actually a requirement, and it’s possible to create a new Instagram account without having a phone number at all?
In this article, you’ll learn how to register and verify an Instagram account without a phone number, plus other common questions you may have about signing up for Instagram.
Let’s get into it!
How To Sign Up For An Instagram Account With Email
If you want to create an Instagram account without using a phone number, the best alternative is to sign up with email instead.
Fortunately, Instagram makes this easy to do, and it’s a great option if you don’t have a mobile phone to use for registration.
To sign up to Instagram using an email address, follow these steps:
- Open up the Instagram app.
- Tap on ‘Sign Up with Email Address or Phone Number.’
- Tap on the tab that says, ‘Email Address’ located on the right side.
- Enter your email address.
- Enter your name and password.
- Click either ‘Continue and Sync Contacts’ or ‘Continue without Syncing Contacts’, depending on your preference.
- Follow the on-screen instructions to complete registration.
- Look for the verification email that was sent to your email address, and click on the link inside of it.
There you have it! You’ll now have created an Instagram account without using a phone number at all.
Of course, when it comes time to sign in and out, you’ll simply use the email and password you typed in at registration, instead of your phone number.
Use A Phone Number Service
An alternate method you can try out is to use a service that provides a virtual phone number to you, without you needing to actually go out and purchase a phone.
A few examples include TextNow, or Google Voice.
Although Google Voice requires a phone number to route calls to, you can always send this to your home landline phone if you don’t have a mobile number to use. Then, you can simply log onto Google’s website to view any text messages or verification codes that may get sent to it.
Using a service that provides a phone number does come with a few downsides, however.
First of all, the phone numbers are recycled. This means somebody else could’ve had the phone number before it was assigned to you, and may have already used it to sign up for an Instagram account. In this instance, Instagram may block registration, claiming that the phone number is already in use. While Instagram does allow multiple accounts, you may run into problems if the phone number has already been used by somebody else.
Secondly and even more importantly, the recycled nature of the phone numbers means that your account may not be safe if you sign up using a phone number service.
This is because if you go inactive or stop using the number, the company may reassign the number to somebody else.
If somebody else has access to the phone number, they may be able to use it to recover and hack into your Instagram account, without there being very much you can do to stop it.
Therefore, it’s ideal to register your Instagram account with a phone number that actually belongs to you, or to use your email address instead.
How To Verify An Instagram Account Without A Phone Number
Before the registration process can be completed, Instagram may ask you to verify that you have access to the information used to login.
This is to prove that you actually own the phone number or email address, and you aren’t trying to sign up using somebody else’s. It’s a standard procedure when signing up for most websites or apps these days, and only takes a few seconds to complete.
But how do you actually verify your Instagram account, without having a mobile phone?
If you signed up using your email address, a confirmation email will be sent out to the email that you provided. Therefore, all you have to do is login to your email, and look for the most recent email from Instagram. Inside, you’ll see a verification link or button that you can click on, and after clicking on it your account will be verified.
If you signed up using a phone number service, the text message should be sent to that number’s inbox, just like it would for any other text message.
Note that there may be some delay between the time Instagram sends out the verification code, and when it actually arrives.
Therefore, you should be patient and wait a few minutes before requesting a new one.
Is A Phone Number Required To Create An Instagram Account?
No, a phone number is not required to create or register an Instagram account. Although you can sign up using a phone number, you can also register an account by using an email address instead.
Therefore, email makes a great option for those without a phone number, or people who would simply rather use an email address to sign in.
As a plus, this method may actually be more secure, as you can create as many email addresses as you want and you can be certain that you’ll have access to them forever – they won’t ever be recycled or reused.
So, signing up for Instagram using an email address may be a great idea!
Conclusion
If you don’t have a phone number to use for Instagram, don’t worry. You can sign up using an email address instead, or borrow a phone number using a texting app like TextNow or Google Voice.
I hope that you’ve found this article helpful. If you have any other questions about Instagram, please ask them using the comment form below.
Wishing you the best,
– James McAllister
Hi James, that is interesting that you don't need a phone number as Instagram is mostly done on their mobile app. Though the desktop version works better as time goes on too. Thanks for sharing that with us. I also did not know you can "borrow" a phone number, very interesting!
Lisa Sicard(Quote)