How To Remove Your Phone Number From TikTok (2022 Update)

For whatever reason, there may come a time when you wish to remove your phone number from TikTok.

It could be that you simply don’t have that phone number anymore, or perhaps you want to use TikTok without a phone number tied to your account at all.

Whatever the case may be, removing your phone number from TikTok is easy, and can be done in a few steps.

In this article, we’ll cover everything you need to know – both if you have a new number to replace it with, or if you wish to use no phone number at all.

How To Remove And Replace Your TikTok Phone Number

Replacing your phone number on TikTok with a new one can be done in just a few steps, directly from the TikTok app.

To replace your phone number on TikTok, follow these instructions:

1. Open the TikTok app.
2. Navigate to your profile, by clicking on the ‘Profile’ icon on the bottom of your screen.
3. Click on the icon with 3 horizontal lines in the top-right corner to open your TikTok settings.
4. Under the ‘Account’ section, tap on ‘Manage account.’
5. Tap on ‘Phone number.’
6. A box will pop up telling you that you need to verify your phone number. Tap on ‘Send code.’
7. Enter in the 6 digit code that was sent to your phone.
8. Type in the new phone number that you want to assign to your TikTok account.
9. Enter the 6 digit code that is sent to the number.

Although there are 9 steps in total to add a new phone number to your TikTok account, each one only takes a few seconds to complete.

Therefore, you can update your phone number with TikTok (and remove your old phone number) in just a couple of minutes.

Once you verify the new phone number by entering in the 6 digit code, it will be successfully assigned to your TikTok account, and your old phone number will be completely removed.

This frees the number up to be used by other TikTok accounts, should you wish to do so.

How To Remove Your Phone Number From TikTok Without Providing A New One

If you looked at the instructions above, you may have noticed that it required you to enter in a new phone number, in order to remove your old one.

TikTok prefers if you have a phone number tied to your account, because it helps cut down on spam and other rule breaking behavior. But what if you don’t have another phone number to replace it with? Is there a way to remove your old phone number, without supplying a new one in its place?

Fortunately, the answer is yes. However, it requires that you manually reach out to TikTok support. TikTok can take a few days to respond to support tickets, so it’s best to get started on this process as quickly as possible.

To remove your phone number from TikTok without adding a new one, follow these instructions. Note that you will need an available email address to use in place of your old phone number.

1. Open the TikTok app.
2. Visit your profile, by tapping on the ‘Profile’ icon on the bottom of your screen.
3. Tap on the icon with 3 horizontal lines in the top-right corner to open your TikTok settings.
4. Scroll down to the ‘Support’ section, and tap on ‘Report a problem.’
5. Under the ‘Topics’ section, tap on ‘Account and profile.’
6. Tap on ‘Email and phone number.’
7. Tap on ‘Unlink email/phone number.’
8. On the bottom where it asks you if your problem was solved, tap on ‘No.’
9. Tap on the new box that pops up that says, ‘Need more help?’
10. Write a brief message to TikTok saying that you no longer have access to the phone number, and ask if they can remove it from your account.

TikTok support may respond asking you for more information to prove ownership of the account. Some example things that they may ask for include your old phone number, an estimate on the month you made the account, the model of your phone, and where you’ve recently signed in from.

After they’ve verified ownership, they will give you the option to bind an email address to the account rather than a new phone number.

Here is an example message that has been proven to work.

“Hello! Unfortunately, I no longer have access to the phone number tied to my TikTok account and don’t have a current cell phone plan. Could you please remove it from my account?”

Then, simply wait a few days to receive a response! After following all the steps, you will be able to remove your phone number from TikTok, even without verification of a new number.

Is It Safe To Give TikTok Your Phone Number?

Yes, it is completely safe to give TikTok your phone number.

TikTok does not share your phone number with anyone else, or display it publicly on their website.

Additionally, TikTok does not ever call or send texts to your phone number, except for critical account features such as verifying ownership. In these instances, you may receive a one-time verification code.

These are strictly used to prove that you own the phone number, and you aren’t using somebody else’s.

However, you have nothing to worry about when giving TikTok your phone number – they will not abuse this in any way.

Why Does TikTok Require A Phone Number To Send Messages?

Although it’s possible to use TikTok without a phone number, TikTok limits what you’re able to do on the platform unless you have a phone number verified. One of these restrictions is the ability to send messages.

But why is a phone number so important to TikTok, and why do they require it?

Ultimately, it comes down to preventing spam and bot accounts.

TikTok wants their users to be able to enjoy the platform without having to worry about spam bots bugging them through the direct message system.

On other social networks, there are people who make thousands of fake accounts for the sole purpose of promoting, advertising, and scamming people. However, doing something like this becomes much more difficult if you require a phone number before you’re able to send messages.

Additionally, requiring a phone number allows TikTok to better track people who break their terms of service, and prevent them from circumventing bans and registering additional accounts.

For serious violations of TikTok’s rules, they may ban not only the account that you broke the rule on, but all of the accounts you own.

This is why it’s so important to submit an appeal to TikTok if you believe your ban was issued in error.

Can Other People See Your Phone Number On TikTok?

No. People cannot see the phone number tied to your TikTok account, regardless of whether or not you have a public or private account.

Even if the contents of your TikTok are public (such as your TikToks and your liked videos), TikTok keeps your personal phone number completely hidden from everyone except you.

This is for privacy purposes. Because TikTok’s main use of the phone number is to verify you’re a real person and aid in logging in, there is no real reason to show it to others.

Therefore, the only way your phone number can be leaked to others is if you decide to share it.

Keep in mind however that it’s possible to link out to other profiles of yours online, such as your YouTube channel, Instagram page, or website. If you happen to share your phone number on any of these websites, it’s possible one of your TikTok followers may stumble upon it.

So, you should also keep in mind where else your phone number may be publicly available on the web.

Conclusion

Removing your phone number from TikTok doesn’t have to be challenging.

Although it’s easiest when you supply a new phone number in its place, it’s also possible to remove your phone number without having to replace it with a new one.

I hope that you’ve found this article helpful. Of course, if you have any other questions about TikTok, please ask them using the comment form below.

Wishing you the best,

– James McAllister