FAQ

Burner is an app that gives you a real second phone number on the phone you already have, for calls, texts and picture messaging. Works on iOS and Android, with a web app at app.burnerapp.com for signing up and managing your account.

Yes. Burner gives you a working second phone number for calls, texts and picture messages. Depending on your setup, calls may be routed through your main cell number, while the people you contact see your Burner number instead of your personal number.

Burner is made by Ad Hoc Labs. It helps keep your personal number private from the people you contact through a Burner number. Burner is ad-free and does not sell or share your personal information with third parties.

Burner is made by Ad Hoc Labs, Inc. , a company based in Los Angeles. It launched in 2012 and runs on iOS, Android and the web.

People often use the phrase “burner phone” to describe a separate phone they do not plan to keep long-term. Burner works differently: it gives you a second phone number in an app on the phone you already use.

People use the phrase “disposable phone number” to mean a number used for a limited purpose and then deleted. With Burner, you can delete a number at any time. Replacement availability depends on your plan and its included number changes.

Some temporary-number sites use shared or public inboxes. A Burner number is assigned to your account, supports calls and texts, and can be deleted when you choose.

The app is free to download, and one number starts from $7.99 a month or $47.99 a year on burnerapp.com. Buying through the App Store or Play Store costs a little more, from $9.99 a month or $59.99 a year.

The app is free to download, and eligible new users who sign up in the app can get a 3-day free trial. After the trial, a paid plan is required.

The website is cheaper: one number starts from $7.99 a month there, against $9.99 through the app stores. The 3-day free trial only runs when you sign up in the app, so it's a trade between the trial and the lower price.

Premium includes VPN, Number Lookup, Personal Info Protection, and additional privacy and communication features. Feature availability varies by platform.

Download a second-number app, pick your area code and you have a working number in a couple of minutes. With Burner you can hold several numbers at once and delete any of them when you're finished.

A virtual number lives in an app rather than on a SIM card, so it works over your data connection on the phone you already have. Burner gives you one on iOS, Android or the web in a couple of minutes.

Yes. Burner runs a second number in its own app alongside your personal number, with separate calls, texts and voicemail.

You don't need a second handset or SIM, an app adds the number in software. Burner gives you a real number on the phone you already have, on iOS or Android.

Install Burner from the App Store, choose from available area codes and create your number. It works alongside your personal number without changing it.

You can set up a second number in a few minutes: sign up, choose from available area codes and create your number. No SIM swap or credit check is required for a standard Burner number.

Not necessarily. New users can sign in with Apple or Google without a main cell phone number. Some account types and calling setups use a main mobile number, so the sign-in flow depends on how your account is set up.

Yes. You pick the area code when you create the number, so it can match where you live.

It depends on your platform and plan. Plans currently support up to 100 numbers on iOS, 10 on Android and 3 through the web app.

Yes. Deleting a Burner number is permanent and removes the associated calls, texts and voicemail from your account. Number changes are included according to your plan and billing period.

Yes, with a custom greeting, and it's completely separate from your personal voicemail. On iPhone, Premium adds AI transcription so you read the message instead of listening to it.

Picture messaging is included with Burner subscriptions. Premium also adds video messaging on supported devices.

Burner can work over Wi-Fi or data depending on your account setup. Standard calls may route through your main cell number, while some Apple/Google sign-in setups can work without linking a main cell number.

On a supported iPhone, Burner Dual SIM uses eSIM technology to add a second mobile number that works in the native Phone and Messages apps. Dual SIM does not currently include cellular data.

Yes. Do Not Disturb works per number, so you can switch one number off and leave the rest live, and auto-reply can answer texts while it's off.

Yes. Inbound caller ID control lets you see either your Burner number or the caller's number when a call comes through.

Burner does not currently support forwarding calls or texts to another number. Calls to a standard Burner number are already routed to your main cell number by default, while callers see your Burner number instead of your personal number.

Call forwarding sends calls from one number to another. Burner does not currently support forwarding to a different destination. Standard Burner calls are already routed to your main cell number by default.

You can port a Burner number out to another phone service provider with help from Support. Burner does not currently support porting numbers into the app.

It transcribes your voicemails to text so you read them instead of listening, and flags which ones are spam. Burner Premium includes it on iPhone.

AI voicemail transcription is a Premium feature on iPhone. After upgrading, open a voicemail in Burner to read the transcription and see whether it is flagged as spam, junk or legitimate. Custom voicemail greetings are set separately in Number Settings.

Premium includes a VPN with a no-logging policy, on up to five devices across iPhone, Android, Mac and Windows. It secures your connection, on public WiFi above all.

Number Lookup, included in Premium, surfaces information about unknown numbers so you can decide whether to call back. It's for screening, not for identifying people.

Give out a second number instead of your personal number when you do not want to share it. If the second number starts attracting spam, you can delete or switch it based on your plan.

The people you contact see only your Burner number, not your personal one, which is what most people are asking. It is not anonymity in a legal sense: Burner is a US company and complies with lawful requests, so a Burner number is not untraceable.

Burner keeps your personal number private from the people you contact, which is what most people mean by it. It adds a layer of privacy, not invisibility, and it isn't a tool for evading the law.

Text from a Burner number so the recipient sees your Burner number instead of your personal number. If you later delete the Burner number, it stops receiving new calls and texts, but messages already delivered remain on the recipient’s device.

Use a second number for sign-ups, loyalty programs and one-off forms, and keep your personal number for people you know. If the second number starts drawing spam, you can delete or switch it based on your plan.

Some sites reject app-based numbers when you sign up. Verified Numbers is a separate Burner subscription for a number that behaves more like a traditional mobile one, so it's accepted more widely, on sites like Instagram, Facebook and Amazon.

If your personal number has been exposed online, use a second number for new public-facing sign-ups and contacts so you can limit where you share your personal number going forward. Premium’s Personal Info Protection can scan supported data broker sites and begin removal requests for eligible listings.

Personal Info Protection scans supported data broker sites for possible matches and can begin removal requests for eligible listings. Some removals require manual steps and timing varies. Enrolled Premium users are rescanned quarterly.

Use a private second number until you know someone, then decide whether to share your personal number. If you no longer want contact through the second number, you can delete it.

Talk on a second number first so you can stay reachable without sharing your personal number. If you no longer want calls or texts through that number, you can delete it.

List a second number instead of your personal number so buyers can call and text you normally. When the item is sold, you can delete the second number to stop new calls and texts to it.

Use a second number you can delete when the ad is no longer active. It can receive calls and texts while the listing is live, then you can remove it when you are done.

With Burner Dual SIM, you can add a separate number for work while keeping your personal number on the same phone. It works on supported iOS and Android devices.

Burner Dual SIM gives you a separate number for work on the same device, so your work and personal calls and messages can stay separate. It’s available on supported iOS and Android devices.

No. Burner Dual SIM gives you a separate number for work on the phone you already use, so you can keep work and personal communication separate on one device. It’s available on supported iOS and Android devices.

Yes. Nomorobo spam and robocall filtering is on by default on every new Burner number, so unwanted calls are screened before they reach you.

Use a second number for forms, sign-ups and people you do not know well. If that number starts getting a lot of spam, you can delete or switch it so new calls stop reaching that number.

Do not reply to suspected spam texts. Use a second number for public sign-ups, and if that number starts getting a lot of spam, delete or switch it based on your plan.

Unexpected texts about tolls or fines that pressure you to pay through a link are a common scam pattern. Don’t use the link in the message; go directly to the agency’s official website or app to verify the charge.

Stop replying and do not click additional links. If you shared card details, contact your bank; if you shared login details, change the password. If spam continues on a second number, you can delete or switch that number.