An OTP number is a temporary phone number that receives the SMS verification code for one service, such as WhatsApp or Telegram. You use it instead of your own number. These numbers receive SMS codes only; they are not for calling.
Before you start
You need a Bitcall account. Sign up with just your email at https://panel.bitcall.io.
You need enough balance to pay for the number. See "Payment methods and currencies".
If you will verify the account from a different country than the number's, have a VPN ready (see Tips).
Buy a number
Log in at https://panel.bitcall.io and open OTP, then Purchase OTP.
Pick a country in the left list. To start with the service instead, click the two-arrows icon next to the list heading, then pick the service.
In the middle list, open the service you need (or the country, if you started with the service). Each one expands to show its pools.
Compare the pools. Each row shows:
the pool name, for example ALPHA;
how many numbers are available;
a success rate, when one is known;
the price.
The pool with the highest success rate is marked Best Operator.
Click the cart icon on the row you want. The purchase starts immediately; there is no confirmation step.
Your number appears under Live Orders on the right.
If you see "Insufficient balance", add funds and try again. If a pool is out of stock or the service is unavailable, choose another pool, country or service. You aren't charged for a purchase that fails.
Use your number
Click Copy next to Phone Number on your order.
In the app or website, enter the number and choose to receive the code by SMS.
Watch your order. It shows Activating while the number is being assigned. Wait until it changes to Waiting for SMS... with a countdown.
When the code arrives, the status changes to Completed. The code appears in the SMS Code box, with the full message below it. Click Copy.
An OTP code received pop-up with a Copy code button also appears on any panel page for about 30 seconds.
Enter the code in the app or website.
The code stays in Live Orders for 5 minutes after it arrives. After that, find it in OTP, then History, in the SMS Code column. If you close the page while waiting, open OTP, then Purchase OTP again; your active order is still there.
How long the number stays active
Each order has a countdown timer, and the number stays reserved for you until it reaches zero. That's usually up to about 20 minutes; the timer on your order shows the exact time left. If the timer ends and no code arrived, the order becomes Expired.
What it costs
The price depends on the service, the country and the pool. The price on the pool row is the price of that order.
When you buy, the price is put on hold ("frozen") on your balance. The Frozen balance chip at the top of Live Orders shows the total on hold.
The held amount is charged only when the code arrives. If the order is cancelled, or expires without a code, the hold is released.
Cancel an order
Open your order in Live Orders.
Click Cancel Order. The button becomes available 2 minutes after you buy.
If no code has arrived, the order is cancelled and the held amount is released automatically.
You can't cancel an order after its code has arrived.
If no code arrives
You don't pay for a code that never arrives: when the timer ends without a code, the held amount is released automatically. Our Terms say: "If the code doesn't arrive within 20 minutes, you're refunded automatically. You don't need to contact us." For a checklist of what to try, see "OTP code not arriving? What to do".
Use a number again
Reuse number. After a code has arrived, some orders show a Reuse number button on the order or in History. It uses the same number again for a fresh attempt. The window shows how many hours the number can still be reused, and the price. You're only charged if the number is still reachable.
One-time numbers aren't kept. After the order ends, a one-time number can't receive later codes. Where the service allows it, add a recovery email or turn on two-step verification in that service.
Tips
Use a VPN if needed. If you verify from a different country, set your VPN to the number's country before requesting the code.
One number, one service. A number ordered for one service isn't for another.
Request the code once. Repeated requests or wrong codes can make a service block a number. If that happens, take a new number.
Start clean after a failed try. Clear cookies or the app's cache, or use a private window, then try again with a new number.
Pin your favourites. Click the star on a pool to add it to Pinned Favorites.
Related
Buying numbers from your own software: https://docs.bitcall.io/docs/products/otp