You'll be able to receive most verification codes by activating a TextNow SIM card or purchasing one of the following recurring subscriptions:
Unfortunately, Canadian verification codes are largely unsupported at this time. If you have one of the subscriptions listed above, you may be able to receive some verification codes in Canada but it is not advised to purchase a subscription for that purpose because it is not guaranteed.
FAQ
I have a subscription but I'm not getting verification codes. What should I do?
Some services do not support TextNow numbers for verification or for setting up Two-Factor Authentication. If you're having trouble receiving a verification code (or short code), please reach out to the support team for the application sending the code to verify whether or not they support TextNow's VoIP phone numbers.
If the app you're trying to verify does support VoIP numbers but the code isn't coming through by text or is delayed, we recommend trying to verify by phone call instead if that option is available.
Why do I have to pay for verification codes?
Because we have access to a limited inventory of phone numbers, we recycle inactive numbers tied to our free Wi-Fi service. If your number is released due to inactivity, you may have issues accessing online accounts tied to that number, and it could create security concerns for those accounts if someone else takes that number. This is why we require you to have Lock In Number, or any of our other subscriptions listed above, to ensure that your number will stay on your account even if you don't use it every day.
Why is this more secure?
We place a high value on the safety and privacy of all of our users, and securing your number reduces the risk of losing your number (that may potentially be linked to other personal accounts), and addresses further industry-wide fraud concerns.
Our platform is meant to offer an affordable means of communication for people and we want to keep providing that value for our customers in a secure way.