Signing up for something shouldn't cost you your phone number. Once you give it away it is in a database, then in a breach, then on a list. receive-sms.app exists for the moment you just need a code: pick a public number, use it, read the SMS, move on.
Where the numbers come from
We don't operate phone lines. Several services publish temporary numbers and the messages they receive publicly; we collect those, clean them up, pull the verification code out of the text, and put the whole catalogue in one searchable place — currently 1659 numbers across 24 countries, with 469,721 messages archived. New messages are picked up continuously, and a number's page updates itself while you watch it.
How we report availability
Live means the newest observed message is within one hour; Slow means within one day. Archive means older or unknown activity. These labels describe collected messages, not a test of the phone line. Provider outages, collection delays and service restrictions can affect delivery. Service pages match messages by sender or text and do not establish an affiliation with the named service.
What this is not
These numbers are public and shared. Anyone can read what arrives, which is exactly why they cost nothing. Use them only where shared numbers are permitted or for authorized testing — never for banking, your main email, or any account you would be upset to lose. If you need a number that is only yours, that is a paid product, and we say so rather than pretending otherwise.
How it stays free
Browsing is free, with no account or paywall. Links to our team's other apps pay for the servers. Partner promotions are labelled and link to separate paid services. How we handle data is written out in the privacy policy.
Something wrong?
If a message here contains your personal information, we remove it — no argument, no form. Contact us and it goes to the front of the queue.