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Since I do not have a smartphone or a cell carrier, I only have a voip number, which most sites think is a fake number. As a result I often have to use these sh
by lrvick 11mo ago
Since I do not have a smartphone or a cell carrier, I only have a voip number, which most sites think is a fake number. As a result I often have to use these shady SMS verification services to get my own personal legitimate accounts open.
- rogerrogerr 11mo agoI’d be curious to hear about your experience not having cell coverage in the modern world. What’s it like?
- codedokode 11mo agoMaybe they don't like having their precise location tracked 24/7?
- rjdj377dhabsn 11mo agoThat's a good reason for not carrying a phone, but getting a cheap SIM-connected device and leaving it at home next to their computer shouldn't reveal any more information than they already are by using their home internet and VOIP.
- lrvick 10mo agoSure but at that point I might as well just use the computer. Cell towers do not offer me much value I cannot obtain via wifi.
- octoberfranklin 11mo agoWhat’s it like? Blissfully tranquil.
- veqq 11mo agoIt's very nice. Phones are evil.
- daemonologist 11mo agoI went about six months without cell service a few years ago. The only deal breaker is this one - that lots of services require SMS authentication and won't accept Google Voice/similar. GPS navigation is a bit worse, because you have to pre-download the maps and don't get realtime traffic. You also can't be contacted when you're away from wifi; this wasn't a problem for me but I can imagine if you had kids or something it would probably be another deal breaker.
- lrvick 10mo agoNever been happier, and does not get in my way of doing anything as an owner of two tech companies that frequently travels. Phones are still optional for virtually everything in the US, though it sometimes requires talking to a manager.
- andai 11mo agoWhat device do you use the voip with?
- lrvick 10mo agoMy daily driver laptops and desktops, a payphone, and a number of DECT phones.
- andrepd 11mo agoI use them to avoid giving my real number to any shitty online service.
- ck2 11mo agoIf you live in US, get a tracfone with an annual 1500 minute plan for around $20-$30 You can just get a fliphone clamshell, they still do those and don't need a full smartphone (ironically the clamshell still runs android) They boot fast and battery can be pulled after This is how I do all the 2-factor that demands real SMS
- DecentShoes 11mo agoWould it not be easier to get a dumphone and a super low end phone plan?
- lrvick 10mo agoProbably, but it would increase my reliance on single point of failure device I have no control of and I would have to pay to support the current corrupt cellular network industry which is not appealing to me.
- modeless 11mo agoIf you're in the US you can get a real cell phone number with VoIP and SMS that works without a phone for $20/mo with Google Fi. You'd need a phone to set it up but after that you could just turn it off and still use VoIP and SMS from any web browser.
- gruez 11mo agoThere are BYOD prepaid providers that are even cheaper than that. The lowest you can get is ultra mobile's $3.50/month plan, but you need to jump through some hoops to get it working, like getting a physical sim in person. Tello is $5/month and you can activate online.
- deleted 11mo ago[deleted]
- lrvick 10mo agoI do not have a Google account or smartphone or use proprietary software so Google Fi is not a good option for me.
- pyrolistical 11mo agoDoesn’t that allow the shady sms service to take over your account? Tell support you’ve lost access to email and they might allow you to change it if you can still verify sms code
- NooneAtAll3 11mo agowell, the choice is between chance of account takeover - and having no account at all, y'know how would one "verify sms code" without a phone?
- conductr 11mo agoNot sure if it flags as fake but I'd look into getting a dedicated Twilio number, then just forward incoming texts to your email or something like that. It would at least get the "shady" part out of the equation as Twilio is pretty trustworthy.
- dylan604 11mo ago> as Twilio is pretty trustworthy. as considered by who? do banks accept a Twilio number as a valid number according to their security best practices?
- conductr 11mo agoI'd consider them more trust worthy to pass me a MFA code than some random shady website that the GP was currently using, but sounds like people have tried this and Twilio numbers are on a ban list for many services
- cobertos 11mo agoThis does not work, I've tried this before. Google verification for example would not accept my Twilio number as verification (about 2 years ago). You can lookup a phone number for the provider and numbers from Twilio or others tend to not be accepted.
- juhiparekh001 10mo agoInstead of using risky SMS verification services, consider a trusted VoIP platform such as CallHippo. Its virtual numbers are issued through legitimate telecom partners, which improves acceptance across websites while keeping your communication secure and professional.