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Comment by lrvick | Hacker News Reader

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.

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If 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

If 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.

There 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.

Do you get SMS that continues to work when the phone is powered off?

You can still get SMS (and even make calls) over wifi calling, which can be done with airplane mode on and with a VPN router.

But not without the phone

I do not have a Google account or smartphone or use proprietary software so Google Fi is not a good option for me.

I use them to avoid giving my real number to any shitty online service.

Doesn’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

well, 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?

Instead 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.

I’d be curious to hear about your experience not having cell coverage in the modern world. What’s it like?

Maybe they don't like having their precise location tracked 24/7?

That'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.

Sure 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.

What’s it like?

Blissfully tranquil.

It's very nice. Phones are evil.

I 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.

Never 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.

Would it not be easier to get a dumphone and a super low end phone plan?

Probably, 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.

Not 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.

> 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?

I'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

This 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.

What device do you use the voip with?

My daily driver laptops and desktops, a payphone, and a number of DECT phones.

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