Create an Apple ID Without Your Phone Number

The short answer

You cannot skip the phone number. Apple asks for one when you create the account and confirms it with a code by text message or phone call. What you can choose is which number. A separate number works, with one condition that matters more for Apple than for most services: you need that number again later.

Why Apple keeps the number

New Apple accounts use two-factor authentication, and it cannot be turned off. The number you sign up with becomes a trusted phone number. Apple uses it in two situations:

• Signing in on a new device or browser, when no trusted Apple device is at hand to show the code.
• Recovering the account if you forget the password.

If the only trusted number is one you no longer have, and you have no signed-in Apple device, you can be locked out of the account.

Why a one-time number is the wrong tool on its own

A one-time number receives the sign-up code and then the order ends. That is enough to create the account, and not enough to keep it. For an Apple ID, use a number that stays yours for as long as you need the account. A number rental keeps one US number from 1 day to 1 year, and can be renewed.

Steps with a separate US number

1. Rent a US number for the period you plan to use the account. For a single code only, an Apple verification covers the sign-up text.
2. On Apple's phone screen, choose United States (+1) and enter the number.
3. Choose text message. When Apple texts the number, the code shows on your order page.
4. Enter the code to finish creating the account.

What to do right after sign-up

• Stay signed in on at least one Apple device. A trusted device can show sign-in codes without any text message.
• Add a second trusted phone number that you will keep, in the account's Sign-In and Security settings. Then losing the first number does not lock you out.
• If you used a one-time number, replace it with a number you keep before the order ends.

When to use your own number

If the Apple ID will hold purchases, photos or a device's Find My lock, treat it like a bank login and attach a number you control long term. A separate number is reasonable for a secondary account, such as one for testing apps or for a different country's store, as long as it is a number you can still receive texts on.

Related guides

• Non-VoIP US numbers for SMS verification
• Create a Google account without your phone number
• VoIP vs non-VoIP numbers: why virtual lines get rejected