Bumble Verification: Phone Number and Photo Checks

Bumble verification comes in two parts. Every account needs a verified phone number, and in the US you also have to pass photo verification, a quick selfie check. Bumble can ask you to verify your identity too.

If you’d rather not give a dating app your personal number, a second mobile number can receive Bumble’s code. This guide covers each check, what to do when the code doesn’t arrive, and how to keep access to your account afterwards.

Does Bumble need a phone number?

Yes. Bumble’s help center says: “All active accounts on Bumble must be associated with a phone number.” Signing up in the app starts with ‘Use mobile number’: you type in your number and “should receive a six-digit code via SMS, and also have the option to get a phone call”.

Signing up with Facebook or Apple ID doesn’t skip the step. In that case, Bumble says “we’ll ask you to confirm your phone number”, and “this is a required step”. Its terms go further: Bumble may require users “to provide a valid phone number registered to their Account and to verify it at any time.”

Bumble web has been discontinued, so all of this happens in the Bumble app.

Does Bumble require photo verification?

In the US, yes. Bumble says: “Photo Verification is mandatory in the USA, and you won’t be able to skip this step until you verify. If you’re not in the USA, photo verification is optional (unless requested by us for safety reasons).”

Bumble checks your selfie with “a mix of automated and human review”, and the selfie “won’t be shown on your profile”. A phone number doesn’t replace either check, so be ready for both.

Which numbers work for Bumble?

Bumble doesn’t publish a list of the number types it accepts. Two things matter:

• It must receive SMS. Bumble’s code comes by SMS, or by a call where you enter “the last six digits of the number that called you”. PVADeals numbers receive SMS only, so choose the text message.
• It should be yours alone. Your number is also your login. Bumble warns that if someone else gets a number “still linked to your Bumble account, they could access your information.” That rules out free public numbers, where anyone can read the codes.

A non-VoIP number from PVADeals is a real mobile line from a carrier, so Bumble sees an ordinary mobile number. Read more about VoIP vs non-VoIP numbers.

How to complete Bumble verification with a second number

1. Create a free PVADeals account and add credits: crypto from $3, or a card through Stripe from $5.
2. Choose Bumble from the list of websites for the United States or the United Kingdom. If it isn’t listed for your country, rent an All services number instead, which works on any website.
3. Pick a rental. A long-term number (3, 7, 14 or 30 days) suits Bumble best; see below. A short-term number lasts 20 minutes.
4. Open the Bumble app and select ‘Use mobile number’. Enter the number with its country code: +1 for the US, +44 for the UK.
5. Copy the six-digit code from your PVADeals dashboard, where it appears as soon as it arrives, and enter it in Bumble.
6. Add a second way to log in straight away: open Settings, tap ‘Security & privacy’, then ‘Ways you can log in’, and choose Facebook, Apple or a Passkey.

Then complete photo verification if Bumble asks for it.

Short-term or long-term?

On Bumble, your number is your login, and Bumble can ask you to verify again, for example when it detects “new devices, locations or login methods”. That makes step 6 essential. Bumble is blunt about what happens without it: “If your number has changed and you didn’t set up another login method, you won’t be able to access your account. Unfortunately, Bumble can’t recover it in this case.”

• Short-term (20 minutes) is enough to receive the sign-up code, and it costs the least. Reuse after the rental isn’t guaranteed, so only choose it if you add a Passkey, Apple ID or Facebook login straight after.
• Long-term (3 to 30 days, renewable) keeps the same number, so you can receive Bumble’s codes whenever it asks. Turn on auto-renew if you plan to stay.
• All services gives you one number that works on any website for the full term.

How to change your phone number on Bumble

You need a secondary login method first: “You’ll need at least one other login method before you can remove your old number and add your new one.” Then:

1. Open Settings in the Bumble app.
2. Tap ‘Security & privacy’, then ‘Ways you can log in’.
3. Choose ‘Phone Number’, then ‘Change number’.
4. Enter the new number and type in the code Bumble sends by SMS.

Do it as soon as your number changes. Bumble explains why: “Phone companies often reassign old phone numbers.”

If Bumble isn’t sending the code

Bumble’s own checklist:

• Check your number, including the country code.
• Wait a few minutes. “Sometimes there may be delays.”
• Tap ‘didn’t get an SMS’ (or ‘didn’t get the call’), whichever Bumble shows you.
• Still stuck? Contact Bumble’s support team. If an eligible PVADeals number receives no SMS during the rental, its cost comes back to your balance automatically as store credit.

Never pass a code on to anyone who asks for it. Bumble’s advice: “Don’t share your login details or verification codes with anyone: Bumble will never ask you for them”.

This guide is about keeping your personal number private, not about extra accounts. Bumble’s terms say it “may also suspend or close your Account where you have multiple Accounts.”

Keep your personal number private

Bumble has built “features to help you connect safely without sharing your phone number, including in-app voice and video calls.” A second number from PVADeals keeps your personal number out of the account itself. See our US and UK phone numbers, or the prices below.

More dating guides: Tinder, Hinge, Plenty of Fish and OkCupid.