How to Use Hinge With a Temporary Phone Number

Hinge won’t let you in without a mobile number, and once it’s linked, you can’t change it. If you’d rather not tie your personal number to a dating app, a temporary non-VoIP number can receive the code for you. You just need to plan for the day the number is gone.

This guide explains how Hinge uses your number, how to verify with a temporary UK number, and the one step that keeps you from getting locked out later.

Why does Hinge ask for your phone number?

Hinge’s help center is clear: “To keep your account secure, Hinge requires all users to verify their accounts with a mobile phone number.” Sign-up goes like this:

1. Enter your phone number.
2. “You’ll receive an SMS text confirmation code - enter it to continue.”
3. Link an email address to your account.

After that, “you can also connect your Google Account or Apple ID for easy access.” Hinge sends its code from an SMS short code, and it says it is “unable to validate your mobile number manually”, so the code is the only way through.

Your Hinge number is permanent

This is what makes Hinge different from most apps. Hinge says: “For security, Hinge does not allow members to change phone numbers linked to their accounts.” The only alternative it offers is to delete the account linked to your old number so you can start again, and it warns that this “will completely erase your old account.”

The number is also a login method: “we require an SMS code when you log in to Hinge using your phone number.” So if you verify with a number you’ll lose, you need another way in. Hinge’s login options are a phone number, a Google account or an Apple ID; logging in with Facebook is no longer possible.

The fix: connect your Google account or Apple ID straight after sign-up. Then you can always log in without the number.

Which numbers work for Hinge?

Hinge doesn’t publish a list of accepted number types. Its help center does list a prepaid phone plan among the reasons a code may not arrive, and it uses SMS short codes, which many internet-based numbers can’t receive.

A non-VoIP number is a real mobile number from a carrier. Read more about VoIP vs non-VoIP numbers.

How to verify Hinge with a temporary number

1. Create a free PVADeals account and add credits: crypto from $3, or a card through Stripe from $5.
2. Choose Hinge and the United Kingdom as the country.
3. Pick a rental length. A short-term number lasts 20 minutes; a long-term number lasts 3, 7, 14 or 30 days.
4. Enter the number in Hinge with the +44 country code. Hinge’s tip for long numbers: leave out the 0 that comes straight after the country code.
5. Copy the code from your PVADeals dashboard, where it appears as soon as it arrives, and enter it in Hinge.
6. Link an email, then connect your Google account or Apple ID before you do anything else.

New Hinge members in the UK are also being asked to complete Face Check, a short video selfie, and some may be asked for an ID check. A phone number doesn’t replace either.

Short-term or long-term: which should you choose?

A short-term number (20 minutes) is enough to receive the sign-up code, and it costs the least. It only makes sense on Hinge if you complete step 6, because reuse after the 20 minutes isn’t guaranteed and you can’t swap the number later.

A long-term number (3 to 30 days, renewable for as long as you like) stays yours, so you can keep logging in with it and receive Hinge’s codes whenever they come. Turn on auto-renew if you plan to stay on Hinge.

UK or US number?

PVADeals offers UK numbers for Hinge, and they work from anywhere: the code appears on your dashboard, so you don’t need a UK SIM card. See our UK phone numbers.

In the US, Hinge isn’t offered as a per-website rental. Instead, the All services plan gives you a US number that works on any website. Learn more about our US phone numbers.

If Hinge still won’t accept the number

• Check the format. Use +44 and drop the leading 0.
• Don’t keep retrying. Hinge says that after a series of failed attempts “you must wait at least 24 hours to reattempt”, and it can’t lift the lock manually.
• No SMS at all? If an eligible number receives no SMS during the rental, its cost comes back to your balance automatically as store credit, so you can try another number.

This guide is about keeping your personal number private, not about extra accounts. Hinge’s terms require that “you do not have any other accounts on our Services”.

Keep your personal number private

Your phone number is one of the most personal things you can share on a dating app. A temporary non-VoIP number from PVADeals keeps it out of your Hinge account, so you decide if and when a match gets it.

See the prices below, or read our guides for other dating apps: Tinder, Bumble, OkCupid and Plenty of Fish.