Burner phone/Google Voice

[John Doe II]

Is Google voice sufficient and private enough to use on your regular phone as a "burner number?"

Can you get a separate prepaid phone or similar which can be paid in cash and not traced back to you?

[+ FrankR]

Is Google voice sufficient and private enough to use on your regular phone as a "burner number?"

Can you get a separate prepaid phone or similar which can be paid in cash and not traced back to you?

My opinion is no! This is based on my experience of googling my google voice number and finding information that connects to me (email address and phone number that the google voice number is aasociates with). You could get a separate phone but who wants to carry two devices? I use the Burner app on my iphone.

[MikeBiDude]

My opinion is no! This is based on my experience of googling my google voice number and finding information that connects to me (email address and phone number that the google voice number is aasociates with). You could get a separate phone but who wants to carry two devices? I use the Burner app on my iphone.

Burner App for my iPhone is my choice too, Has served me well.

[CuriousByNature]

Burner App for my iPhone is my choice too, Has served me well.

What if someone has an Android rather than an iPhone?

[InterestingGuy]

Burner App for my iPhone is my choice too, Has served me well.

 

Can someone give me a quick overview of how the Burner app for iPhone works? Can someone leave you a voice message? Texting?

[MikeBiDude]

Can someone give me a quick overview of how the Burner app for iPhone works? Can someone leave you a voice message? Texting?

Yes and yes

https://www.burnerapp.com/

[MikeBiDude]

What if someone has an Android rather than an iPhone?

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.adhoclabs.burner&hl=en_US&gl=US

[+ azdr0710]

not wanting to have my regular smartphone associated at all with any burner app, Google Voice et al, I've used a separate burner phone from Target for years for this hobby....yeah, it's a flip phone and requires me to touch one, two, or three times for A, B, C, etc.......but I value discretion and privacy.....I paid something like $30 or $40 for it years ago, activated it (included in initial charge, of course), and now pay $30 cash for a recharge card every two months for close-to-unlimited domestic voice and text use...it's not very good with pictures or other fancy stuff......

 

only a couple or three much-trusted providers have gained access to my real number!...

[MikeBiDude]

not wanting to have my regular smartphone associated at all with any burner app, Google Voice et al, I've used a separate burner phone from Target for years for this hobby....yeah, it's a flip phone and requires me to touch one, two, or three times for A, B, C, etc.......but I value discretion and privacy.....I paid something like $30 or $40 for it years ago, activated it (included in initial charge, of course), and now pay $30 cash for a recharge card every two months for close-to-unlimited domestic voice and text use...it's not very good with pictures or other fancy stuff......

 

only a couple or three much-trusted providers have gained access to my real number!...

Meh, I’ve done the same in the past, I don’t like having an extra piece of hardware rattling around. We all have to make a decision about our personal level of discretion (paranoia) and privacy I guess. I’ve been under the assumption the last few years that personal privacy online is a thing of the olden days..

[+ Reisr30]

I have a Google voice number and a burnerapp number.

 

When I Googled my Google voice number I haven’t yet found it tied to my mobile line it’s tied to. I’m curious how it can be tracked down. Never had issues with Google voice

[MikeBiDude]

I have a Google voice number and a burnerapp number.

 

When I Googled my Google voice number I haven’t yet found it tied to my mobile line it’s tied to. I’m curious how it can be tracked down. Never had issues with Google voice

I’ve googled and (paid service) reverse number searched my burner app number over and over again....never a hit. Usually 10 google pages of reverse lookup services and city/state hits close to my area code/prefix, but nowhere NEAR my actual home location.

[CalTec]

For the tech savvy, you might want to look at Session (link in sig) for messaging. Soon they will be launching Lokinet, a powerful Onion routing protocol that will enable E2E encryption for voice calls on decentralized servers. The big difference between Session and Signal is that no information is required to use. ie phone#, etc and no metadata is leaked. Highly secure.

[+ bashful]

I, like @azdr0710 have a separate phone. Tracfone, only $100 a year (plus tax). Never have run out of talk, text, and data time because I don’t hire often. If going to meet someone, leave my personal phone at home, or in hotel safe.

[John Doe II]

For the tech savvy, you might want to look at Session (link in sig) for messaging. Soon they will be launching Lokinet, a powerful Onion routing protocol that will enable E2E encryption for voice calls on decentralized servers. The big difference between Session and Signal is that no information is required to use. ie phone#, etc and no metadata is leaked. Highly secure.

Can you text with this app even if the ither person doesn't use the app?

[+ Pensant]

Text Now

[jtwalker]

If you want to be 100% certain, buy a burner phone and credits with cash and then use an alias to activate the phone. You can also create a burner email account. None of the apps offer quite as much anonymity, but there is something to be said for over-correcting.

 

I use Google Voice with a burner email and don't really worry about it. I had a crazy provider go nuts with threats and had no trouble burning the number and email to get rid of him.

[+ BenjaminNicholas]

There is no longer a need for a whole separate phone.

 

Added, in the event you're caught with a second crappy burner phone, that looks a lot more suspicious.

 

@MikeBiDude made the perfect suggestion of the Burner app: It works. It's time-tested. It's streamlined.

[+ Yellowrod]

I'm only iPhone savvy - are burners mostly androids? Pardon my ignorance on this! And if I get the burner app on my iPhone will the those in the know be able to see that I have that app?

[+ BenjaminNicholas]

I'm only iPhone savvy - are burners mostly androids? Pardon my ignorance on this! And if I get the burner app on my iPhone will the those in the know be able to see that I have that app?

 

https://www.burnerapp.com/

 

And no... They won't know.

[+ FrankR]

Who knew there would be so many burning questions around a burner number?? ?

[MikeBiDude]

I'm only iPhone savvy - are burners mostly androids? Pardon my ignorance on this! And if I get the burner app on my iPhone will the those in the know be able to see that I have that app?

You can lock the Burner App with a passcode and/or face recognition on the iPhone. I use a different passcode than my default iPhone pin.

[CalTec]

Can you text with this app even if the ither person doesn't use the app?

 

No, the service requires both users to have Session installed.

[harlow]

You can lock the Burner App with a passcode and/or face recognition on the iPhone. I use a different passcode than my default iPhone pin.

Happy birthday and wow thanks so much for mentioning this app! This is so much easier than setting up the eSIM on my iPhone!

[rustyrex]

I've used burner apps but I'm not sure it's worth the trouble....I've never been stalked by a provider and they don't text me unless they are coming thru town. Plus I'm sure I'm not the only one of possibly hundreds of guys they deal with....what's my number among a few hundred?

[+ keroscenefire]

I have a Google voice number and a burnerapp number.

 

When I Googled my Google voice number I haven’t yet found it tied to my mobile line it’s tied to. I’m curious how it can be tracked down. Never had issues with Google voice

 

I agree. I have Google Voice and have absolutely no problems connecting anything to me.