Change your phone number
Your phone number is a login, a recovery method and a security code inbox. Find every account that depends on it and move them in a safe order.
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Your plan so far
13things this change touches
- critical4
- high2
- moderate4
- low3
Updates as you answer. Every item will explain why it’s there.
What could break
In a typical phone number plan, these are the most serious things to get right.
Keep your old number working until everything has moved
Critical · Sign-in & recovery
If the old one stops working too early, you may be stuck in slow account recovery for every account you haven't moved yet.
Apple Account: add the new number as a trusted phone number
Critical · Core accounts
If the details on your Apple Account stop working, signing in on a new device or recovering the account can stall.
Google Account: update your recovery phone and 2-Step Verification phone
Critical · Core accounts
Outdated recovery details make it much harder to get back in if you're ever locked out.
Password manager: update the phone number on your account and recovery
Critical · Sign-in & recovery
If you're locked out of the password manager, every account inside it becomes harder to reach.
Work sign-in and multi-factor
Critical · Sign-in & recovery
You could be locked out of work systems until IT resets you.
Accounts that text you sign-in codes
Critical · Sign-in & recovery
Once the old number stops working, any account still texting codes to it can lock you out.
Your banks and credit unions: update your phone number
Critical · Banking & payments
Payments can be blocked when a fraud alert can't reach you, and you may be locked out of online banking.
Confirm the new number gets calls, texts and short-code texts
Critical · Phone & internet service
You could update every account and then discover security codes never arrive.
Test account recovery with the new number
Critical · Sign-in & recovery
You find out recovery is broken only when you're already locked out.
Microsoft account: add the new number to your security info
High · Core accounts
Security codes go to whatever details are on file. If those are out of date you can be locked out of Windows sign-in and email.
Before and after the change
Before you change it
- Keep your old number working until everything has moved
- Check whether you can keep your number
- Apple Account: add the new number as a trusted phone number
- Google Account: update your recovery phone and 2-Step Verification phone
- Password manager: update the phone number on your account and recovery
- Work sign-in and multi-factor
- Microsoft account: add the new number to your security info
- Backup codes for important accounts
- Accounts that text you sign-in codes
- Check your authenticator app's backup
- Your banks and credit unions: update your phone number
- Credit cards: update the number for fraud alerts and purchase codes
After the change
- New line: set an account PIN and number-transfer protection
- Confirm the new number gets calls, texts and short-code texts
- Voicemail and call forwarding
- WhatsApp: use Change Number
- Signal: change your registered number
- iMessage and FaceTime: check Send & Receive
- Insurance policies
- Employer HR and payroll
- Facebook: update your phone number
- Instagram: update your phone number
- LinkedIn: update your phone number
- Investment and retirement accounts: update your phone number
Your own plan adds or removes items based on your answers, and explains why each one is there.
The safe order
Doing things in the right sequence is what keeps you from getting locked out halfway through.
Before the change
Step 1: Keep your old number working
Confirm how long the old number lasts and make sure it overlaps with the new one.
- Keep your old number working until everything has moved (critical risk)
- Check whether you can keep your number (moderate risk)
Step 2: Add the new number to your most important accounts
Apple, Google, Microsoft, your password manager and work sign-in come first because they unlock everything else.
- Apple Account: add the new number as a trusted phone number (critical risk)
- Google Account: update your recovery phone and 2-Step Verification phone (critical risk)
- Password manager: update the phone number on your account and recovery (critical risk)
- Work sign-in and multi-factor (critical risk)
- and 1 more
Step 3: Save backup codes and a second way in
Make sure you can still sign in if a text code doesn't arrive.
- Backup codes for important accounts (high risk)
Step 4: Move text-message codes and authenticators
Switch accounts that text you codes to the new number, or better, to an authenticator app or passkey.
- Accounts that text you sign-in codes (critical risk)
- Check your authenticator app's backup (moderate risk)
Step 5: Update banks, cards and payment apps
Some banks need a call or a branch visit, so start early.
- Your banks and credit unions: update your phone number (critical risk)
- Credit cards: update the number for fraud alerts and purchase codes (high risk)
- PayPal: update your phone number (high risk)
- Purchases billed to your phone bill (moderate risk)
Step 6: Update government accounts
Government sign-in often uses text codes and can be slow to change.
- Government and tax accounts (high risk)
During the change
Step 7: Activate the new SIM or eSIM
Switch on the new line and secure the carrier account.
- New line: set an account PIN and number-transfer protection (high risk)
Step 8: Confirm calls, texts and verification codes work
Prove the new number receives everything before you rely on it.
- Confirm the new number gets calls, texts and short-code texts (critical risk)
- Voicemail and call forwarding (low risk)
Step 9: Move messaging apps to the new number
Use each app's change-number feature so you keep your chats and groups.
- WhatsApp: use Change Number (high risk)
- Signal: change your registered number (high risk)
- iMessage and FaceTime: check Send & Receive (moderate risk)
Immediately after
Step 10: Update everyday services
Social accounts, insurance, utilities, shopping and the rest.
- Insurance policies (high risk)
- Employer HR and payroll (high risk)
- Facebook: update your phone number (moderate risk)
- Instagram: update your phone number (moderate risk)
- and 10 more
Step 11: Tell people and update emergency contacts
Friends, family, and anywhere that lists you as a contact.
- Friends, family and key contacts (moderate risk)
- Places that list you as an emergency contact (moderate risk)
- Email signature, résumé and public profiles (low risk)
Verify
Step 12: Test account recovery with the new number
Make sure codes really arrive before the old number goes away.
- Test account recovery with the new number (critical risk)
- Test bank and card verification codes (high risk)
- Trusted devices and active sessions (moderate risk)
Clean up
Step 13: Remove the old number from your accounts
Only after the new number is proven to work.
- Remove the old number from your accounts (high risk)
Step 14: Cancel the old line last
The one step you can't undo.
- Cancel the old line last (high risk)
Later
Step 15: Watch for anything still using the old number
Stragglers usually show up within a few weeks.
- Watch for anything still using the old number (low risk)
Why this change needs a plan
A phone number used to be a way for people to call you. Now it's also how banks confirm payments, how Google and Apple let you back into your account, and how dozens of apps prove it's really you.
That's why changing it can lock you out of things you didn't know were connected. Many services will only let you change your number after sending a code to the old one. If the old number is already gone, you're into slow account-recovery processes.
The safe approach is to run both numbers side by side: add the new one everywhere that matters, prove it works, and only then let the old one go.
Why it matters
Text-message codes, account recovery and fraud alerts all depend on your number. A careless switch can cut you off from your bank, your email and your own phone backups at the same time.
What makes it risky
Risk is highest when the old number stops working before your accounts move, when accounts use text-message codes, and when you use services (like Authy or Aadhaar-linked services) that are registered to the number itself.
Common mistakes
- Cancelling the old number before moving accounts that text you codes.
- Registering WhatsApp or Signal on the new number from scratch instead of using the app's change-number feature.
- Updating the number in an account's profile but not in its two-factor or recovery settings, which are often separate.
- Forgetting accounts you rarely sign in to: investments, tax, domain registrars, old email accounts.
- Assuming the new number can receive bank short-code texts without testing it.
- Leaving the old number on accounts after it's been reassigned to someone else.
Frequently asked questions
Should I keep my old number active while I switch?
Yes, if you can. Many services need a code sent to the old number before they'll accept a new one. Keep both working until you've moved and tested your important accounts.
What happens to my old number after I cancel it?
Carriers usually return cancelled numbers to their pool and may eventually give them to someone else. That's why you should remove the old number from every account before cancelling.
Will WhatsApp lose my chats if I change my number?
Not if you use WhatsApp's built-in Change Number feature on the same phone. Back up your chats first, and do it while the old number can still receive a code.
Is it safer to use an authenticator app than text-message codes?
Generally yes. Authenticator apps and passkeys don't depend on your phone number, so changing numbers won't break them. A number change is a good moment to switch your most important accounts away from text codes.
Can I keep my number instead?
Often you can. Most carriers can transfer (port) your existing number when you switch. Ask the new carrier before you accept a new number.
What if my old number is already gone?
Start with your email and Apple, Google or Microsoft account. Use backup codes, an authenticator or a trusted device if you have them; otherwise follow each provider's account-recovery process, which can take several days.
Regional notes
General information, not legal advice. Check the official source where you live.
- India
- Many services send OTPs to the mobile number linked to your Aadhaar. Updating it usually needs an in-person visit to an Aadhaar centre, so do it before the old number stops working.
- Canada
- CRA sign-in uses multi-factor authentication. Update your phone number in My Account before the old number stops working.
- United States
- Many federal services sign in through Login.gov or ID.me. Update your number there first, then in your IRS and Social Security accounts.