By Daniel Osei · Developer & security · 2026-09-08 · 7 min read
A lot of services still assume you have a US phone number. You try to sign up for a marketplace, a bank-linked app, a trading platform, or a US-only account, and the last step is a text message with a six-digit code. If you live in Accra, Lagos, Karachi, or Mumbai, that code was never coming — the service only texts North American numbers, and your local SIM isn't one.
This is a solvable problem, but a lot of the popular answers are worse than doing nothing. Let's walk through how OTP delivery actually works, why the free options fail outside the US, and what a reliable setup looks like.
OTP stands for one-time password — the short code a service texts you to confirm you control a phone number. When you enter your number, the service hands it to an SMS provider, which routes the message toward the carrier that owns that number range. For a US number, that routing path expects a US carrier at the other end.
Two things matter here. First, the code is only useful for a minute or two, so delivery has to be fast and dependable. Second, whoever can read that text can finish the verification. That second point is the one most people underestimate, and it's why the source of your number matters as much as the country code.
There are three common routes people try, and each breaks in a specific way.
Google Voice and TextNow. These are genuinely useful US products, but they gate signup to the US or North America. Try to register from India, Nigeria, Pakistan, or most of Africa and you'll hit a wall — either you can't create the account, or it gets flagged and stops working. They were never built to onboard users from outside their home region.
Free "receive SMS online" sites. These list public numbers anyone can use, and that's exactly the problem. The inbox is open to the world. Any code texted to that number is visible to every other visitor, so if you're mid-signup, a stranger can read your OTP and, on some services, grab the account before you finish. On top of that, these numbers are usually already registered on the popular apps (so the service rejects them as "already in use") and are frequently blocked outright. They're fine for a throwaway test where you don't care who sees the code. They are not a place to verify anything you intend to keep.
Shared or burner numbers. Some paid apps rotate a pool of numbers between many users. Better than a fully public site, but you still don't control the number long-term. If it gets recycled to someone else, you lose access to any account tied to it — including the ability to recover that account later.
The fix for all three failures is the same: a real US number that belongs only to you and that you keep. When the number is dedicated to your account, the OTP lands in your private inbox and nobody else can read it. When it's a properly registered US number, services that only text North America can reach it. And because you keep it month to month, the accounts you attach to it stay recoverable.
Privacy is the part worth being precise about. On a public SMS site, the threat isn't hypothetical — the whole point of the site is that the inbox is shared. A dedicated number removes that exposure entirely, not because of any clever security feature, but because you're the only person the number routes to.
G100 is a US-registered app that gives you a dedicated US or Canada number — one that's yours, not shared from a pool. Verification texts arrive in a clean inbox you open in the browser or the mobile app, from any country. Setup doesn't require KYC, and billing is pay-as-you-go in USD through Stripe. The number is a flat $1.95/month; inbound calls are also supported, and outbound calling is $0.03/min if you want it.
One honest note, because it matters for setting expectations: outbound SMS sending on G100 isn't live yet. Receiving SMS and OTP works today. That's the exact capability the verification use case needs — a service texts a code to your US number, and you read it in your inbox — so for OTP, the current state of the product does the job. If your plan depends on sending texts from the number, wait for that feature.
| G100 | Google Voice | TextNow | Free "receive SMS" sites | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Available worldwide? | Yes — sign up from any country | No — US/North America only | No — US/North America only | Yes, but public |
| Dedicated (not shared) number? | Yes — the number is yours | Yes | Yes | No — shared with everyone |
| Reliable OTP delivery? | Yes — private inbox | Yes, if you can sign up | Yes, if you can sign up | No — often used/blocked |
| Price | Flat $1.95/month | Free (US only) | Free / paid tiers (US only) | Free |
Read the table honestly: if you're inside the US, Google Voice is hard to beat on price. The reason G100 exists in this list is the "available worldwide" row — it's the option that actually onboards you from outside North America while still giving you a number you own.
Full rates are on the pricing page. For a quick self-test before you rely on it, have a friend text the number, or trigger a login code on any account you already control, and confirm it lands in your inbox.
Yes. With a dedicated US or Canada number from G100, verification texts arrive in your inbox in the browser or mobile app no matter which country you're in. The number is registered in the US, so services that only text North American numbers can reach you.
Both require a US or North American setup and aren't available to sign up from countries like India, Nigeria, or Pakistan, and most of Africa. If you're outside their supported regions you usually can't create or keep an account.
No. Those numbers are shared and public, so anyone can read the codes sent to them. They're also often already registered on the service you're trying to join, and frequently blocked. Use them only for throwaway tests, never for a real account.
Yes. The number is dedicated to your account, not shared with other users. OTP codes land in your private inbox and no one else can see them, which is the main difference from public SMS sites.
Receiving OTP and SMS works today, which covers the verification use case. Outbound SMS sending isn't live yet. If your goal is to receive verification codes on a US number, G100 does that now.
A real US or Canada number that's yours, not shared. Receive verification codes in a private inbox from any country.
Get your number →