Here's what you should know prior to porting your number to OpenPhone:
- Don't cancel your account with your current provider until the port is done. Once the port is complete, you'll be able to close that account. Otherwise, you're running the risk of service interruption.
- You need Internet access to use OpenPhone. If you're porting your personal phone number to OpenPhone, you'll need to use it on wifi and / or with a local data plan.
- OpenPhone numbers aren't able to receive SMS verification codes from some services. Uber, Airbnb, WhatsApp, and banks, for example, don't allow virtual phone numbers to be used for authentication. If you're porting your personal number to OpenPhone, keep this in mind. We recommend using your personal phone number for 2-factor authentication and using your OpenPhone number for everything else. We have more information about it here.
- OpenPhone doesn't offer emergency call services (eg 911). You'll need to use your personal phone number in those cases.
- While we don't charge any fees and are happy to port your number in (or out) for free, your previous carrier may charge you to port your number to us. This varies from carrier to carrier.
- Your existing phone and text conversations won't carry over to OpenPhone. However, you can upload your existing contacts as a CSV to OpenPhone.
Want to learn more about how the porting process works? Check out our blog post!
