Getting a phone number

A phone number is the foundation of everything else in this area. You cannot send a text message without one, and the voice agent has nothing to answer on until one exists. This page walks through buying one.

Before you buy

A number is a recurring monthly cost. Buying one adds a charge that repeats every month for as long as you hold the number. Releasing it later stops the charge, but you cannot get that number back, so it is worth buying one and only one to begin with.

A number also belongs to you permanently. Network rules tie a number to a single business for its registered life. It can never be moved to another account, and if you release it, it is not handed to somebody else here either.

Toll-free or local

The first choice in the dialog is the number type, and it matters more than it looks.

Toll-free is the recommended default, and it stays selected unless you deliberately change it. It needs one registration, there is no setup fee, and it is the fastest route to being allowed to text. It works for voice calls too. Most people should pick this.

Local gives you a number with a local area code. It reads as more personal to whoever sees it ringing. The catch is that texting from a local number requires the heaviest registration path, which costs more and takes longer to get approved. Treat local as an upgrade you take deliberately, not a starting point.

Buy a number

1. Go to Phone & SMS then Phone numbers.
2. Click Get a number. The dialog opens on the search step.
3. Under Number type, leave Toll-free selected, or pick Local if you have a reason to.
4. Choose your Country. The list covers the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Australia, Germany and the Netherlands.
5. For a local number, type an Area code if you want one from a particular place, for example 415.
6. Optionally type digits into Contains digits to look for a number with a memorable run in it.
7. Click Search available numbers.
8. Look through the results. Each one shows its type, its region if there is one, and what it can do.
9. Click Select on the number you want.

If nothing comes back, try a different area code or clear the digit filter. Some area codes simply have nothing free.

Extra details some countries ask for

After you select a number, TribeNest checks what that country and number type require. Some countries ask for nothing and take you straight to the confirmation step. Others need a short set of details before the number can be issued.

There are three kinds of thing you might be asked for.

A written answer

A plain text box, sometimes with an example underneath showing the shape of the answer expected. Type the answer and move on.

An address

A form asking for a first name, last name, optional business name, street address, city, state or region, and postcode. Fill it in and click Save address. TribeNest checks the address is valid before accepting it, so you get a green Address saved confirmation rather than a rejection weeks later.

A document

A box asking for a link to a document, such as proof of a local business address. Paste the link and click Attach document.

Once every requirement has an answer, click Continue. If you leave any of them blank you will be told how many are still outstanding.

Confirm and buy

The last step shows the number you chose, its type, the country, and a badge confirming your compliance details are attached if any were needed.

Read the warning on this screen. It says the number will belong to you permanently, and that is not a formality. Then click Buy this number.

You will get a confirmation message with the number in it, and the dialog closes. The new number appears in your list straight away.

Your list of numbers

The Phone numbers page is the inventory of everything you own. Each row shows:

• Number and the country it belongs to.
• Type, toll-free or local.
• Capability, whether the number can carry voice, SMS, or both.
• Status, usually Active. You may also see Pending, Porting, Failed or Released.
• Added, the date you bought it.

At the top right there is a pill that tells you whether SMS can send right now. Green means your registration is approved and messages will go out. Red means they will not, and clicking through takes you to your registration.

The line under the table repeats the same distinction: the Capability column says what a number is able to do. Whether anything is actually allowed out is decided by your SMS registration.

Releasing a number

If you no longer want a number, click Release on its row. You will be asked to confirm.

Releasing hands the number back to the network. Calls and texts to it stop immediately, and the monthly charge stops with it.

Released numbers stay in the list, greyed out, so you keep a record of what you once held. Click Show released at the bottom right to see them, and Hide released to tidy them away again.

What to do next

With a number in hand, the next step is getting cleared to use it for text messages. That is Registering to send SMS.

If you only want the number for incoming calls, you can skip registration entirely and go straight to the voice agent.