Travel and living abroad
Studying abroad? A local number for the year, and one your parents can still call
Universities, landlords and part-time employers want a local mobile. Parents want to dial the number they know. A second-number app gives a student both on one phone, for a term or a year.
A year abroad starts with paperwork, and the paperwork wants a local mobile number: the accommodation office, the bank, the university portal, the café that might give you a shift. Meanwhile, parents at home want to be able to call without working out prefixes and international rates. A second-number app handles both on the phone a student already has.
Before you go
Get a number in the study country before travelling. Choose the country and a local or mobile number with Calls and SMS. It works as soon as it is bought, so it can go on the accommodation contract and the university registration from home. If the country requires a registered address for numbers, the app will say so; you can complete that step once you have the address, within seven days. See Get your first number.
For the family at home
Add a number in the home country so parents and grandparents can call a local number from their own phones. It rings on the same phone as the study number. Extra numbers are paid with coins, and a 90-day term fits a semester while a year fits the full course; auto-renew from the coin balance keeps it alive without anyone thinking about it. See Add another number with coins.
Using two numbers on one phone
The number switcher at the top of the Keypad, Messages and Recents tabs picks which number you are using. Calls home go from the home number; calls to the landlord from the local one. Each number keeps its own conversations and call history, so the group chat about the flat and the messages from home stay separate.
Voicemail with business hours is useful in the other direction too: set the home number so calls arriving in the middle of a lecture go to voicemail, and call back later.
Data
The numbers carry calls and texts over the internet. A local data SIM or eSIM, or campus Wi-Fi, is all the connection they need; the home SIM can stay in a drawer or keep roaming for data, as you prefer.
Keeping it private
Student life involves a lot of sign-ups and a lot of new people. Using the second number for marketplaces, sports clubs and event lists keeps the real number out of circulation. A PIN or biometric lock on the app keeps messages private in shared accommodation.
When the year ends
Let the local number expire, or keep it if you are staying on. The home number can carry on regardless. Numbers belong to the account, so a new phone or a new country never means starting over.
Frequently asked questions
Can the university text a code to a second number?
Most services send codes to any mobile number with SMS capability, which is why the number should have SMS. A few services reject certain number ranges, so test important sign-ups early rather than on the deadline.
Is a second number cheaper than a local SIM?
It depends on the country and the plan; the app shows the coin prices for each term before you buy, and calls are charged per minute at the rate shown in the Pricing calculator. The practical advantage is that it is set up before you arrive, works alongside any data plan, and gives parents a local number to call.
What if my phone is lost?
Numbers belong to your Second Phone account. Sign in on another phone and they are all there; nothing lives on the handset alone.