A private phone number that lives in your email — no app to download

No. There is no Petitext app, on any platform. Everything works from the email inbox you already use — receiving texts and replying. There's no app to download, no eSIM to activate, and no SIM card to swap.

You use email instead. Petitext assigns you a dedicated US or Canada number and forwards every text sent to it into your inbox; you reply from your inbox and it goes back to them as a text. Because nothing is ever installed on your device, it works on a work phone locked down by an MDM profile that hides or restricts the app store, on an older handset that new apps no longer support, on a phone with no storage left, and on devices without Google Play or a usable app store. If you can't install a mail app either, any webmail site in your phone's browser works — and you don't actually need a phone at all, since a laptop and an inbox are enough.

Yes. Petitext is not a carrier plan and never touches your SIM. An eSIM adds a second line to the handset itself, so it needs a dual-SIM-capable phone, carrier eligibility, and a provisioning step, and the line stays tied to that device. A Petitext number lives on our side and reaches you through email, so nothing is provisioned on your phone, your existing SIM and plan are untouched, and switching or losing the handset changes nothing. The trade-off is honest: an eSIM gives you voice calls and usually works for verification codes, and Petitext does neither — it is text only, and its numbers are VoIP-classified.

Your phone number is the one thing you can't take back. When you give your real number to someone you've just met — online or off — they can save it, share it, and reach you long after the conversation is over. Scammers even target people who post their numbers publicly, asking for a "verification code" to hijack accounts in their name. A Petitext number keeps you in control: you share a dedicated number that's yours alone, the conversation stays in your email, and when you're done, the number disappears. Nothing to leak, nothing to take back.

Yes. To start a conversation, send an email to messages@petitext.com with the recipient's phone number in the subject line, including the country code — for example, +1 604 330 2816. The body of your email becomes the text message, sent from your Petitext number; the subject line itself is never sent. When they reply, the conversation lands in your inbox like any other. See the full step-by-step guide at petitext.com/how-to-text-someone-first-by-email.

Use the full number with the country code. Both +16043302816 and +1 604 330 2816 work — spaces and dashes are fine. A number without a country code, like 604 330 2816, cannot be delivered. Other text can share the subject line ("Bike question +1 604 330 2816" works) — just keep the number in one piece. The subject line is never sent to the recipient.

Messages are typically delivered within 3 seconds of receipt. Our system is optimized for real-time delivery and offers a 99.9% uptime guarantee.

The Monthly Pass is $10.99 a month and renews automatically every 30 days until you cancel — so you keep the same number month after month instead of it being released. You can cancel anytime using the link in your confirmation email. Cancelling stops the renewal — it doesn't end the Monthly Pass early: you keep your number until the end of the month you've already paid for, and no partial refund is issued. Because that number stays active until then, you also can't buy a new one on the same email until it expires. The Day, 3-Day, and Weekly Passes are one-time charges and never renew. If a monthly renewal payment is declined, nothing is cut short: the month you've already paid for runs to its scheduled end date and your number keeps working until then — the subscription just isn't extended into the next month. Keep your payment method current if you want the number to carry on past that date, because once it passes the number is released and can't be recovered.

For your privacy and security, numbers are automatically released when a rental ends. If you need to keep the same number for a longer term, the Monthly Pass keeps it assigned to you for as long as the subscription stays active.

Your number is exclusively yours for the entire rental period — not shared with any other user while your rental is active. When your rental ends, the number is released back to the carrier pool.

Absolutely. We use 256-bit SSL encryption for all data transmissions and never store your messages longer than necessary. Your privacy and security are our top priorities.

No. We don't build a profile on you or sell your data, and we don't store messages longer than necessary.

Yes. Anyone who texts your virtual number lands in your email inbox, and you can reply by email — your reply is delivered to them as SMS from your virtual number. Conversations flow naturally from there.

We currently offer virtual numbers in the United States and Canada. We are actively working to expand our services to more countries.

Yes. As long as you can receive email, you can use a US or Canada Petitext number from anywhere.

There are no hidden fees. Our pricing is completely transparent—what you see is what you pay. No setup fees, no overage charges, and no surprise billing. The Day, 3-Day, and Weekly Passes are one-time charges that never renew; the Monthly Pass renews every month, which is stated before you pay and cancellable anytime.

No. Petitext numbers are VoIP-classified, and many services detect and block virtual numbers from receiving one-time passcodes — so we can't guarantee verification codes will arrive. Petitext is built for real conversations with people, not for account verification.

No. Petitext is a person-to-person conversation service for individuals. Every message is written by one human to another. Automated messages, bulk messaging, and marketing campaigns are prohibited and result in account termination.