Get a US or Canada Phone Number From Abroad — No App to Download, No eSIM

It works entirely from your email: texts sent to your number arrive in your inbox, and your reply goes back to them as an ordinary text.

Last updated: August 10, 2026

No app to download, no eSIM, no SIM card — just your email

Most ways of getting a second number ask you to put something on your phone: an app from the App Store or Play Store, an eSIM profile from a carrier, or a physical SIM in a second slot. Petitext asks for none of them. The number lives on our side, and it reaches you through the one thing every device already has — an email inbox.

Nothing runs in the background, nothing needs updating, and nothing breaks when you change phones or cross a border. If your inbox works, your number works.

How do I get a US number if I can’t download apps?

You use email instead — that’s the whole answer, and it’s why Petitext works for people every app-based service quietly leaves out. Plenty of people can’t install an app, and it usually has nothing to do with not wanting one:

• Work-managed phones. If your employer manages the device through an MDM profile — Intune, Jamf, Workspace ONE — the app store may be hidden entirely or limited to an approved list. That’s normal in finance, healthcare, government, and anywhere with a compliance team, and you can’t approve your way around it.
• Older phones. New apps routinely require a recent iOS or Android version. A handset that still sends and receives texts perfectly well simply isn’t eligible to install them anymore.
• A phone with no room left. On a 32 GB device that’s been full for two years, every install is a negotiation about what to delete first.
• Limited app-store access. Devices that shipped without Google Play services, regions where the app was never listed, or a school- or company-issued account whose Apple ID password you don’t hold.

None of it affects Petitext, because there is nothing to install. Your number’s messages arrive as ordinary email and you answer them as ordinary email. If you can’t install a mail app either, open any webmail site in the phone’s browser — no phone ships without one. And if the phone is the problem altogether, skip it: a laptop and an inbox are enough to use the number.

One honest caveat if the locked-down device is a work phone: check your employer’s policy before routing personal conversations through a corporate inbox. Petitext works with any email address, so a personal account is usually the cleaner choice.

Can I get a US phone number without an eSIM?

Yes. Petitext isn’t a carrier plan and never touches your SIM. An eSIM adds a second line to the handset itself, which means the phone has to support dual SIM, you have to be eligible with that carrier, and there’s a provisioning step that ties the line to that specific device. A Petitext number works the other way around: it lives on our side and reaches you through email, so nothing is provisioned on your phone, your existing SIM and plan stay exactly as they are, and swapping, losing, or upgrading the handset changes nothing about your number.

The trade-off, stated plainly: an eSIM gives you voice calls and usually works for verification codes. Petitext does neither — it’s text only, and the numbers are VoIP-classified (more on that below). If what you need is a North American number people can text and that you can text from, without provisioning anything on a device, this is the trade worth making.

Why can’t I just use Google Voice?

Google Voice is the usual first suggestion, and for many people outside the United States it simply isn’t an option. The free personal version requires a US phone number to verify your account during signup, which is the thing you don’t have yet — and using it comfortably on a phone means installing the Google Voice app, which is its own dead end on a device that can’t install apps. That leaves a lot of people abroad searching for an alternative.

Petitext takes a different approach: there’s nothing to verify with a mobile number, because everything runs through your email. If you can receive email, you can use a Petitext number — from Amsterdam, Ho Chi Minh City, Singapore, Tokyo, or anywhere else.

To be fair about the trade-off: Google Voice does voice calls, and Petitext does not. Petitext is text only — SMS and photos, sent and received through your inbox. If making calls is essential for you, Petitext isn’t the right tool. If what you need is a North American number that people can text and that you can text from, it works from anywhere.

How does it work from abroad with no app and no SIM?

There’s no app to download and no SIM card involved, which is exactly why distance doesn’t matter.

• 1. Choose your number. Pick a US or Canada area code. It activates immediately.
• 2. Someone texts it — you get an email. Any text sent to your number is forwarded to your inbox, wherever you are.
• 3. You reply from your inbox. Your email reply is delivered to them as a text from your number. Your own local number is never shown.

Because the whole thing runs on email, time zones and borders are irrelevant. There’s nothing to keep running on your phone, nothing to reinstall when you change countries, and no roaming involved.

Can I text someone first, or only reply?

You can start conversations yourself. To text someone first, send an email to your Petitext address and put their phone number in the subject line, including the country code:

Whatever you write in the email body is what they receive as a text. The subject line is only used to address the message — it is never sent to them, so put your actual message in the body.

Spaces, hyphens, and brackets inside the number are all fine (+1 604 555 0148, +1-604-555-0148, +1 (604) 555-0148). You can add words around the number if it helps you keep track. Just don’t break up the number itself, and always include the country code.

Once they reply, their text lands in your inbox and you simply hit reply — no subject-line number needed after that. There’s a full walkthrough of texting first by email if you want the details.

Will it work for verification codes? (Read this before you buy)

Which countries can I use it from?

Any country where you can receive email and pay by card. The number itself is always a US or Canada number — Petitext doesn’t provide local numbers in other countries — but where you happen to be sitting makes no difference to how it works.

What you can and can’t do with it

How much does it cost?

If you need a North American number on an ongoing basis, the Monthly Pass is the one to pick — you keep the same number for as long as you want it.

Short on time instead of ongoing? Day, 3-day, and week passes are also available — the number is released automatically when the pass ends. See plans and pricing.

Frequently asked questions

A North American number that lives in your email — no app, no eSIM

No app to download, no eSIM, no SIM card, no phone verification — and no requirement that your phone be able to install anything at all. Set it up in about a minute and cancel whenever you like.

Staying in touch across borders is one of many reasons people rent a Petitext number. Selling something while you’re away? See Petitext for Facebook Marketplace and Petitext for Craigslist, or compare Petitext with Google Voice, Hushed, and Burner.