I am really getting tired of unsolicited calls and messages, especially politically related. I am thinking getting a second / burner phone number that I can give out to everybody except friends and family, which are the only people's calls I will answer anyway. What would be perfect would a burner phone app that I can have on my cell phone, which I use or ignore as I see fit. There are services that charge $5 a month or so, which provide a second number like Burner https://www.burnerapp.com/ Hushed https://hushed.com/ and there is also Google Voice which is free.
Yeah, for about 15 years. I use it for spam, signing up for crap, etc. No need for an extra phone and data plan. There’s an iPhone or Android app you can get and I rarely use it as I get emails for VMs and texts. You can also use the web app on your computer for texting and talking if you have a headset.
Yes, in fact its ez to set up if you have gmail account and a main line. There are limits. I try to use it for some sites like chatgpt or facebook, but they want a real number. When you travel, it's linked to your main line, so it won't work without one, like calling for a reservation or talking to airbnb customer service. Kinda greedy for something free and mostly simple to setup
I've used GV for 15+ years as my first line. Unfortunately, the company iPhone I've had for the last 2 1/2 years gets so many spam texts and calls it's incredibly annoying. 100% of the spam is to the carrier number, not my GV number. GV seems to be as good as Gmail when it comes to blocking spam of any sort.
Provided by your carrier ATT, Verizon et al? The thing I am suggestion is a VOIP phone number via a phone app, which is virtually the same thing as a cell phone that answers to more than one phone number (I hope).
Check out the talkatone app, free US based number for free if you're willing to put up with a few ads.
