this post was submitted on 17 Jun 2026
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Just a heads up, you can get a free phone number from Google, and probably other providers. If you've got a computer of some kind and an internet connection, you can make calls and texts from there. If that's all you're getting a phone for, don't bother with the actual device.
https://support.google.com/voice/answer/115061?hl=en&co=GENIE.Platform%3DDesktop
I don't know about Google's "free" numbers, but third-party VOIP numbers are usually blocked for 2FA verification. I've tried that. Most places won't accept it, because they know you're trying to get around the tracking. The 2FA isn't the point, and the cost of the phone isn't the point, the tracking is the point, and Google's "free" numbers are absolutely tracking you just as effectively as any telecom is.