Receiving an X (Twitter) verification code on a US number

X’s phone rules at a glance

From the X Help Center and X’s Terms of Service, read on 13 November 2026. X doesn’t document the code’s length.

What X says about the number you add

X’s help publishes no rule on VoIP, virtual or landline numbers. What it does say is about how a number is shared and reused. One number can be on up to 10 X accounts, and each of them still gets texts for password resets and security features. If a number you’ve just got is already on an account, X says it may have belonged to someone else before you, and suggests signing up with your email address instead.

If X locks your account and you choose to verify by phone, X says it will associate that number with your account. Email and a reCAPTCHA are the other ways it offers to prove the account is yours.

A number from us is a non-VoIP US number. X decides whether to send its code; if nothing arrives, cancel within 24 hours.

Receiving X’s code on a number from us

1. Get a number

   A week for a one-time check, a year if the number will stay on the account.

2. Add it under Settings and privacy

   Open Settings and privacy, then Account, then Phone number. Choose the United States and enter the ten digits, or enter them where a locked-account screen asks. X sends a text with a code; if it offers a voice call instead, don’t take it.

3. Wait, then enter the code

   The text shows on the number’s page with the code picked out. X says its texts can be delayed and asks you to wait at least two minutes before trying again.

How long to keep the number

A week ($7.99) if the number only gets you past one check. Before the rental ends, go back to Settings and privacy, Account, Phone number and change it. X’s Terms require you to update your account when you give up a number, so that X doesn’t contact whoever gets it next. When a rental ends, the number can go to someone else. X describes what happens then: if your account has been inactive for 45 days or more and the new holder verifies the number on their account, X detaches it from yours.

A year ($34.99) if you keep it for password resets or for two-factor. On two-factor, X says it stopped supporting text-message codes “for non-Premium subscribers” on March 20, 2023, and that for Premium the option may vary by country and carrier. X’s other methods, an authenticator app, a security key and backup codes, don’t depend on a phone number.

If X’s code doesn’t arrive

• Give it two minutes. X says text messages can be delayed and asks you to wait at least that long before trying again.
• Check X’s phone FAQ. When we read it, it carried a notice that some people were having trouble requesting and receiving verification codes by text.
• Use email instead. If you can’t create an account with a new phone number, X’s own advice is to sign up with your email address.
• Don’t ask for a call. A voice code can’t reach a receive-only number.

If no text reached the number from us, cancel it from its page within 24 hours of buying. The wider checklist is in verification code not received.

Questions people ask

Why did X tell me my phone number has been reclaimed?

X sends that notice when an account has been inactive for 45 days or more and its number has been added to a new account whose owner can verify the number. The number is then taken off the inactive account.

Why is my phone number already linked to another X account?

X says the number may have belonged to someone else before you. If you can’t create an account with it, X suggests signing up with your email address instead.

Can I use text-message two-factor on X without Premium?

No. Since March 20, 2023, X supports text-message two-factor only for Premium subscribers, and even then it may vary by country and carrier. X’s other methods are an authenticator app and a security key.

Do I need a phone number to sign up for X?

No. You can sign up with an email address or a phone number, and Google and Apple sign-in are also offered.

What if I lose the phone number I use for X two-factor?

Sign in with a backup code; X lets you keep up to five active at a time. Without one, X’s advice is to contact its support team, and it warns that if you’ve lost both your email and phone, a new account is sometimes the only option.