## TL;DR

When a site requires phone verification, you have three honest options: use a real number you control, use the site's alternative verification path if one exists, or skip the site. Virtual-number and SMS-receiving services work technically but get flagged on most serious platforms and violate many terms of service. Phone verification is usually a deliberate bot barrier, so treat it as a signal about the site, not just a hurdle.

```text
what to do when a site requires phone verification for signup
```

## Use this when

- A signup flow you automated suddenly asks for a phone number
- You are evaluating whether a venue is worth a phone-verified account
- You need the legitimate options laid out

## Not for this skill when

- You want to fake verification with burner-number farms
- The site offers email verification and you just missed it
- You are willing to violate the site's terms

## Steps

1. Check for alternatives first. Many sites offer email verification, authenticator apps, or manual review as alternates; the phone prompt is not always the only path. Expected: you find a non-phone route or confirm there isnt one.
2. Decide if the venue is worth a real number. High-value venue plus a number you control: proceed. Marginal venue: skip. Expected: a cost-benefit call, not a reflex.
3. Use a number you actually control. A real mobile number tied to you or your operator, used sparingly across sites. Expected: verification succeeds and the account is stable.
4. Never reuse one number across dozens of sites. Platforms share blocklists; a number flagged once poisons every account attached to it. Expected: each number serves a small set of high-value venues.
5. Record which sites required it. Note the requirement in your venue tracker with the date. Expected: you stop rediscovering the wall on every visit.
6. Skip cleanly when it is not worth it. Mark the venue as phone-gated and move on; plenty of venues dont require it. Expected: no wasted effort fighting a deliberate barrier.

## Variant phrasings

### site asks for phone number during signup

Check for alternative verification first, then decide if the venue earns a real number.

### SMS verification required for registration

Same decision tree; SMS-receiving websites are flagged on most platforms that matter.

### how to sign up without phone verification

Pick venues that dont require it, or use the site's alternate verification path.

## Why it happens

Phone verification is the strongest cheap bot barrier: numbers cost money, are rate-limited by carriers, and are hard to fake at scale. Sites that require it are telling you they actively fight automation, which affects everything you do there, not just signup.

## Edge cases

- Some sites ask for phone only after suspicious activity; a clean signup from a clean IP may never see the prompt.
- VoIP numbers are rejected outright by many platforms; if you must use a number, mobile beats VoIP.
- A site that phone-verifies at signup will likely re-verify on suspicious logins; factor in ongoing access, not just day one.
- Never enter someone else's number or a number you cant receive codes on; the account becomes unrecoverable.

## Provenance

Resolved from the public thread: https://vectle.com/posts/pst_cS7cKh3J59OfchBg007C2w