Troubleshooting

Prevent common mistakes and learn how to use Blacktel as best

My virtual number expired. Can I get it back?

Unfortunately, no. Expired virtual numbers will be deleted from the user’s account, this is an automated process and cannot be made undone. After expiration, the virtual number will be blocked from re-use for a certain period of time, to guarantee privacy and protection to the previous user.

I want to keep my virtual number, what can I do?

There is no limit how long you use your number. As long as you renew it before it expires, you can use it indefinitely.

If you do not wish to renew your virtual number every few months, we also offer a subscription plan. This means that we will take care of renewing your virtual number. This happens automatically and you do not have to worry about it. You only have to provide enough credits in your account to use this service.

Please note: The subscription plan for virtual number will not charge any payment method automatically. You have to add credits to your account manually.

Learn more about pricing and plans for your phone numbers.

Virtual number for SMS

I used my number to receive a verification text or code, but I did not receive it

Please not that we cannot guarantee a successful verification of third-party companies (such as WhatsApp, Facebook, Google, Netflix and Co.) with any of our virtual numbers. Those companies stipulate strict regulations, rules and requirements when it comes to their verification process and often times, these also include rather strict policies for virtual numbers. These policies and regulations may vary from country to country.

But we do your best to make it work! In most cases it works great with third services. If you run in problems, please contact the service directly where you have problems with.

I have trouble sending and receiving SMS. What can I do?

If you are not receiving SMS from your virtual number, please try to restart your phone or the recipient’s phone. Please make sure that the virtual number you would like to use is SMS enabled. We offer different virtual numbers with different features, virtual numbers with the Call feature can only make phone calls, for example.

Please also pay close attention to the right country code in front of the phone number.

Some more tips: Our service works best if you use virtual numbers from your own country. For example, use an US virtual number if you are situated in the United States. For European users, we would recommend using UK virtual numbers, as those are unrestricted virtual numbers and our users made the best experiences with those.

Payment

I bought credits, but there have not been added to my account.

This usually means that a user has bought credits with crypto currencies. Bitcoin or crypto payments such as with BitPay or Coingate might take some time. There is a rather long process involved and it can take up to two or three hours until the payment has been fully processed and confirmed. The credits will be added to your account immediately afterwards.

If you have not received your credits within 24 hours, please contact us with your payment information (transaction ID, order number, …) and we will look into it.

I made several Paypal payments for credits, but have not received all of them

There is a maximum amount of credits one user can purchase each day via Paypal. We apologize for this, but due to fraudulent intents in the past, there is now a payment protection in place. The maximum credits you can charge via Paypal vary for users of different levels.

Level 1 users can add 5 000 credits a day
Level 2 users can add up to 10 000 credits a day
Level 3 users can add up to 25 000 credits a day

Please note that there is also a PayPal fraud protection in place, this means that you cannot link your PayPal account to several Blacktel accounts.
You can add more credits via Bitcoin or InApps purchases through our Android or iOS App. There are not daily limits.

Level Upgrade

I have not received the verification code for Level 2

Please do not use another virtual number to receive your verification code for upgrading your account. To do so, you have to provide a real existing phone number. Please also make sure that you have entered the country code of your number correctly.

If you have not received your verification code for Level 2 within 24 hours, please contact us and provide us with the phone number you would like to verify. We will then look into it and will manually upgrade your account to Level 2.

Calls

I have trouble making and receiving phone calls. What can I do?

Please make sure that the virtual number you would like to use is Call enabled. We offer different virtual numbers with different features, virtual numbers with the SMS feature can only send and receive text-messages, for example. If you want to have the full range of possibilities, we would recommend adding a Call+SMS virtual number. Here are some useful tips to make it work:

We would recommend using either Google Chrome or Mozilla Firefox as your web browser
Please make sure that you have allowed the audio and/or microphone setting in your browser
You will also need a working headset for telephone calls
Please make sure that Blacktel is only opened in one tab. If our service is opened in several tabs simultaneously, this might cause interference and your phone call cannot be connected successfully.
If you also use our Blacktel app, please make sure that you are only logged into either the app or the web browser.

Refund

What is your refund policy?

According to §10 of our Terms of Service, we do not offer cash refunds, but issue refunds in form of credits to your account. Please contact us through our support system within 14 days starting at the date when the dispute arose; we will to our best to resolve the issue and find an agreeable solution. Disputes older than 30 days shall not be entitled to any refunds or credits.

Virtual number regulatory

The virtual number I want to use needs a regulatory bundle. What do I do?

Unfortunately, some countries stipulate rather strict regulations and rules regarding the use of phone numbers. These regulations and policies often vary from country to country. To use a restricted virtual number fully, you have to add bundles to your account.

Address: Some virtual numbers only need an address profile to activate them fully. This means that a user has to provide proof that their residence matches the prefix of the corresponding phone number.
Identity profile: For some phone numbers, an identity profile is needed in addition to the address. Some countries’ providers and authorities request the identity proof of the user. Please upload your ID documents to provide such a proof. Our team will review your documents and verify your account.

As there are strict policies, the reviewing and verification process might take some time. Please be patient, we are only human. Your information will be handled confidentially and will only be used for the verification of your identity. Learn more about phone number regulatory and how to add bundles to be compliant with local authorities.