Why do I need to provide my phone number to sign up?
When you sign up for our platform, we do require a phone number for security reasons.
This allows us to verify your account and ensure our platform remains secure.
We don't use your phone number for any other purposes, and we take your privacy very seriously.
Landline? VoIP? Google Voice?
We do not support use of landlines, VoIP providers, or Google Voice at this time.
For security reasons we currently are only able to support completing signup verification via specifically mobile phone numbers over an SMS text message.
At this time we cannot support verification via email or via phone where the phone is a landline or VoIP (Google Voice, etc) provider.
Does your company block VOIP services?
Yes, we have always blocked VOIP services in the United States to ensure the safety and security of our users. Recently, we have expanded our blocking policy to include VOIP services internationally. This means that VOIP services are now blocked in countries outside the United States as well.
Are landline and premium numbers also blocked?
Yes, we block landline and premium numbers in addition to VOIP services. Our goal is to provide the best possible protection for our users against fraudulent activities.
Why was my premium number blocked?
Premium numbers are often associated with higher instances of fraud or abuse. Blocking these numbers helps us ensure platform integrity and reduce fraud and abuse.
Can there be false positives in phone number blocking?
Premium numbers are sometimes linked to a greater likelihood of fraudulent or abusive activities. By restricting access to these numbers, we aim to enhance the integrity of our platform and mitigate the risk of fraud and abuse.
Send the code via voice / email instead of a text message?
The phone verification can only be completed with a text message via SMS (or WhatsApp, if available in your country). The code cannot be sent via email or a phone call.
What do I do if I get an error that I've made "too many attempts" / "too many verification requests"?
The "Too Many Phone Verification Requests" error with OpenAI usually occurs when you've made an excessive number of attempts to verify your phone number within a short period. It is a security measure to prevent spam or unauthorized access to user accounts.
To resolve the "Too Many Phone Verification Requests" error, follow these recommendations:
Wait and retry: Give it some time before trying again, usually a 24-hour period is sufficient. This will allow the system to reset your verification request counter.
Ensure correct phone number: Double-check that you've entered the correct phone number, including the appropriate country code.
Check for network issues: Ensure your phone has a stable network connection and can receive SMS messages. If there's an issue with your carrier or network, it may cause delays or failed attempts.
Check that you don't have any phone numbers blocked or with “Do not Disturb” activated.
Check that your device is powered on and within cellphone coverage.
Confirm that you're receiving SMS from other services or friends.
Confirm you are not using a text-blocker application
Reset the handset/device
How do I handle this error: "Detected suspicious behavior from phone numbers similar to yours"?
This indicates that the system has detected unusual activity or patterns from phone numbers that are similar to the one you're using for verification. This error is triggered as a security measure to prevent potential fraud or abuse of the platform.
To troubleshoot this error, follow these steps:
Wait and retry: Give it some time, usually a few hours or up to 24 hours, before attempting the verification process again. This allows the system to reevaluate the activity associated with the phone numbers in question.
Ensure correct phone number: Ensure you've entered the correct phone number, including the appropriate country code, and verify that there are no typos or mistakes.
Check for network issues: Confirm that your phone has a stable network connection and can receive SMS messages. Network issues with your carrier might cause the system to flag your number as suspicious if messages are repeatedly delayed or not received.
Remember that security measures like this are in place to protect your account and maintain the integrity of the platform. Ensure that your personal information is accurate and up-to-date.
How many times can I use my phone number to create OpenAI accounts?
Using a phone number for OpenAI accounts is like a punchcard: it's good for creating only 2 accounts. After that, it can't be used again even if you've deleted either account.
Can I reuse the same phone number I had before for additional accounts?
For anti-fraud and abuse reasons, we do not allow you to use your number for phone verification for more than 2 unique OpenAI accounts.
If you need to create another (3rd) unique OpenAI account then you'd need to use a different phone number.
If you previously deleted your account, we do not support creating a new account under the same email / reactivating the old account since deletion is permanent.
We require a phone number to verify new accounts, and previously deleted accounts still count toward our two accounts per number limit. If this is your second account, you should be able to use the same phone number as before without any issue.
Can I unlink my phone number from my OpenAI account?
For anti-fraud and abuse reasons, we do not allow you to unlink phone numbers. The 2 unique OpenAI sign ups limit still applies.
How do free trial tokens work?
Only the first API account verified with a given phone number is granted free trial tokens.
How do I resolve I get an error that I can't sign up due to "unsupported country"?
This may be that you're trying to sign up from a country or territory we do not yet support. You can confirm this by reviewing our list of Supported countries and territories.
Which countries do you support for WhatsApp phone verification?
In certain countries you can complete phone verification with WhatsApp instead of via an SMS.
As of Monday, January 16th, 2023 the countries we support for that include:
“IN”, # India
“ID”, # Indonesia
“PK”, # Pakistan
“NG”, # Nigeria
“IL”, # Israel
“SA”, # Saudi Arabia
“AE”, # UAE
“VN”, # Vietnam
“UA”, # Ukraine
“MY”, # Malaysia
“EG”, # Egypt
“TR”, # Turkey
What will phone verification look like?
Our default drop-down is set to the United States which looks like this:
Then if you select one of the countries in our list above which include the WhatsApp alternative phone verification option - using India as an example - you'll see this UI:
Then to get your code sent to WhatsApp you can select "YES" and that option appears:
