How to create a Google account on a virtual number
Updated 2026-07-29
The steps, "this phone number cannot be used for verification", and why Google is the fussiest of them all
Google is the fussiest service we write about. It filters out most numbers it reads as virtual, and separately caps how many accounts one number may create without saying what the cap is. The refusal looks identical either way: "this phone number cannot be used for verification".
The steps
- Get the number. Coverage and prices are on the Google page.
- Fill in the sign-up form. Google sometimes does not ask for a phone at all — then no number is needed, which is the best outcome.
- If a phone is requested, enter the number with its country code and wait for the SMS.
- Add a recovery e-mail immediately and write the password down: once the number is returned, those are the only routes back in.
Which country to pick
Google’s coverage in the catalogue is wide — up to nine providers of ten, widest in Finland, Vietnam and Indonesia. But wide coverage helps less than usual here: the refusal is not about a number being unavailable, it is about what Google thinks the number is. The point of picking a well-covered country is that a second and third attempt do not run into "out of stock".
| What to look at | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| Slack in the provider count | You may need several attempts — the country should not run dry after the first |
| Not the cheapest destination | Small pools are recycled more often, and Google is especially sensitive to recycled numbers |
| Different countries, not the same one | A retry in the same country almost always earns the same refusal |
When the number is rejected
| Symptom | Cause | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| "This phone number cannot be used for verification" | Read as virtual, or the account limit is spent | A different number, preferably a different country; retrying is pointless |
| "This number has been used too many times" | The per-number account limit is spent | Same answer: another number |
| No SMS, no error | The form took the number but no code was sent | Wait for the automatic refund and change country |
| No phone requested at all | Google does not always require a number at sign-up | Normal, and the best outcome: no number spent |
What happens once the number returns to the pool
The account keeps working, but the number stays in it as a "recovery phone" you no longer control. Remove it from the security settings and keep a recovery e-mail instead — otherwise recovery at the worst possible moment depends on an SMS that reaches someone else.
In short
- Google is the fussiest: the "cannot be used" refusal is only fixed by another number.
- Sometimes no phone is asked for at all — the best case.
- Add a recovery e-mail immediately, and later remove the number from recovery settings.
- A retry in the same country almost always earns the same refusal.