By sending a WhatsApp message, you are handing over your contact to the recipient. With SIM cards registered, you would be handing over details about yourself too. You wouldn’t want to give your number to perfect strangers in this day and time. These strangers can call you up, send texts, and interrupt your peace because they got a hold of your active WhatsApp number. This brings me to the question. How do you hide your number and use WhatsApp anonymously?
The use of the app is so wide spread that some businesses have adopted WhatsApp message use instead of traditional SMS text messages. This is because WhatsApp is free, as long as you have an Internet connection. TV stations, Radios, and many other businesses now use the app to communicate with their customers.
So if you don’t want to hand these strangers your number while using this convenient messaging app. Or maybe you don’t want that annoying ex girlfriend calling you up when you text them on WhatsApp. Here is your escape plan.
Step by Step process
First, you will need to acquire a second mobile number (okay after UCC lifts that SIM card ban). Getting a new SIM card that is solely for this purpose. Consider yourself blessed if you have one already. But don’t lose heart if you don’t.
Now that you have acquired a new SIM card, it’s time to get down to work. Put the SIM card into your smartphone and install WhatsApp from Google Play Store or App Store. For Android, if the app was already present, you will need to first clear the application data in settings.
Register for WhatsApp the usual way and verify using your new SIM card. After successful verification, switch off your phone and replace your new SIM card with your favorite old SIM card. Keep the new SIM card (the one you’ve activated WhatsApp with) somewhere safe out of a phone –probably in a drawer or anywhere. This is to make it unreachable on your carrier network so when anyone attempts to call you after you text them on WhatsApp, calls won’t go through since the number is inactive.
Power on your smartphone and connect to data service. You will soon be using WhatsApp without sharing your real number.
Inbox your loved ones and tell them it’s you, and that they can call you on your old SIM card. The rest of the people will just see an anonymous number that doesn’t go through whenever they try to call. Your real contact will only be known to the people that matter to you, those you choose to tell. This will save you headaches brought by random callers claiming to be part of a certain WhatsApp group you are part of.
This will save you from carrier based calls and texts. But people can still call you using WhatsApp calling feature. If you don’t want this, you can disable it in WhatsApp settings.
And that’s all it takes to go anonymous on WhatsApp. Have fun.
