How to get a Disconnected phone number back?

This article will tell you if you have deactivated your SIM due to staying abroad or other reasons and want your number back. There are some ways you can get your disconnected number back.

Why is my number Deactivated?

Another reason you may have a disconnected phone is an existing outstanding balance on the account. Telecommunication companies often use this method to encourage customers to clear their balances to continue enjoying their services.

Your phone may also be disconnected if you have not used your phone in over 6 months. To prevent this action, ensure to keep the phone active by sending one or two text messages or making phone calls.

If you neglect to use your phone, your service provider will disconnect and put your phone number back into the number pool for someone else to eventually have.

Can you reactivate your SIM?

First of all, you need to check whether your SIM can be reactivated or not. If you’ve moved to a new service provider, the answer can be “no.” If you didn’t have the receipt when you activated the phone number initially, check your carrier company website or call and speak with a service representative. If the number has not been allocated to someone else, you can probably take back your deactivated phone number. There are many ways to reactivate your phone number. It is possible to act in the grace period of getting your numbers back because some carrier companies don’t allow a SIM to be activated a second time. 

When you terminate or leave the account abandoned, that SIM is no longer in use, you need to buy a new SIM card to reactivate your phone number. Some companies offer a grace period after you deactivate the number. For example, a company named Total Wireless deactivates your SIM the day after your one-month plan ends. You can reactivate your SIM at any time during the next 12 months, but your phone number usually changes.

Another company Republic Wireless has a grace period for reactivating your number in the next 20 days. With TracFone, you can reactivate your disconnected phone number by adding airtime before the service end date; the TracFone grace period is anywhere from 30 days to a year. Depending on the package of the airtime card you purchased last time. After that, you may still be able to reactivate, but you lose your number and have to get a new one.

Note:

You normally must keep the old account open until the number has been ported to a new account. Although there is a forward mapping from the number to the current carrier who has a customer using that number, the carrier has a mapping of that number to the specific SIM card to which the number is attached.

If the carrier company has closed your account, there is no longer a number connected to a specific account. Your only hope is that the carrier has not closed the account. If they have, they may no longer have a record PAC code for that number. Once the account is gone, the whole legal problem is proving that you are entitled to that particular number. There have been cases where someone ordered a replacement SIM for a supposedly lost SIM and had the replacement posted to their address, allowing them to steal the number from the original user.

Unless you can prove, the number is yours. You followed the specific porting procedure agreed with both carriers. You are very unlikely to demonstrate that the loss of the number was due to an error by the network. If you can prove that the network made an error, you might be able to sue to get the number back again.

Can I still use my Deactivated phone number in any way?

You can use the applications through Wi-Fi. There are a series of phone call apps you can make calls even if your phone is disconnected. Suppose your phone carrier restricts or reduces Wi-Fi service to your phone so that you use an alternative telephone service. In that case, you can file a complaint to the Federal Communications Commission. This only applies if a U.S. carrier provides the service. For example, you can use WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, Skype, or Google Duo even if you have a disconnected phone number. But it has only one drawback of using this method: whoever you’re calling must have the same app installed.

Internet calling apps can’t make or receive calls across apps.

Also, remember that some of these applications, like WhatsApp, use your phone number to create an account. Remember, I said before that your number would return to the number pool if the connection is not restored.

Can You Still Receive Text Messages if Your Phone Is Disconnected?

Unlike real-time phone calls, when a text message is sent, the source service provider stores that message and attempts to send it to the receiving provider. You cannot receive them while your phone is disconnected, though. They will be stored with the source service providers for a limited time.

The time varies depending on the company. It can range anywhere from a few days to a few months. As mentioned before, you can send and receive text messages using a Wi-Fi connection. Social Media apps usually have text messaging features.

How to check if my phone number is deactivated?

You can also send a series of text messages to your phone. Give the phone some time to receive the messages. It may be taking a while to be received by your phone. However, if you haven’t received them after a few minutes, your phone may be disconnected.

Firstly, use another phone and call your phone number. If you don’t get the call, try a few more times at different time intervals to rule out the possibility that your phone service is merely down.

If the phone does not ring, then it may be disconnected.

Also, when you make these calls, if they don’t make your phone ring, listen to the automated voice message. If the phone goes to voicemail, then it means the account is still active.

Methods of reactivating phone number

If you have contacted your carrier company and they still have your number idle. You can request to get it back, you might have to pay a premium, but that depends on the carrier you are using. There are two methods to get your disconnected phone number back.

Online Method

You can reactivate your SIM card online by using their usual activation website. You only need two specific numbers before you start: The 19-digit identification number, which is written on your SIM card itself, and your mobile IMEI number, which is an electronic serial number of your device. You can find your phone IMEI number by going into the Settings app and looking for an option called “About this phone” or something similar like that depending on your phone model. This method will show all of the information about your phone.

After getting those two numbers and other account information such as your old password, PIN, or account number, reach your carrier company activation page and follow the instructions. Suppose you have successfully reactivated your SIM card. In that case, your phone should be working within just a few minutes after filling in the information. You may need to pay a premium and agree to a new package for a postpaid phone number or purchase airtime if it’s a prepaid phone. After that, your connection should be up and running.

Reactivating Your SIM by Phone

You can also reactivate your disconnected number by phone if the online process is not working or won’t complete successfully. If you receive an “Invalid SIM” message, or if you’re more comfortable doing it that way. It would be helpful if you still have the serial number from the phone and the SIM card, security questions, PIN, password you used on the account.

If you’re speaking with a service rep, they’ll give you a verbal confirmation once your account is live and airtime is applied.

Porting your Reactivated phone number

If you are someone who holds the previous Rights of Use of some specific number that has now been disconnected, you may stand a chance to port the same number for you again. For this purpose, you will need to contact the original provider of that number. Your initial contract would now be helpful. This method can be used to prove your previous owner of that disconnected number.

It would help if you kept in mind that you should not completely terminate your network service with your existing number company before initiating a new service with another company. Secondly, try contacting the new number company and request them to start the process of porting back your old number. Next, you should provide the new number company with approximately your previous 10-digit phone number. Moreover, any additional information about that number that you know would be very useful in this case.

Conclusion

In this article, we told you about the possible ways to get your disconnected phone number back. There are several ways of doing it, the process depends if your number is still in the grace period or not. If it is, you can call your carrier company and reissue it. If it has been recycled to someone else, you can request the owner to give it up and port the number to yourself.

How to get a Disconnected phone number back?

This article will tell you if you have deactivated your SIM due to staying abroad or other reasons and want your number back. There are some ways you can get your disconnected number back.

Why is my number Deactivated?

Another reason you may have a disconnected phone is an existing outstanding balance on the account. Telecommunication companies often use this method to encourage customers to clear their balances to continue enjoying their services.

Your phone may also be disconnected if you have not used your phone in over 6 months. To prevent this action, ensure to keep the phone active by sending one or two text messages or making phone calls.

If you neglect to use your phone, your service provider will disconnect and put your phone number back into the number pool for someone else to eventually have.

Can you reactivate your SIM?

First of all, you need to check whether your SIM can be reactivated or not. If you’ve moved to a new service provider, the answer can be “no.” If you didn’t have the receipt when you activated the phone number initially, check your carrier company website or call and speak with a service representative. If the number has not been allocated to someone else, you can probably take back your deactivated phone number. There are many ways to reactivate your phone number. It is possible to act in the grace period of getting your numbers back because some carrier companies don’t allow a SIM to be activated a second time. 

When you terminate or leave the account abandoned, that SIM is no longer in use, you need to buy a new SIM card to reactivate your phone number. Some companies offer a grace period after you deactivate the number. For example, a company named Total Wireless deactivates your SIM the day after your one-month plan ends. You can reactivate your SIM at any time during the next 12 months, but your phone number usually changes.

Another company Republic Wireless has a grace period for reactivating your number in the next 20 days. With TracFone, you can reactivate your disconnected phone number by adding airtime before the service end date; the TracFone grace period is anywhere from 30 days to a year. Depending on the package of the airtime card you purchased last time. After that, you may still be able to reactivate, but you lose your number and have to get a new one.

Note:

You normally must keep the old account open until the number has been ported to a new account. Although there is a forward mapping from the number to the current carrier who has a customer using that number, the carrier has a mapping of that number to the specific SIM card to which the number is attached.

If the carrier company has closed your account, there is no longer a number connected to a specific account. Your only hope is that the carrier has not closed the account. If they have, they may no longer have a record PAC code for that number. Once the account is gone, the whole legal problem is proving that you are entitled to that particular number. There have been cases where someone ordered a replacement SIM for a supposedly lost SIM and had the replacement posted to their address, allowing them to steal the number from the original user.

Unless you can prove, the number is yours. You followed the specific porting procedure agreed with both carriers. You are very unlikely to demonstrate that the loss of the number was due to an error by the network. If you can prove that the network made an error, you might be able to sue to get the number back again.

Can I still use my Deactivated phone number in any way?

You can use the applications through Wi-Fi. There are a series of phone call apps you can make calls even if your phone is disconnected. Suppose your phone carrier restricts or reduces Wi-Fi service to your phone so that you use an alternative telephone service. In that case, you can file a complaint to the Federal Communications Commission. This only applies if a U.S. carrier provides the service. For example, you can use WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, Skype, or Google Duo even if you have a disconnected phone number. But it has only one drawback of using this method: whoever you’re calling must have the same app installed.

Internet calling apps can’t make or receive calls across apps.

Also, remember that some of these applications, like WhatsApp, use your phone number to create an account. Remember, I said before that your number would return to the number pool if the connection is not restored.

Can You Still Receive Text Messages if Your Phone Is Disconnected?

Unlike real-time phone calls, when a text message is sent, the source service provider stores that message and attempts to send it to the receiving provider. You cannot receive them while your phone is disconnected, though. They will be stored with the source service providers for a limited time.

The time varies depending on the company. It can range anywhere from a few days to a few months. As mentioned before, you can send and receive text messages using a Wi-Fi connection. Social Media apps usually have text messaging features.

How to check if my phone number is deactivated?

You can also send a series of text messages to your phone. Give the phone some time to receive the messages. It may be taking a while to be received by your phone. However, if you haven’t received them after a few minutes, your phone may be disconnected.

Firstly, use another phone and call your phone number. If you don’t get the call, try a few more times at different time intervals to rule out the possibility that your phone service is merely down.

If the phone does not ring, then it may be disconnected.

Also, when you make these calls, if they don’t make your phone ring, listen to the automated voice message. If the phone goes to voicemail, then it means the account is still active.

Methods of reactivating phone number

If you have contacted your carrier company and they still have your number idle. You can request to get it back, you might have to pay a premium, but that depends on the carrier you are using. There are two methods to get your disconnected phone number back.

Online Method

You can reactivate your SIM card online by using their usual activation website. You only need two specific numbers before you start: The 19-digit identification number, which is written on your SIM card itself, and your mobile IMEI number, which is an electronic serial number of your device. You can find your phone IMEI number by going into the Settings app and looking for an option called “About this phone” or something similar like that depending on your phone model. This method will show all of the information about your phone.

After getting those two numbers and other account information such as your old password, PIN, or account number, reach your carrier company activation page and follow the instructions. Suppose you have successfully reactivated your SIM card. In that case, your phone should be working within just a few minutes after filling in the information. You may need to pay a premium and agree to a new package for a postpaid phone number or purchase airtime if it’s a prepaid phone. After that, your connection should be up and running.

Reactivating Your SIM by Phone

You can also reactivate your disconnected number by phone if the online process is not working or won’t complete successfully. If you receive an “Invalid SIM” message, or if you’re more comfortable doing it that way. It would be helpful if you still have the serial number from the phone and the SIM card, security questions, PIN, password you used on the account.

If you’re speaking with a service rep, they’ll give you a verbal confirmation once your account is live and airtime is applied.

Porting your Reactivated phone number

If you are someone who holds the previous Rights of Use of some specific number that has now been disconnected, you may stand a chance to port the same number for you again. For this purpose, you will need to contact the original provider of that number. Your initial contract would now be helpful. This method can be used to prove your previous owner of that disconnected number.

It would help if you kept in mind that you should not completely terminate your network service with your existing number company before initiating a new service with another company. Secondly, try contacting the new number company and request them to start the process of porting back your old number. Next, you should provide the new number company with approximately your previous 10-digit phone number. Moreover, any additional information about that number that you know would be very useful in this case.

Conclusion

In this article, we told you about the possible ways to get your disconnected phone number back. There are several ways of doing it, the process depends if your number is still in the grace period or not. If it is, you can call your carrier company and reissue it. If it has been recycled to someone else, you can request the owner to give it up and port the number to yourself.