For dating apps
A second number for dating apps.
Dating apps ask for a phone number when you sign up and text a code to it. That number doesn't have to be the one your friends, your family and your employer have. A Cleat line is a second US mobile number for exactly that: the code arrives, you're in, and your own number never goes near the app.
What the second number is for
The number is how the app confirms a real person is signing up. After that it mostly sits on your account, used for a code when you log in on a new phone or reset your password. Putting a second number there keeps your personal one out of the app entirely, and out of anything the app ever loses, sells or leaks.
What a Cleat line is
A real US mobile number, not VoIP and not a virtual number. Many apps refuse VoIP numbers at sign-up; what a non-VoIP number is, and why it matters explains the difference. Your codes land in your Cleat inbox, and reach you by email or on Telegram wherever you are.
It's receive-only. It receives texts, and incoming calls arrive transcribed, but it doesn't send texts or place calls, and it can't reach 911.
Talking to matches
Because the line doesn't send texts, it isn't the number you chat from. You don't need one: every dating app has its own chat, and that's where a conversation should stay until you decide someone gets a number. The Cleat line does its job before that, at sign-up.
Every line belongs to a verified person
Nobody gets a Cleat line without verifying who they are with a government ID. That's what makes it a second number rather than a burner: one verified person, one line, for as long as they keep it. It is not a way to run a fake profile, and nothing about it changes who an app allows to have an account. Each app sets those rules in its own terms: Tinder, Bumble, Hinge.
What we hold for the check, and who can read it, is in what we hold and who can read it.
Compared with other second numbers
| Free texting apps | Disposable-number apps | Cleat | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kind of number | VoIP | Varies; often VoIP | Real US mobile line |
| At app sign-ups | Often refused as VoIP | Varies | Reads as a mobile number |
| How long it's yours | Can be reclaimed when unused | Made to be thrown away | As long as you keep the line |
| ID check on the owner | No | No | Yes, a government ID |
| Sends texts | Yes | Yes | No — receive-only |
Side-by-side comparisons: TextNow, Burner, Google Voice.
Setting it up
- Create a Cleat account and verify your identity with a government ID.
- Choose your line, $24.99 a month, cancel anytime.
- Enter the number in the dating app. The code arrives in your inbox, by email or on Telegram.
The same line works for any other sign-up you'd rather keep away from your own number. How phone verification works covers what apps check, and pricing has the details.
Questions
Will Tinder, Bumble or Hinge accept the number?
It's a real US mobile line, not VoIP, which is what sign-up checks look for, and it receives both texts and calls (a call arrives transcribed). No provider can promise that a particular app will accept a particular number: you have the first month to try yours, and you can cancel anytime.
Can I text or call my matches from it?
No. The line is receive-only: it receives texts and calls but doesn't send them. Keep conversations in the app's own chat, which is where they are anyway.
Will my matches see this number?
Only if you give it to them. The app uses the number to confirm your account, not to show it on your profile.
Is this a burner number?
No. Every owner verifies with a government ID before a line is theirs, and the number stays theirs for as long as they keep the line.
Can I use it to get back on an app that removed my account?
No. Each app decides who can have an account, and a different number doesn't change that decision. Cleat isn't for that.
Do I need to be in the US?
No. You need internet access and a government ID. Dating apps match people by where they are, not by the area code of the number.
What does it cost?
$24.99 a month, charged in US dollars. Cancel anytime from Billing.
Sources
Facts about other companies come from their own pages, checked in September 2026.
- Tinder, Terms of Use https://policies.tinder.com/terms
- Bumble, Terms and Conditions https://bumble.com/en/terms
- Hinge, Terms of Service https://hinge.co/terms