Blizzard SMS VERIFICATION Receive the Blizzard code on a rented number.

Blizzard ties phone numbers to Battle.net accounts through a feature called SMS Protect. Some Blizzard games have required it before you could play, and it is also how Blizzard lets you unlock an account or remove an authenticator after a security problem. The code arrives by SMS. A second Battle.net account for a family member, a smurf-free alt that follows the game's rules, or a test account for a stream setup each needs its own number.

Blizzard's support pages have long said SMS Protect does not accept prepaid or VoIP numbers, and players who tried free internet numbers found them refused. The numbers rented here come from real mobile carrier ranges, which is what the check looks at. Since Microsoft completed its purchase of Activision Blizzard in 2023, the same kind of phone check also shows up on Microsoft accounts linked for Xbox and PC Game Pass play.

What SMS Protect does on a Battle.net account

SMS Protect attaches a phone number to the account under Account Settings, Security. With it in place, Blizzard can send a code to unlock the account, reset a password, or detach the Battle.net Authenticator if you lose the phone it runs on. Blizzard has also used it as a gate, requiring it before some games would launch on a new account, and those requirements have changed over time, so check the game's own support page before you start.

Because the number is a recovery route, treat it with care. Add the Battle.net Authenticator from the Battle.net mobile app as well, and keep the account's email one you control. Those two carry the account's security, and the phone becomes the fallback.

When the number has to stay on the account

On most services you can remove a rented number once the account is secured. Battle.net is different where a game requires SMS Protect, because removing the number can put that requirement back in front of you at the next launch. For an account that plays such a game, expect the number to stay attached, and rent again whenever Blizzard asks for a fresh code.

For an account that only needs the number once, such as a code at signup or an unlock, remove it under Security afterwards and rely on the authenticator. Blizzard sends a confirmation to the account email when SMS Protect changes, so you will see the change on record.

Alts, families and Blizzard's rules

Battle.net accounts are for one person each, and Blizzard's end user license agreement does not let you share or sell them. Separate accounts for a child, a partner, or a test machine are ordinary. What Blizzard acts against is cheating, boosting paid for with account sharing, and new accounts created to dodge a ban, and it detects those through game data and hardware rather than through the phone number.

Our acceptable use policy draws the same line. Rent a number to give each real player their own account, and check prices per country before you pick one.