Phone numbers are deactivated for various reasons: SIM cards being inactive for many months, SIM cards being banned for abuse or fraud, and others.
Whatever the reason is, if you seek to get your disconnected number back, this guide offers you tips on how to get back a deactivated phone number.
A deactivated phone number is a number which a service provider has terminated phone service for, meaning the owner of the number can no longer receive calls or text messages on it.
If you know how to get back a deactivated phone number, you can easily retrieve your disconnected number.
How to Get Back a Deactivated Phone Number
Why is my phone number deactivated?
Numbers are disconnected from phone service for different reasons. Here’s a look at some of the situations that can warrant number deactivation:
Your SIM card is banned due to involvement in fraud or abuse. Users whose numbers are linked to abuse or fraudulent activities can have their phone number disconnected by the mobile operator.
Your number is inactive for more than six months. Your number may be deactivated if you’ve not used it for over six months. To avoid this, make sure you keep your number active by making some phone calls or at least sending a couple of text messages with it.
You ported out. Porting out is the process of transferring a phone number to another service provider. If you’ve ported out, your number will be disconnected by the (initial) service provider.
How Long Does It Take for a Phone Number to Be Reassigned?
When a phone number is inactive for 90 days, it will be reassigned to a new user. However, in highly populated areas, the period might be shorter.
How to Get Back a Deactivated Phone Number: Easy Tips
The first step is to call the phone number to know if it has been reassigned to another user. To retrieve your number, please follow the steps below:
- Remove your SIM card from the mobile device
- Check the numbers printed on the SIM, and write them down
- Contact your service provider via a phone call or email to reactivate the number
- When speaking with the customer service rep, state your IMEI and SIM card numbers
- Insert the SIM card back into the handset
This procedure on how to get back a deactivated phone number should help you retrieve a disconnected line.
Can I Reactivate an Old Phone Number?
To reactivate an old number, first, check whether the SIM card can be reactivated or not. You may not be able to retrieve an old phone number if you’ve already moved to a new phone service provider.
If you’ve misplaced the receipt used to activate your phone number initially, you’ll need to call the customer care service of your carrier or check their site.
If the phone number hasn’t been reassigned to another user, you may be able to retrieve the deactivated line.
Phone numbers can be reactivated in several ways. We recommend acting in the grace period your carrier gives for retrieving your line since some service providers don’t allow the reactivation of SIM cards a second time.
Your account becomes inactive when you don’t recharge it, use it to make and receive calls and send text messages. When that happens, the SIM card is no longer in use, implying you’d have to get a new SIM to reactivate the number.
Some carriers provide their customers with a grace period after their phone number is deactivated. Others give users a grace period of 20 days within which they’re allowed to reactivate their line.
Once the grace period has elapsed, the SIM will be deactivated, and you won’t be able to retrieve it.
What Happens When a Phone Number Is Deactivated?
When a phone number is deactivated, it means the service provider has terminated service for it. There are various reasons why numbers are disconnected, and we’ve examined some of the above.
All deactivated numbers are eventually recycled and reassigned to new users.
How to Deactivate a Phone Number Permanently
In this section of this post on how to get back a deactivated phone number, we explain the steps to disconnect a number permanently.
Your SIM card in the handset not only stores information but also identifies you to the network carrier. If your SIM falls into the wrong hands, they can extract your data from the card and may use your account.
People deactivate their phone numbers for different reasons. One of them is, switching service providers. Also, when your SIM card has worn due to prolonged usage, you might need to replace it.
Whatever the reason is, you’ve to contact your carrier to deactivate the SIM. And it has to be disposed of in such a way that no one will be able to extract your information from it.
Here are the steps to deactivate a phone number permanently:
First step: Contact your provider via a phone call from another number and explain why you want to deactivate your number. A majority of service providers will disconnect the number within a few minutes.
Second step: Delete all your data from the SIM, such as your contacts, text messages, pictures, and others. Open the SIM card menu in your handset and delete all your contacts after backing up everything.
Third step: Using a pair of scissors, cut the SIM in half and then throw the pieces away.
You’ve now successfully deactivated your phone number permanently.
Final Thoughts
If you know how to get back a deactivated phone number, you can easily retrieve your inactive or banned SIM card. There are different reasons why phone numbers are disconnected by network carriers, and we’ve covered a handful of these reasons above.
