FAQ

What happens when someone calls my Peaceful Phone Number?

When someone calls your Peaceful Phone number we answer with a generic message: "Hello, thanks for calling, please leave a voicemail (beep)".
If the caller leaves a voicemail, the voicemail message is recorded on our servers.
Peaceful Phone then sends your real cell phone a text message indicating that you have a new call ("Call From 5551234567 SALLY CALLER")
You simply click on the message to hear the recorded voicemail.
All of this happens without the caller ever having your "real" cell phone number

What happens when someone sends a text (SMS) to my Peaceful Phone Number?

When someone sends a text to your Peaceful Phone number we accept the text message.
Peaceful Phone then forwards the text message to your real cell phone ("Forwarding Hello Sally your car is ready the total is $750")
All of this happens without the sender ever having your "real" cell phone number

Can I reply to Text messages from Peaceful Phone?

Yes. When you have a text window open with your Peaceful Phone number, any text you send will be forwarded to the sender of the last incoming text message. To the recipient this text will come from your Peaceful Phone number. This allows you to continue a text conversation with someone who does not have your "real" cell phone number. This text forwarding feature is very useful in situations such as waiting for your car to be serviced, or working with a contractor.

Should I use my "Peaceful Number" for websites requiring my phone number for two-factor authentication (2FA)?

The answer is: "It Depends". If the website is a company that holds your funds or investments (i.e. your bank, 401K, brokerage, etc.) then we recommend you give them your real phone number. If the website is not a holder of your funds, then you can use your peaceful number.

Important information regarding Two-Factor Authentication (2FA) over Text Messaging (SMS)

2FA is a means of using something besides your username and password to authenticate you on a site. PeacefulPhone can be part of your 2FA if the 2FA is in the form of either a Phone Call or a Text Message. In these cases, Peaceful Phone will forward the incoming call or text to you and you can enter the number provided on the site.

However, you should be aware of the following potential issues when using PeacefulPhone for 2FA:

• Should you ever cancel your Peaceful Phone account, you will lose your "Peaceful Number" permanently.
• SMS and Phone calls are not very secure means of 2FA. You would be better protected by using an "Authentication App" or a "Hardware Token" for 2FA.

If I can still receive forwarded calls and text messages from someone why is this any better than them having my "real" cell phone number?

There are many reasons why using Peaceful Phone is preferrable to handing out your real cell phone number:

• Peaceful Phone essentially becomes a "junk inbox" for your cell phone. For some reason it is mentally calming to look down and see an inbound call coming to your Peaceful Phone number... You know immediately it is NOT a friend, family member, or important financial company.
• If a third-party has your cell-phone number, when they get hacked (which happens incredibly often) your real cell number is released to the hackers along with your name, email, etc.
• Many companies immediately put you on a "robodial" list if you get into a billing dispute (regardless of who is "right" in the dispute). With Peaceful Phone you have a layer of indirection between the companies robo-dialer and your phone.

Does using Peaceful Phone do anything to my "real" cell phone?

No. We do not make any changes to your real cell phone number or service. We establish a new number for you and forward the texts and calls to your real cell phone.

Should I add my Peaceful Phone number to my contact list?

Yes, we recommend you add a contact for your Peaceful Phone number. We give our Peaceful Phone numbers a nickname and a personalized icon.

How do I cancel Peaceful Phone?

Canceling your service is extremely easy and pain-free. At Peaceful Phone we despise companies that make it nearly impossible to cancel service! Once you are signed up you have a clear "Cancel Service" button. We will ask you one time to confirm that you want to cancel and, if you agree, your service is immediately canceled, all further billing is stopped, and your "Peaceful Phone Number" no longer belongs to you and is released into the pool of available numbers.
Please realise the following:

• Once you cancel you will lose your peaceful phone number forever - You cannot get that number back
• If Anyone calls your old peaceful phone number they will no longer hear a voicemail
• If Anyone sends a text to your old peaceful phone number the text will be completely ignored
• The telephone carriers may assign your old Peaceful Phone number to another user for another purpose (the same thing happens if you give up a cell phone number)

How secure is Peaceful Phone?

Many companies give lip service to cyber security. At Peaceful Phone we design and maintain the entire system according to security best practices:

• All of our web interactions are protected with SSL/TLS
• Our databases are encrypted at rest. This requires a hacker to steal both our database and the encryption key in order to access information
• Our user passwords are hashed and salted internally
• We maintain a "Responsible Disclosure" policy with a bug bounty that allows ethical hackers to earn money by penetration testing our systems and reporting security flaws
• All interactions with third-party tools are encrypted with TLS
• We run ASV scans (Application Security Vulnerability) on all of our systems on a quarterly basis

How private is Peaceful Phone?

At Peaceful Phone your privacy is our absolute number one priority! We do not sell your information. We do not share your information with third parties except when absolutely necessary for the function of handling your messages (e.g. we must share your text message content with your cell provider in order to forward the message). We will only release our logs or information about our users when under a valid court order.
Please see our Privacy Policy page for more information.