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If you're in the US you can get a real cell phone number with VoIP and SMS that works without a phone for $20/mo with Google Fi. You'd need a phone to set it up but after that you could just turn it off and still use VoIP and SMS from any web browser.




There are BYOD prepaid providers that are even cheaper than that. The lowest you can get is ultra mobile's $3.50/month plan, but you need to jump through some hoops to get it working, like getting a physical sim in person. Tello is $5/month and you can activate online.

Do you get SMS that continues to work when the phone is powered off?

You can still get SMS (and even make calls) over wifi calling, which can be done with airplane mode on and with a VPN router.

But not without the phone

I do not have a Google account or smartphone or use proprietary software so Google Fi is not a good option for me.



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