In short: what matters
- A temporary number lives from a few minutes to a day, then it is recycled to someone else.
- Free services keep the number on the provider's balance, and the SMS are visible to anyone waiting for a code from that number.
- A car's master account is bound to its +86 number permanently — not for a day or a trip.
- Once the number is gone, the master account cannot be recovered: there is nowhere left to send the confirmation code.
- A car needs a permanent +86 number in your name: issued within 30 minutes to 2 hours, on a foreign passport, valid for one year and renewable.
Why a temporary number works — but only once
Temporary-number services solve a narrow task: get one code to register somewhere once. For a messenger, a forum or a test sign-up that is enough.
The problem starts where the number is needed repeatedly. A car app is exactly that case: the number receives codes not only at registration, but later — when a second driver is bound, when the owner changes, when a password is reset or an operation is confirmed.
Four reasons it fails on a car
- Lifetime. A temporary number disappears in minutes or hours, while a master account lives for years. When the number is gone, access to the car is gone with it.
- The number is not yours. You do not own it: recycling, blocking and reuse are up to the service owner.
- Others see the SMS. On public free numbers, codes are available to strangers. For a car, that means someone else may gain access to the account.
- Recovery is impossible. When codes stop arriving, there is nothing to recover the master account onto: confirmation only goes to the old number.
What to do instead
A car needs a number that belongs to you and lasts. We issue +86 on a foreign passport: the name in Latin script as in the document and the passport number. No document photos or selfies. Issuance takes 30 minutes to 2 hours.
The number runs on our side: no SIM to insert, any smartphone works, no QR code needed, and SMS arrive in the app on your phone. It is valid for one year and renewable, and we remind you in advance.
A word about "free"
A free Chinese number is always either a temporary number or a number owned by someone else's service. A real +86 cannot be free: the number is paid for to the carrier and is registered to a real person with a passport. If a service offers a number "for free", you are not the one paying — and you are not the one in control of it either.