How to Change Your Phone Number on StraightText

Need to update your phone number in StraightText? This guide will show you how to change or add an new phone number to send iMessages from.

Changing Your Phone Number for StraightText

Since StraightText uses iMessage, changing your phone number involves configuring your iMessage settings properly:

On Mac:

1. Configure iMessage Settings
   • Open the Messages app on your Mac
   • Click on “Messages” in the top menu bar
   • Select “Settings” or “Preferences”
   • Click on the “iMessage” tab
   • Under the iMessage section, find “Start new conversations from”
   • Select your desired phone number from the dropdown menu

2. Apple ID Requirement (Critical Step)
   • Just like sending texts from your phone number, on your Mac’s Messages app settings, you must log in to the Apple ID that is tied to the phone number you want to send from
   • If you don’t see your desired number in the dropdown menu, ensure you’re signed in with the correct Apple ID
   • You may need to sign out and sign back in with the appropriate Apple ID if the number doesn’t appear
3. Apply Settings to StraightText
   • After configuring your iMessage settings, open StraightText
   • The app will now use the phone number you selected in your Mac’s Messages app settings
   • Any new conversations you start through StraightText will use the phone number you selected in the “Start new conversations from” setting

On Windows:

If the number is a second number on your existing iPhone:

• On your iPhone, goto Settings > Apps > Messages > Send & Receive
• Under “You can receive iMessages to…“, ensure the number is checked
• Under “Start new Conversations From”, choose the number you want to send from
• Then, goto Settings > Cellular > Default Voice Line, and change it to the number you want to send from StraightText (this ensures fallback text messages sent to Android numbers are sent from this number)
• Now, all StraightText messages should be sent from your second number

(Keep in mind, these settings will also change the default number used on your iPhone itself when starting new Messages convos or making phone calls to new numbers; but in both those situations, there’s an option to change which number to send from)

If the number is on a completely separate iPhone or Android phone:

• Open the Phone Link program on your PC
• Click the Settings “gear” icon near the top right
• Click on Devices > Add Device
• Follow the instructions to connect your other phone
• Once complete and the new phone shows up in the device list here, click the “Select” button next to it, to make it the active device for Phone Link
• Now, all StraightText messages will be sent from the number of that device

Adding a New Phone Number to iMessage

If you need to add a completely new phone number to send bulk iMessages from:

1. Add Number to Your Apple ID
   • Go to System Preferences (or System Settings) on your Mac
   • Click on your Apple ID/iCloud account
   • Select “Name, Phone Numbers, Email” or “Sign-In & Security”
   • Add your new phone number to your contact information
   • Verify the number if prompted
2. Enable in iMessage
   • Return to the Messages app settings
   • In the iMessage tab, your new number should appear under “You can be reached by iMessage at”
   • Check the box next to your new number to enable it
   • Once enabled, you can select it in the “Start new conversations from” dropdown

Verifying Your Number Change in StraightText

After updating your iMessage settings, open StraightText, create a new broadcast (or edit an existing one), and use the “Send Test Message” feature to send a test message to one of your contacts.

Whether you’ve updated your phone number or you want to increase your sending capabilities, adding and changing the phone number you send from is quite easy. If you have any questions, please email support@straighttext.com.

I don’t have a second number yet, where’s a good place to get one?

Our customers have had success with AT&T and T-Mobile numbers. Make sure to “warm it up” (try to have multiple real text conversations with high reply rate) first. And when you do start using it for bulk texting, start with a lower number of recipients per day. You can review our guide to avoid getting spam blocked for more info.