A person’s area code is a way to identify where in the world they are trying to contact you from. In many cases area codes can be a very useful indicator; local numbers mean someone you know might be trying to contact you, while 800 numbers may be business numbers for you to be wary of.
Why Disguise Your Code?
There are plenty of reasons why you might not want your area code attached to your phone number at all times. Having an area code that narrows down where in the world you live is uncomfortable for some people, especially given the targeted forms of scam calling certain regions to get.
Luckily, there are a number of ways you can take action and change your area code if that is the route you want to take. It is not uncommon for people to want to change their number for reasons related to privacy or any other reasons. There are different ways of doing this, with pros and cons for each method. Here are a few ways you can have a Bay Area area code.
You Could Buy Your Phone in the Bay Area
This may seem obvious or unhelpful, but the most traditional way to do this would be to go to the Bay Area. If you set up your phone in a place that has a 925 area code, your number will be attached to that area code.
Like any phone number, your geographical location when you set up the phone number will determine your area code. This is a solution for both mobile and landline phones, as it doesn’t require any work beyond buying a phone and getting service for it set up.
Buying a whole new phone isn’t something many people are willing to do just to change their area code. While you can buy a cheap burner phone from the area just to have a phone number with a 925 area code, that requires money and travel, depending on where you live. This method works fine, but there are easier ways to achieve the same result.
You Can Contact Your Phone Company
The largest phone companies allow you to change your area code by contacting them and putting in a request. The process is fairly simple, but here is an example of what it looks like for Sprint for T-Mobile:
Go to your account and navigate to the preferences menu.
Go to ‘about my devices’ and select ‘my preferences.’
Click ‘I need a new area code for this phone.’
Continue through the process until it is finalized.
Once you have followed these steps, you will get a new phone number with the area code in the region you selected. It is important to note that you usually can’t select the phone number you want, and instead, you will receive a randomly assigned phone number.
This is the most straightforward method of changing your area code, as it lets you change your own phone number with your own phone company. It isn’t a complicated process, but it does require you to give up your current number and tell your contacts about the switch. If you don’t want to make such a big change, you might want to try another method.
Best Option: Use the Burner App
The best option is to use a third-party application to give you a new phone number without changing your existing device and phone service.
Burner is an app that allows you to create a burner number that functions as an entirely new phone on your already existing device.
When you use Burner, you have two phones in one, with two different phone numbers. When you create a burner number, you can choose which area code you want, and with a couple of clicks, you will have a new phone number and new area code that you can access from your phone.
Burner makes your original phone number completely private, and it doesn’t require you to do anything to your current phone plan. This option is the least invasive and easiest to complete.
Conclusion
There are plenty of reasons you might want to change your phone number’s area code and several ways to make that happen. The most straightforward method is to travel to the Bay Area, but not many people want to travel and get a new phone.
Instead, the best method is to use an app like Burner to create a second phone number that you can access on your mobile phone without any major changes to your phone service.
Visit Burner now to download the app and create your new phone number.
Sources:
Change your area code on sprint.com | Sprint
