New 'Burner' app lets iPhone users create temporary, disposable phone numbers

Posted:
in iPhone edited January 2014
If you're an iPhone user looking to maintain a bit of privacy from time to time, you can now turn to a new app called Burner thats lets you create temporary phone numbers that can be disposed of at will.

The development team over at Ad Hoc Labs says the app is ideal for dating, Craigslist, short-term projects, side businesses, bands, FaceBook marketing posts and any other endeavor for which you'd like to give out a phone number on a non-permanent basis.

You can create one or several numbers at the same time, each of which acts as a separate line within your iPhone that can be used for voice and SMS messaging. Outgoing calls will show your temporary Burner number on the recipient's caller ID while incoming calls will either redirect to your main mobile number or go straight to voicemail, at your preference.

Each number comes equipped with a ?Burn? button so that it can be destroyed when you?re done with it.

The app made its debut on the App Store yesterday for $1.99 and includes enough credits to create one short-duration Burner line -- one that will last for a week and be good for 20 minutes of talk time or 20 SMS messages; whichever is exhausted first.





After that, you can purchase additional credits to create more Burners of various durations, or to extend Burners that you have already created. The larger the credit purchase, the bigger the volume discount.

Once you "Burn" a number, its gone forever. If someone calls after that, they?ll get a generic out-of-service message, Ad Hoc says. Creepers everywhere rejoiced.
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Comments

  • Reply 1 of 68


    Cool if I was a drug dealer or into one night stands. It seems to me like the nefarious uses for this far our weigh the legitimate ones, but maybe that's just me.

  • Reply 2 of 68
    magic_almagic_al Posts: 325member


    How big is the pool of disposable numbers? Seems like this thing would run out of capacity pretty soon.

  • Reply 3 of 68


    There are ZERO drug dealers who are going to use this. Too risky. 

  • Reply 4 of 68
    ssquirrelssquirrel Posts: 1,196member

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by Magic_Al View Post


    How big is the pool of disposable numbers? Seems like this thing would run out of capacity pretty soon.



     


    I got a call from a woman I was talking to online one day and it had 3 or 4 extra digits.  I'm assuming she had a similar app or something.  This was about a month ago

  • Reply 5 of 68


    Perfect for cheaters and people looking to harass someone!

  • Reply 6 of 68
    quadra 610quadra 610 Posts: 6,757member

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by SSquirrel View Post


     


    I got a call from a woman I was talking to online one day and it had 3 or 4 extra digits.  I'm assuming she had a similar app or something.  This was about a month ago



     


    The question is, McFly, whether she's going to give you her real number.   ;)

  • Reply 7 of 68
    mstonemstone Posts: 11,510member

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by SSquirrel View Post


     


    I got a call from a woman I was talking to online one day and it had 3 or 4 extra digits.  I'm assuming she had a similar app or something.  This was about a month ago



    Phone number supply has been a problem in my area for years. They make new area codes all the time. Eventually we will probably have something like IPv6 for phones or just VoIP.

  • Reply 8 of 68
    gatorguygatorguy Posts: 24,176member


    Note that even tho the number might be "burned", AdHoc still keeps a backup of your service usage for some undermined length of time. If you have any concerns about the legality of whatever you're using it for, AdHoc can still share what they've logged with law enforcement if requested, even after the burning. In addition your carrier phone logs will still show the call data.


     


    Use it for casual fun but not if you're really concerned with being anonymous and think you can't be identified.

  • Reply 9 of 68
    [SIZE=6][CENTER][SIZE=7]News Flash: New iPhone "Burner" Debuts Just for Drug Dealers, Rapists, Murderers and Whores![/SIZE][/CENTER][/SIZE]

    [SIZE=5][SIZE=4]Story: Drug dealers, pur your hands up! A new app has debuted for you along with the other bad people in the world such as, one night standers, stalkers and Craigslist rapists and murderers! Rejoice, terrible people! Come buy this app for an extremely low price and avoid the law.[/SIZE]
    [/SIZE]

    [SIZE=7]This should really not be on the app store.[/SIZE]
  • Reply 10 of 68
    damn_its_hotdamn_its_hot Posts: 1,209member

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by logandigges View Post




    News Flash: New iPhone "Burner" Debuts Just for Drug Dealers, Rapists, Murderers and Whores!



    Story: Drug dealers, pur your hands up! A new app has debuted for you along with the other bad people in the world such as, one night standers, stalkers and Craigslist rapists and murderers! Rejoice, terrible people! Come buy this app for an extremely low price and avoid the law.



    This should really not be on the app store.


     


    I hope everyone gets your message. Shout much?

  • Reply 11 of 68
    harbingerharbinger Posts: 570member

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by longliveapple View Post


    There are ZERO drug dealers who are going to use this. Too risky. 





    You seem rather knowledgeable about who drug dealers might or might not do.

  • Reply 12 of 68
    rsdofnyrsdofny Posts: 98member


    You can do the same thing with Google phone for free (except that you need a new email address every time)

  • Reply 13 of 68
    harbingerharbinger Posts: 570member

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by Damn_Its_Hot View Post


    I hope everyone gets your message. Shout much?





    Why did you quote and therefore create a copy of his eyesore to burn our eyes? Why?

  • Reply 14 of 68


    It's funny how quickly people took a negative view to this app!


     


    I think the craigslist angle is great.  We have a window we want to sell on craigslist and this will be great for that, for all the obvious reasons.  It also isn't uncommon for my wife and I to meet people while on vacation and maybe have dinner or do something together with them.  Having a disposable number will make these brief encounters easier as I don't like to give out my phone number even in normal situations.


     


    Sure, it can used for "nefarious" purposes.  Maybe we shouldn't have phones AT ALL since phones in general can be used for illegal activities.  While we're at it, let's get rid of all modes of transportation (when I was in high school a kid used to sell marijuana from his bike), and maybe ban the Internet.  And TV.  The postal service.

  • Reply 15 of 68
    technotechno Posts: 737member

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by longliveapple View Post


    There are ZERO drug dealers who are going to use this. Too risky. 



    Because all drug dealers are too smart, right?

  • Reply 16 of 68
    lilgto64lilgto64 Posts: 1,147member


    I was thinking just to limit telemarketers and such - or for cases where you need to enter a phone number and while you may want to be reachable for say the time it takes your online order to go from placed to received - but then the number is flooded with stupid calls - dump it and start again. Keeps your "true" phone number available for things like family to get ahold of your. 


     


    I only recently discovered that Time Warner Digital Phone allows blocking of up to 30 numbers - now I can finally stop the stupid 1800Service numbers from even ringing - the truly stupid thing about those is that I do sometimes pick up just to see if maybe I can get off their list - but no - there isn't anyone there - if you are going to spend any amount of time or money - even if minuscule - shouldn't there be even an automated thing when I pick up? 


     


    Now I need to get that on my business line - or switch that line to TW as well - I have been getting calls from collections agencies on that line looking for the person who had the phone number before me. Have these idiots never heard of a phone book? If you want to get ahold of Karen Hall and I have told you repeatedly that you have the wrong number - why don't you try looking up her name to see if she has a new number you could try. 


     
  • Reply 17 of 68

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by IHateScreenNames View Post


    It's funny how quickly people took a negative view to this app!


     


    Having a disposable number will make these brief encounters easier as I don't like to give out my phone number even in normal situations.


     



     


    Casual encounters huh... ;)


     


    I can see the benefit of this app for some. Craiglist, eBay etc.

  • Reply 18 of 68
    richlrichl Posts: 2,213member


    Moe's Tavern is going to get a few extra calls...

  • Reply 19 of 68


    This app has all the makings of a trap product for law enforcement use. CISPA and new cyber security laws are forcing these VoIP companies to include CALEA access, so use of these "burner" apps are a false sense of security. First of all, the app is required to use Apple's billing platform, meaning the person using Burner is trapped into Apple's billing for payment tracing. Unless you're setting up your payments with a prepay card and an fake name on itunes, the DEA can easily nab you with a simple NSA letter to Apple. 

  • Reply 20 of 68
    davegeedavegee Posts: 2,765member
    Wanna be a miscreant of society.... Yea there's an app for that!
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