If you search "OpenAI SMS verification" you will find a lot of outdated tutorials. The rules changed, and they are not the same across OpenAI's products. Here is the current state as of August 2026, based on OpenAI's official help docs.
The three scenarios are different
1. Creating a new ChatGPT account — no phone number required anymore.
OpenAI's help documentation now states that creating an OpenAI account and using ChatGPT no longer requires phone verification. If a tutorial tells you to get a phone number before signing up for ChatGPT, it is outdated.
2. Logging in or using Codex — phone verification IS triggered.
When you sign in to Codex (the CLI, the IDE extension, or the web version), you will most likely be asked to complete a one-time phone verification — even if your account never verified a phone number when registering ChatGPT. This is tied to Codex's stricter risk-control policy, and it catches many users off guard.
3. Generating your first API key — still required.
On platform.openai.com, phone verification remains a mandatory step when you create your first API key. Subsequent keys do not require re-verification.
So before following any guide, figure out which of the three pages you are actually looking at. The fix for each is different.
What the verification page looks like
Depending on your country/region, the official verification screen may offer to send the one-time code via SMS or WhatsApp. A few ground rules that apply no matter what:
- Only use a number you are authorized to use, can control long-term, and that complies with OpenAI's rules.
- Never share the one-time code with anyone.
- A one-time code is not an account recovery method.
When something goes wrong
Number rejected, code never arrives, region not supported? Keep the on-screen error message, cross-check OpenAI's help center and the list of supported regions, and go through official support if needed. Repeatedly trying numbers of unknown origin, buying pre-made accounts, or changing your region/payment profile raises your account and payment risk significantly.
Don't build important accounts on one-time codes
Whether or not your verification succeeds, any account that matters should have a recovery email you control long-term, an authenticator app, or another officially recognized backup method. Temporary numbers expire. Other people's numbers disappear. Neither can replace proper account hygiene.
If you genuinely need a one-time number
If your scenario really does require SMS verification (Codex login, first API key) and you don't have access to an overseas number, pay-per-use temporary SMS activation is the low-cost fallback. Full disclosure: I run shanma.store, which sells OpenAI/Codex verification codes — after payment you redeem a code, get assigned a temporary number, and receive the SMS in the browser. Alipay supported.
To be honest about the limits: a one-time number works only for that single verification, success depends on number-pool stock and the target platform's real-time risk control, and nobody can guarantee 100% delivery. It is also not a long-term recovery method for your account.
References
- OpenAI help center — phone verification (check the current page; rules change)
- My detailed Chinese-language notes on the ChatGPT/Codex/API differences: guide.shanma.store
Disclosure: I am affiliated with shanma.store. This post describes official rules and does not provide methods to bypass or evade verification.
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