Can't verify phone number

I have the same problem! SMS sudently stopped working, I tryed resetting my Device settings but now I can't verify my phone, I tryed sending the TXT message many times but nothing happens. I use the 21212, my username is Ryphna.

Oh and it started Yesterday afternoon if it can help

If SMS to your phone has been working but suddenly stops, it may a bad first move to delete and then (try to) re-verify your phone. The problem usually lies elsewhere, and phone (re-)verification is sometimes very tricky (especially in Canada).

Twitter SMS most often stop (for reasons of cost) if your phone is unreachable when Twitter tries to contact it. Perhaps your phone needs recharging, or you have no mobile signal at the time, because you are in a basement or elevator. Twitter SMS resume the next time you send an SMS update, which tells Twitter your phone is 'alive' again.

Just occasionally, a mobile carrier may (for reasons of their own) suddenly start blocking Twitter's SMS number for your country. A common example is Sprint (USA) - who can remove the block for an individual user if asked.

Ryphna:
Admittedly, the above doesn't help you now.

It's possible that your mobile carrier (who s your carrier?) suddenly started blocking Twitter's 21212 short code.

Since you're in Canada (you use 21212) AND you've made at least one successful attempt at verifying your phone, you could now be suffering from one (or both) of two problems - or even an unhappy combination of both:

• Duplicate Account aka Username1

• Incomplete Canada Mobile Setup

Your best move might be to follow the Incomplete Canada Mobile Setup link and contact Twitter with the required info so that they can complete your setup manually. You may have to wait a few days before Twitter do this, however.

So what about me? I am just setting up my account. Never used this service or anything like it int he past. I sent the text to the 40404 number as instructed on the site and nothing happened. how long should I wait before I assume that it is not working - I sent the most recent conformational msg to 40404 around 9:34am today.

I also use 40404. I had no problems verifying my device but SMS updates that I send don't show up.

Mr. Bush:
It might help if we knew all the of following:

• Your country
• Your mobile carrier
• The Twitter number (40404, 21212, +44...) you use for SMS text
• Your Twitter username.

Don't post any private information on this public Get Satisfaction site, however.

Meanwhile, you might find a solution on the page Verifying your Phone.

Please let us know whether or not that helped.

• Your country
USA
• Your mobile carrier
Verizon
• The Twitter number (40404, 21212, +44...) you use for SMS text
40404
• Your Twitter username.
GoogleHeadPrime

It turns out that I can get a response to a help message and on and off seem to work but I can't send messages and I never got a confirmation from the system that my confirmation code from the website was recieved. When I tried sending a tweet nothing posted to my page.

Just signed up and also unable to verify my phone number...

Details:

• Your country - Canada
• Your mobile carrier - Rogers
• The Twitter number (40404, 21212, +44...) you use for SMS text - 21212
• Your Twitter username - mbaho

Suggestions?

Al:
You have the Duplicate Account aka Username1 problem.

This usually results from some mistake made during the phone registration process.

Your real account is: runningkrazy .

"Phantom" account: runningkrazy1 has "captured" your mobile number, so all your SMS attempts to send the registration code (e.g. Dptmw) appear in that account at http://twitter.com/runningkrazy1 .

Follow the instructions at Duplicate Account aka Username1 to free your phone number from the phantom account (which you can then delete, but only then) and then register your phone with your real account.

You need to register your phone number in the format an overseas contact would use to phone you. This must begin with +1 since you're in Canada, and should contain no spaces or extra leading zeros. Take great care at this stage, or you will create a new phantom account which will capture your phone yet again.

I also recommend entering the registration code in lower case only (e.g. Dptmw rather than dptmw) just to be sure it is recognised by Twitter. (This may or may not be important - but it's better to err on the side of caution.)

When you've successfully registered your phone, a test SMS text from your phone to 21212 should appear in your real runningkrazy account.

Since you're in Canada, a new SMS problem may then become apparent. If you find you can't receive SMS updates (even though you can send to Twitter), go to Incomplete Canada Mobile Setup and follow the instructions there.

And please let us know back here if you're still having trouble - and especially if Twitter SMS is finally up and running for you!

No luck. I can't delete the account at all.. What else can I do? Been trying to get rid of the phantom account for hours.
Please advise...

How do you even delete an account that you have no information for. I can look up http://twitter.com/runningcrazy1 and that is all I see. I have absolutely no idea how to log on to the account what soever. I have no email address for this account and I cannot log on to it.. All I have is runningkrazy

Al:
You access and then delete your phantom (duplicate) runningkrazy1 account by working through crystal's instructions at Duplicate Account aka Username1. (I'd incorrectly assumed you were already doing that, and that you had hit a new problem there.)

I'll run through the steps for you here, and include some thoughts and explanations of my own.

How to release your phone number from an unwanted duplicate Username1 account

Some people intentionally create their Twitter account directly from their phone, by sending their very first SMS tweet to the Twitter number (40404 etc.).

This is what you accidentally did the first time you sent an SMS text to Twitter. Since your (correct) phone number wasn't already associated with any Twitter account, Twitter assumed you wanted to create a new one. Since the username runningkrazy you requested was already taken (by you!), it named your new account runningkrazy1 - the phantom (duplicate) account you now want to access.

But a Twitter account created by phone is not yet fully registered: it's necessary to complete the registration process online in order to gain full Web access to the account.

So you need to complete the registration process for runningkrazy1 in order to access it from the Web:

1. If necessary, log out of any Twitter account you are currently logged into. (You don't need to log out of Get Satisfaction: that'd make it hard to follow these instructions.)

2. Go to http://twitter.com/

3. On the right-hand side, click the link labelled
Already using Twitter from your phone? Click here.

Instead of steps 2 and 3, you can simply go directly to http://twitter.com/account/complete if you prefer.

4. Enter your phone number in the format an overseas contact would use to phone you. This must begin with +1 (since you're in Canada), and will contain no spaces or extra leading zeros. When you're absolutely sure your number is entered correctly, press the Continue button and follow Twitter's instructions.
[I can't test this for you, I'm afraid, as I haven't a spare phone number - and I'm not in the USA or Canada, so things would look different for me anyway. Perhaps someone else can fill out this part of the description?]
If Twitter asks for it (I hope it won't), remember your Username at this stage is runningkrazy1 (i.e. the phantom account).

5. You should now be logged on to runningkrazy1. Go to http://twitter.com/devices and write down your phone number in the exact form it appears there (which is the correct phone number format for your real account, later).
Now delete your phone number on that page.

6. You should now be able to go directly to http://twitter.com/account/settings .
Double check that you really are still in your unwanted duplicate account runningkrazy1 - and then click Delete my account - if that's what you want to do. (Note that it can be incredibly difficult to restore a deleted account!).

7. Log out of runningkrazy1 if that is still necessary.

8. Log in to your real runningkrazy account, go to http://twitter.com/devices do whatever is necessary to enter your phone number in the exact format you wrote it down earlier.
You may find crystal's instructions at Duplicate Account aka Username1 helpful again at this stage. Start about half-way down her post, where she writes:

Then, try to re-verify your device by:
1. deleting your phone number [..] from your Twitter settings, and delete the Twitter contact.
2. adding your phone number [..] to Twitter again to generate a new verification code
3. clearing your cache and refreshing your browser
...

Ignore all of crystal's references to IM or chat (which don't work on Twitter nowadays, anyway)

Please let us know whether or not that helped at all.

Mr. Bush and mbaho:
I'm fairly certain you both have the Duplicate Account aka Username1 problem.
Work through crystal's instructions at that link.

If you prefer, you can work through my answer to Al instead - but remember that your details (country, Twitter SMS no., usernames) differ from his.

And please let me know how you get on!

3. On the right-hand side, click the link labelled
Already using Twitter from your phone? Click here.

This is what I get when I try to put in my phone number for runningkrazy1
Oh, snap! We couldn’t find you (or your device).

Eridanus,
I see the phantom account with some updates. The last update was seven days ago, twitter stopped working 5 days ago. I ended up with the phantom account when a I was following the directions originally given, and I thought that it needed to make a (1) account.
I was able to send and receive txts up to the poing where I received an e-mail that the cache was cleared by I assume a twitter employee. Then everything stopped.
If I delete the original account, will this also delete the phantom account?
Is there any other way to force my phone number OUT of the system completely so that it is not associated with a twitter account, and I can start over?
I do so enjoy twitter, it's a joy and pleasure to use. I just wish I could figure out what I have done.
I have followed all the steps, I enter the phone number as +140379557** last two ** to remain private, and when I add the phone number to the account and save I receive a verification code.
When I text it in, nothing.
Is there a way to see where the verifications are going?

Al. If Twitter displays a verification code after you add it to http://twitter.com/devices then it means that your phone number is not linked to any existing account.

Twitter will not allow you to add a phone number if it already exists elsewhere.

So it seems that the problem lies in the verification process itself, not with your phone number being trapped. Even if the phantom account exists, I think it's safe to say that it no longer has your phone number.

So my suggestion is to go through the verification process one more time:

1. Login

2. Go to http://twitter.com/devices

3. Add your phone number, check the "standard rates apply" checkbox, then click Save

4. Text the verification number to 21212 as required

If your phone doesn't get verified, I think it's safe to assume that you're suffering from the same problem as other Canadians who report that their sms messages are getting to Twitter hours late or not at all.

If that is indeed the case, I suggest you leave your phone number unverified in your account. It may be that a few hours later, when the sms finally gets to Twitter, your number will be verified successfully.

(I can appreciate your frustration. But it's been my observation that sms problems generally take a lot longer to resolve because there's more than one company involved and troubleshooting can be difficult)

im having quite the same problem. I am able to verify my phone but after a couple of minutes it keeps asking me to verify the number again...here the info that might help...please help me b/c im not always around my computer to tweet and i want to sooooo bad

Your country -United States
• Your mobile carrier - Verizon
• The Twitter number (40404, 21212, +44...) you use for SMS text - 40404
• Your Twitter username - areed19'

please help me....i greatly appreciate and would tweet follow forever!!!