Create an Apple ID without a phone number: what Apple says

Yes, on some routes. Apple's own steps for making an account during iPhone, iPad or Vision Pro setup, and in the Apple Music or Apple TV app on Windows, list no phone step. Two-factor authentication is another matter: Apple says it needs "at least one trusted phone number on file," and features like Apple Pay require it.

So the honest answer is that you can usually create the account without a number, but you can't use every part of it without one. Below is what Apple's help pages say as of November 1, 2026, route by route.

Can you create an Apple ID without a phone number?

First, the name. Apple says on its sign-up page: "Apple ID is now Apple Account. You can still sign in with the same email address or phone number and password." Anything you read about an Apple ID applies to an Apple Account.

Apple's How to create a new Apple Account page (published September 14, 2026) gives separate steps for each device. Some include a phone number and some don't.

Where you sign up	What Apple's steps ask for	Phone step listed?
iPhone, iPad or Vision Pro, during device setup	Birthday, name, email, password, country or region, two-factor setup (can be skipped)	No
App Store app on iPhone or iPad	Email, password, country or region, payment ("You can also choose None")	Yes: "Confirm your phone number"
Mac, in System Settings	Birthday, email, password, country or region, payment (None allowed)	Yes: "Confirm your phone number"
Windows PC, in the Apple Music or Apple TV app	Email, password, device region, payment (None allowed)	No
account.apple.com on the web	Email, password, region, birthday	Yes: "a phone number that you can always access"
Android, smart TV, Apple TV	Full name, birthday, email, payment method	No

Two caveats sit under those steps. Apple writes, on the device setup route: "As you use your new device, you might be asked to enter your phone number, or a payment method and billing information." And in China mainland, Apple says "you might be required to provide a +86 phone number for your Apple Account."

So a missing phone step in the instructions is not a promise you will never see one. It does tell you which route to start with.

How to create an Apple Account without entering a number

If you have an iPhone, iPad or Vision Pro that isn't signed in yet, use the setup route. Apple's steps:

During setup, tap "Forgot password or don't have an account?"
Tap Create a Free Apple Account.
Select your birthday and enter your name, then tap Continue.
Enter your email address. This becomes the address you sign in with. If you don't have one, tap "Don't have an email address?" to get a free iCloud address.
Follow the onscreen steps to verify your email, create a password and set your country or region.
When asked to set up two-factor authentication, you can skip. Apple says: "If you choose to skip this step, you'll be prompted to do this later in Settings."

On a Windows PC, open the Apple Music or Apple TV app, click Sign In at the bottom of the sidebar, click Sign In again, then Create New Apple Account. Enter an email, a password and your region. At the payment step you can choose None. Then verify the email Apple sends you.

The phone-free routes still need an email address that you can open, because every route ends with a verification email. If you'd rather not tie the account to your main inbox, use a separate address you control. Our guide on creating an email without a phone number on iPhone covers which providers let you do that.

What you can't avoid: two-factor needs a trusted number

This is the part most guides skip. Apple's trusted phone numbers page is blunt: "To use two-factor authentication, you need at least one trusted phone number on file where you can receive verification codes."

That matters because two-factor isn't really optional for long. Apple's two-factor authentication page says:

"Two-factor authentication is the default security method for most accounts."
"Certain Apple services and features, such as Apple Pay and Sign in with Apple, require two-factor authentication."
"If your Apple Account was created using two-factor authentication, this extra protection can't be removed."
"If you recently enabled two-factor authentication, you have the option to lower your account security within two weeks of enrollment."

Put together: skipping the two-factor step at setup gets you an account with no phone number on it, and Settings will keep asking. The moment you want Apple Pay, Sign in with Apple, or simply the protection two-factor gives, a trusted number goes on the account. Once it's on an account created with two-factor, you can't turn two-factor off.

Apple doesn't say how long an account can stay without two-factor, so we won't guess.

Apple's own options once a number is on file

If you add a number, you rarely have to use it. Apple's verification code page lists the ways a code reaches you:

On a trusted device. "When you sign in, the verification code is displayed automatically on your trusted devices." A trusted device is an iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, Vision Pro or Mac already signed in with two-factor. If you own one, the code shows up there, not in a text.
By text or phone call. "You can have a verification code sent to your trusted phone number as a text message or phone call." Apple does not say on these pages whether a landline works as a trusted number, so check that the call option reaches you before you rely on it.
Sometimes not at all. "In some cases, your trusted phone number can be automatically verified in the background on your iPhone."

Apple also suggests a second number. From the trusted numbers page: "If you have multiple phone numbers, consider using one not associated with your iPhone as an additional trusted phone number." Apple's reason is lock-out: "If your iPhone is your only trusted device and it's the only device that has access to your trusted phone number, you won't be able to receive verification codes required to access your account if it's missing or damaged." A number held by a family member you trust, or a second line, covers that case.

To add or change trusted numbers on an iPhone: Settings, tap your name, Sign-In & Security, Two-Factor Authentication, then Add Trusted Phone Number. On the web it's account.apple.com, Sign-In and Security, then Account Security.

Recovery when your number is gone

Two Apple features help if you lose access to the number, and one of them doesn't help as much as people think.

A recovery contact is someone with an Apple device who can give you a six-digit code during recovery. You can add up to five, and they get no access to your account. Apple says: "If you don't have a recovery contact, you can still go through the full account recovery process. This can take longer."

A recovery key is a 28-character code. It does not replace the phone. Apple says it's used "along with a trusted phone number and an Apple device," and that setting one up turns off Apple's standard recovery process. If you lose the key, Apple can't give it back.

If you have neither, Apple's route is to try to sign in, select "Didn't Get a Code?" or "Can't get to your devices?", then choose "Can't use [phone number]" and follow the steps. Apple warns that account recovery "might take a few days or longer" and that "Contacting Apple can't help speed up the process." We go through what to expect, for Apple and the other big providers, in how to recover an email account without a phone number.

If Apple won't let you create the account

Two errors come up often. Neither is about phone numbers, but both get blamed on them.

"Your account cannot be created at this time." Apple's troubleshooting page suggests creating the account on an Apple device in Settings or System Settings, or on the web at account.apple.com from a Windows PC or Android device, updating your software, and trying again later on a different network. If you see that "the email address or phone number is unavailable," an account already uses it.
"The maximum number of free accounts have been activated." Apple says this means "you have exceeded the number of accounts that you can set up with iCloud on a single device in one year." Apple suggests setting up iCloud on another iPhone, iPad or Mac instead.

Some guides suggest a public "receive SMS online" number for the web route. Don't. Anyone can read codes sent to those numbers, and if one ends up as your trusted number, a stranger can get your sign-in codes.

An email address that needs no phone number

Apple's sign-up routes ask for an email address, and Apple uses email among other channels to tell you about changes to your account. If you want one that isn't tied to a phone, Secria's sign-up asks only for a name, the address you want and a password, with no phone number and no card. You save a 12-word recovery phrase at sign-up, so getting back in doesn't depend on a number either. The free plan includes 1 GB and 2 email aliases, and there are apps for iPhone, Android and the web. More on the sign-up itself is on our email without a phone number page.

Frequently asked questions

Is a phone number required for an Apple ID?

Not to create one on every route. Apple's steps for device setup, the Windows apps and other devices list no phone step, while the App Store, Mac and web routes do. A phone number becomes required when you use two-factor authentication, which needs at least one trusted number on file.

Can I create an Apple ID without a phone number on a PC?

Apple's steps for a Windows PC, in the Apple Music or Apple TV app, ask for an email, a password, a region and a payment method you can set to None, then a verification email. No phone step is listed. The web route at account.apple.com does ask for a phone number.

Can I use an Apple Account without two-factor authentication?

Apple lets you skip the two-factor step during device setup and says you'll be prompted later in Settings. Some features won't work without it: Apple names Apple Pay and Sign in with Apple. If the account was created with two-factor, it can't be removed.

Can I use someone else's number as my trusted phone number?

Apple's pages don't forbid it, and they suggest adding a number "not associated with your iPhone" as an extra trusted number. Remember that whoever holds that number can receive your sign-in codes.

Can I remove my phone number after creating my Apple Account?

You can add and remove trusted numbers in Settings under Sign-In & Security, or at account.apple.com. With two-factor on, Apple says you need at least one trusted number on file, so plan to swap the number for another rather than remove the last one.

If what you're after is a mailbox with no phone number behind it, Secria's free sign-up asks for nothing more than a name, an address and a password.