What is a Burner Phone, and Why is it Important

Most of the time, we want to buy phones that can be used as long as possible. But many people also like to have phones that can meet their short-term goals. So, they purchase burner phones. Let’s understand burner phones in detail.

What are burner phones?

Burner phones come at a low price, and usually, they are prepaid phones purchased for short-term use. They are cell phones that are sometimes known as burn phones. People also buy these phones to avoid any paperwork that may link the phone number with an individual.

The term was initially used in a 2002 HBO series called The Wire, where the word ‘burners’ was taken to prevent authorities’ detection. When a number was found compromised, the phone was thrown away or ‘burned.’’

After the evolution of Android phones and iPhones, burner phones are known as feature phones or dumbphones. If a burner phone is destroyed or discarded after use on your own, you can always use its SIM card.

If your feature or burner phone doesn’t work correctly after use for some years, you can use its SIM card on another device. You can insert the SIM card if you already have a smartphone. Most smartphones nowadays allow you to use dual SIM cards at once.

Shouldyou use a burner phone?

You may think to use a burner phone to mask your identity. If you are ready to manage a handset or SIM card that isn’t known in the outer world, then there is no risk in using the number without being identified.

There can be many reasons to have a burner phone. If you don’t want to lose your smartphone from use in dangerous situations, you can use a feature phone at that place. If you plan to go out of the country, you can avoid roaming charges. Burner phones are best to protect if you have any pricey phone like an iPhone. They are also ideal options for secure text messaging and calling.

On the other hand, burner phones are also known to last for two or three days on a single charge or even more in some cases. The charging capability of burner phones to last longer makes them perfect for emergency use.

No guarantee of anonymity with burner phones

If you think you are completely anonymous with burner phones, then remember that there isn’t a guarantee of anonymity if you use burner phones. However, you will be able to send anonymous messages or avoid spam, but no cell phones give you a guarantee of anonymity.

For example, if you visit any place having your regular phone, then you can be tracked by your cellular carrier with your exact location and time. There are many outside elements that can share your location details. A security camera placed on a mall or road can record your presence at a particular location along with time. Moreover, if you don’t think of being anonymous with a burner phone, it will be the best deal for you as a secondary cell phone with long battery life.

Where you can find a burner phone or SIM?

You can get burner phones at convenience stores and electronic retailers. You can visit stores like Walmart, Best Buy, Target, etc., to get the best deals on burner phones.
Google Voice and Other Services If you want a secondary number to use while calling and messaging through a computer or want to use with Signal or Telegram, we recommend going with VoIP services. For this, you can go with Google Voice, Skype, and other similar services that provide a number to take advantage of calling and texting.

Source: What is a Burner Phone, and Why is it Important.