How to KEEP public mobile phone number with temporary Mexico roaming

[NorthAsh]

I understand that Public Mobile doesn't offer any Mexico roaming options.

I also understand that I can purchase a Mexico sim card for use in Mexico (I did this last year).

What I need to do, is KEEP my existing public mobile phone number while traveling in Mexico for one month.

Is it possible to do this somehow, and then revert back to my public mobile Canadian plan WITH MY SAME EXISTING PHONE NUMBER, when I return to Canada?  It's just not worth it / not possible to change all my 2FA phone numbers that I will need while traveling, to a temporary Mexican phone number for one month, and then revert all the 2FA phone numbers back to my Canadian one.

Is my only option to switch service providers to a Canadian phone company that offers Mexico roaming, in order to keep my same phone number while traveling in Mexico?  If I can do this somehow with Rogers or Telus without a long-term contract, is it possible to switch back to Public Mobile when I return, while still keeping my existing phone number without interruption?

ANY help or someone who has been through a similar situation and has any suggestions, would be greatly appreciated!

[DennyCrane]

@dust2dust Yeah I didn't get too far with my email test because it wanted me to login toy email account, which I didn't want to do. I was hoping it would just send through their email servers to my email, but I couldn't figure that out. Maybe some of the other apps do though. That would definitely be my preferred option over Fongo.

[dust2dust]

@DennyCrane- That lead me to looking at that app (the pictures) where I saw an email option that lead me to discovering an email option in the app I already have and used their test send and it arrived (not doing the whole actual sim and eversafe test). That's a great option. I think I'm still fine with Google Voice but the email method works great. Thanks

[DennyCrane]

@dust2dust Ignore me. I'm an idiot. I misread your post and thought you manually forwarded it.

Since then I just now tried Auto Forward SMS to PC/Phone and it worked. Definitely seems like a viable option.

 

 

[dust2dust]

@DennyCrane- Interesting that Fongo will receive 2fa without paying anything.
I used the app and made rules in it. I'm not sure what you mean by hold and forward. I've put my testing set up away now so I can't look at the app at this time.

[DennyCrane]

@dust2dust I just have the free version of Fongo. I can't send outgoing texts, but it can receive them.

And yes, I forwarded an eversafe code I previously received via text and it went through. First time it didn't, interestingly enough. But the second time it did. I used your method of holding the message and then choosing forward from the menu. 

[dust2dust]

@DennyCrane- Is that the free version or do you pay them anything? I could pay TextNow and it should work, but I haven't.

Adding - to be clear, I'm talking about forwarding 2fa texts. I can forward calls and normal texts. Just in case there might be some confusion.

[DennyCrane]

Good call. I just tried manually forwarding to my Fongo line and it worked fine.

[dust2dust]

@DennyCrane- I picked "Forward SMS". I would think the sending app wouldn't make a difference. It's TextNow recieving it. Google Voice works. I actually use Google Voice for one of my lines.

[DennyCrane]

@dust2dust Oh shoot, that's too bad. Thanks for testing it.

Which text forwarding app did you try?

[dust2dust]

@DennyCrane- So I finally got around to re-trying this. The 2fa code from eversafe does not forward to the free version of TextNow. Seems maybe at one time I found that it did, but not now. I didn't test any others 2fa's.

[computergeek541]

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@NorthAsh wrote:

The sole purpose I need this is to receive 2FA codes. 

Does anyone know of a tect forwarding app thet can accomplish this??

I will be keeping my PM sim card in a spare phone turned on and plugged in while I'm away. I will be getting a prepaid mexican SIM card with a new mexican phone number in my phone (android) while in mexico. 

Does anyone know of an android app that will forward 2FA texts to my email address? Or alternatively (not preferred) to my temporary mexican phone number?

---

I haven't tried it, but an app called SMS2Email should be able to accomplish this.

[DennyCrane]

@NorthAsh It'll work to forward to a TextNow number. 

Check the Google Play store, there are a lot of options. And actually, I think some even give you the option to forward it to email, which might actually be easier. All I'm going to do is go read into a few of them and read reviews, so you may as well just get that info first hand instead of through me.

[NorthAsh]

The sole purpose I need this is to receive 2FA codes. 

Does anyone know of a tect forwarding app thet can accomplish this??

I will be keeping my PM sim card in a spare phone turned on and plugged in while I'm away. I will be getting a prepaid mexican SIM card with a new mexican phone number in my phone (android) while in mexico. 

Does anyone know of an android app that will forward 2FA texts to my email address? Or alternatively (not preferred) to my temporary mexican phone number?

[dust2dust]

@DennyCrane- lol I take your question and raise you my own observations that I wrote some time ago. You're right.
https://productioncommunity.publicmobile.ca/t5/Get-Support/How-to-receive-SMS-while-abroad/m-p/90242...

Adding - early onset or something 🙂

[DennyCrane]

@dust2dust Oh really? Even when they're being forwarded? I know they can't receive direct 2FA codes, but I hoped/assumed a text being forwarded should work fine.

[dust2dust]

It works fine with the caveat that TextNow will not accept 2fa codes.

See below.

[DennyCrane]

@NorthAsh Not quite. TextNow will give you a brand new number. You can't use your PM number with TextNow.

I'm thinking something like this.

1) Find a backup phone (phone 1)

2) Put PM sim in backup phone 1 right before you leave

3) Download a text forwarding app on the backup phone 1 and program it to forward all your PM texts to a TBD number you can get from TextNow

4) Leave phone 1 on, on the charger, at home with the app open and set to forward texts

5) On your actual phone 2 (which now has your PM sim removed) download TextNow and sign up for a free phone number. This is the number you'll enter in step 3 for text forwarding

By doing this you'll receive all your PM texts in TextNow on phone 2 while you're away.

Disclaimer: I've never actually tried this, but I have heard from others that it can work. I'm not sure if iOS has text forwarding apps, but Android does.

[NorthAsh]

Thanks, this is the conclusion I came to as well. TextNow can forward my texts (from my Canadian public mobile phone number) to a Mexican cell phone number (obviously not on a public mobile network) automatically?

[dust2dust]

@Chalupa_Batman- How I understand it is that when in Canada or US you can call Canada or US. There are also some countries that have no charge to call from Canada or US and Mexico is one of them. When elsewhere, you can call Canada and US but not the elsewhere. I was in the UK in May and couldn't call numbers in the UK. I had a local service (thanks Luddite) that did that for me. (although as I write this maybe I was doing more testing of that in the RoI)

[Chalupa_Batman]

Actually, I was able to use my TextNow Canadian number while in the US using the SIM card of course. However you can call Mexico with it too. As long as he's using data, he should be able to make calls to Mexico and Canada while he's in Mexico using TextNow.

[DennyCrane · Accepted solution]

Try to see if the systems you're signing into have an email or authenticator app option for MFA.

Yes you can port out and back in again when you're back, but you'll need a new PM sim and new account when you return. You'll also lose any loyalty discounts you may have, and you'll have to take a currently offered/in-market plan.  I personally would avoid this route if at all possible.

I've never tried this myself, but I've heard of people who leave their PM sim in a second phone at home. Leave the phone on the charger the whole time (and turned on). Then download a text forwarding app to have your texts sent to a TextNow or Fongo number as they come in. It's key that your phone be on and connected to Public Mobile towers though.

[dust2dust]

Forwarding calls to a voip service would work. Forwarding texts too but not 2fa to Textnow.

@Chalupa_Batman- TextNow only calls to and from Canada and US. Not calling to Mexico while in Mexico.

[Chalupa_Batman]

The only way is to pay the full month of service and keep it going. It sucks to lose $50 or whatever the plan is but if you have a great plan now and legacy rewards, it's a price worth paying.

You may want to look into getting TextNow app. You can make calls to anywhere in Mexico and back to Canada FREE! If you download the app, pick a local number to where you live, you can call forward your PM number to this, purchase a data plan in Mexico and you're laughing!! You just won't get text messages from your PM number, just calls.