Primary Number Unreachable After Porting Two Numbers to One Account (Need Advice)

[ojey]

Hi everyone,

I’m hoping someone with experience can guide me.

Here’s what happened: In order to port 2 lines in my household to take advantage of the flash sale,

1. I ported my primary number from Koodo to Public Mobile and activated it successfully on an eSIM (iPhone). It was working fine.

2. I then ported a second number (also from Koodo) into the same Public Mobile account, not realizing PM only allows one number per account/email unlike koodo where i ported from.

3. After the second port completed, it replaced my primary number on the account.

Current situation:

• The second number is active on a physical SIM (Samsung).

• My original primary number (eSIM) is now unreachable.

• When I call it, I just get silence (no ring, no voicemail message).

• My iPhone shows SOS.

• Both numbers were successfully ported from Koodo and are already inside Public Mobile’s system.

My goal:

• Keep my primary number on my account (eSIM).

• Move the second number to my spouse’s Public Mobile account (which currently has no active number).

I’ve opened a support ticket requesting:

• Restoration of my primary number to my account.

• Internal transfer of the second number to my spouse’s account.

• Reissue of eSIM if necessary.

My question for experienced users:

• Has anyone dealt with this exact situation?

• Is this simply a provisioning issue that support can fix?

• Is there anything I should or should NOT do while waiting?

I want to avoid making things worse (like deleting the eSIM prematurely).

Thanks in advance for any guidance.

[hTideGnow]

hi @ojey 

thanks for the detailed instructions.  But generally you just need to ask PM support agent to help, you can submit  ticket by direct message:  
          https://productioncommunity.publicmobile.ca/t5/notes/composepage/note-to-user-id/22437 

Remember CS_agent will reply to your Community inbox within 2 to 4 hours, please check your inbox here:
           https://productioncommunity.publicmobile.ca/t5/notes/privatenotespage       

[ojey]

I recently went through a stressful situation after accidentally porting two numbers into the same Public Mobile account. Since PM only supports one number per account/email, the second port replaced the first one — and my primary number became unreachable.

Here’s what happened and how it was resolved, step by step.

---

🧠 What I Did

1. Ported my primary number from Koodo → Public Mobile (eSIM on iPhone).
   ✔ It worked perfectly.

2. Later, I ported a second number (also from Koodo) into the same Public Mobile account.
   ❌ This replaced the first number on the account.

Result:

• The second number became active.

• My primary number showed “not in service.”

• My iPhone showed SOS.

• The original number disappeared from my account profile.

---

🚨 Important: This Is NOT a Failed Port

If your first number:

• Was working initially

• Then stopped after porting a second number

• Now says “not in service”

This is not a transfer failure.

It’s an account overwrite + provisioning issue.

Do not resubmit the transfer request from the app.
Do not try to port back to your old carrier immediately.
That can make things worse.

---

🔎 What’s Actually Happening

Public Mobile:

• Allows only one number per account.

• When you port a second number into the same account, it replaces the first.

• The first number becomes detached and unprovisioned.

• It may return “not in service” when called.

The number is usually still in Public Mobile’s system — just inactive.

---

✅ How It Was Fixed

Here’s the exact process that worked:

Step 1 — Contact Support

Explain clearly:

• One number was replaced by another after porting into the same account.

• The original number now says “not in service.”

• You need it restored.

Be specific. Use phrases like:

• “Number detached after second port.”

• “Requires backend reassignment and reprovisioning.”

---

Step 2 — Follow Their Instruction to Create a Second Account

Support asked me to:

• Create a new Public Mobile account.

• Activate it with a temporary number.

• Confirm when done.

This allows them to manually replace the temporary number with your deactivated number.

Important:
Do not try to port the lost number yourself again unless they instruct you to.

---

Step 3 — Wait for Confirmation

Support manually:

• Reactivated the lost number.

• Attached it to the new account.

• Confirmed everything was active in their system.

At that point:

• Calls to my number rang again (went to voicemail).

---

Step 4 — Install a Fresh eSIM

Even though the number was active, my phone didn’t ring.

Why?

Because the old eSIM profile was tied to the previous provisioning session.

Solution:

• Log into the correct account via the app.

• Delete the old eSIM from the device.

• Install a new eSIM.

• Restart the phone.

After that:
✔ Calls worked
✔ SMS worked
✔ Data worked

Fully restored.

---

🔐 Common Issue: OTP Login Loop

If you can’t log in because OTP is sent to the number that isn’t provisioned yet:

Tell support:

I cannot receive the OTP because the eSIM is not provisioned. This creates a circular issue.

They may:

• Temporarily assist

• Wait until backend reactivation completes

• Or guide you once the number is live again

Do not keep retrying transfer requests in the app.

---

❌ What NOT To Do

• Don’t try to port back to your old carrier immediately.

• Don’t resubmit transfer requests blindly.

• Don’t delete accounts.

• Don’t cancel active lines.

• Don’t assume the number is permanently lost after 24 hours.

Canadian numbers are not instantly recycled.

---

💡 Lessons Learned

• Public Mobile supports one number per account only.

• Porting a second number replaces the first.

• Internal transfers between accounts are not supported.

• Backend corrections are possible — but require support intervention.

• Always use separate emails for separate numbers.

---

🧘🏽 Final Advice

Stay calm.

Even if your number says “not in service,” it is usually recoverable if handled quickly and correctly.

Work with support.
Follow instructions carefully.
Avoid triggering additional port attempts.

In my case, everything was fully restored.

---

If this helps someone avoid panic or a multi-day mess, it was worth writing.

[CSA_PM]

Hi
I sent you a private message. You can view and reply to it by accessing this link: https://productioncommunity.publicmobile.ca/t5/notes/privatenotespage

[hTideGnow]

hi @ojey 

Problem is PM system is one account one number.  Two numbers will need two accounts setup by two different emails.

when you port your 2nd number into the same account, that overwrote the 1st number.  No worries, PM can fix that but you need to submit ticket and ask PM support agent to help

 submit a ticket with CS Agent using Chatbot here:       
            https://widget.telus.tiia.ai/publicmobile/publicmobile.html 
             Type the question "Submit ticket", Then click the following in order: "Contact Us" ,  "Other",  "Log In".  
             (If unable to receive 2FA SMS, click "Didn't Receive Code" or "Resend Code" and Select "Send Email")         
If any issue with ticket submission, you can submit  ticket by direct message:  
          https://productioncommunity.publicmobile.ca/t5/notes/composepage/note-to-user-id/22437 

Remember CS_agent will reply to your Community inbox within 2 to 4 hours, please check your inbox here:
           https://productioncommunity.publicmobile.ca/t5/notes/privatenotespage