Porting FAQs

Sideline allows you to port in a personal or business number, or you can port out your existing Sideline number. Below you'll find some helpful information explaining what porting is, and the porting process in general:

Porting Basics

1. What is Porting?
2. Can I have multiple port-in/port-out requests active at one time?
3. Where can I check the status of my port-in/port-out request?
4. How will I know when the process is complete, and the outcome of my porting request?
5. What information do I need to have handy if I want to port a number?

Porting a number in

1. Numbers that cannot be ported into Sideline
2. Can I port my registered number to Sideline?
3. If I change my mind, can I cancel the porting process before it is completed?
4. If I port a number into Sideline, can it expire? 
5. Should I cancel my service with my provider while I’m porting in my number 
6. Are you allowed to port in a number during the 7-day free trial?
7. No PIN was provided from my Carrier, what do I do?
8. My port was rejected due to an incorrect PIN, what do I do?
9. If I port a number in, will I lose my current Sideline number? 
10. Will my calls, messages, and voicemails transfer to Sideline when I port my number in?

Porting a number out

1. Can I port a number out of Sideline that I didn’t originally port in?
2. If I ported my number in, can I port it out too?
3. Do I have to cancel my subscriptions if I port my number out?
4. How long does it take to port a number out?

Porting Basics

What is Porting?

Porting refers to transferring a phone number from one service provider to another.

With Sideline, you can either port an existing number into Sideline (i.e. transferring a number from AT&T to Sideline), or if you leave, you can port your number out of Sideline  (i.e. transferring your number out of Sideline and to Verizon). 

Can I have multiple port-in/port-out requests active at one time?

Unfortunately, you can only have one Sideline port request processing at a time. 

Where can I check the status of my port-in/port-out request?

You can check the status of your porting request in the Settings page under Number Porting. 

If there is an error with your port request, you will see the Needs Review and can contact support to update your port's rejection.

How will I know when the process is complete, and the outcome of my porting request?

Once the porting process is complete, Sideline will notify you a couple of ways:

1. Push Notification: You'll receive a quick notification letting you know everything is done, and the next steps to take based on the outcome of your request.
2. Email: If you've set up an email address on your Sideline account, we'll send you an email letting you know the porting process is complete and the next steps to take based on the outcome of your request.
3. Number Porting page: The Sideline App will let you know whether the porting request was successful or not.

What information do I need to have handy if I want to port a number?

The specific information you will need will depend on your carrier. 

Porting a number in

Numbers that cannot be ported into Sideline

1. International numbers (Non-US numbers)
2. Canadian numbers
3. Phone numbers that belong to the non-contiguous United States
   • Hawaii, Alaska, and Puerto Rico area codes 
4. Toll-free/1-800 numbers
5. Your registered phone number
   • i.e. the number you used when registering for a Sideline account
6. "Old numbers" on an account
   • i.e. a number you had a while back but is no longer active on your current account
7. Off-Net rate center numbers*

More info: Numbers that cannot be ported into Sideline

Can I port my registered number to Sideline?

Unfortunately, you cannot port your registered number into Sideline.

Since your registered number, or the number you used to set up your Sideline Account, is how we connect all of your Sideline calls, you cannot have a number be your registered phone number, and your account phone number.

If I change my mind, can I cancel the porting process before it is completed?

No. Once the process of porting a number has started, you cannot cancel it.

You will have to wait until the process is completed, and then port it out, or port it back in depending on the original request you made. 

If I port a number into Sideline, can it expire?

No. If you port your number into Sideline, you cannot lose that number. 

Should I cancel my service with my provider while I’m porting in my number?

No. You should make sure that you do not cancel your service while you're porting your number.

Canceling your service before your number has successfully transferred can result in you losing your phone number completely. 

Are you allowed to port in a number during the 7-day free trial?

Yes, you can port your number into Sideline during your free trial or any time thereafter. For more information on how to port in your number, please see our Help Site article, "Porting your number into Sideline"

No PIN was provided from my Carrier, what do I do?

If no PIN is provided by your current Carrier, you can use 0000 when prompted to insert the 4-digit PIN. 

My port was rejected due to an incorrect PIN, what do I do?

If you have been informed that your port has been rejected due to an incorrect PIN provided by your carrier, you will need to confirm the PIN you received is valid. 

You may also have to have them reset the PIN, then contact us with the updated PIN (which we can manually enter) to restart the port-in process. 

Note: Sideline has no control over PINs provided by your carrier. We cannot move forward with the port-in process until a correct PIN is provided as this is a security measure to confirm you are authorized to port number into Sideline.

If I port a number in, will I lose my current Sideline number? 

Yes, when you port a number into Sideline, you will lose your current Sideline number. That is because the number you are porting in will replace your chosen Sideline number. You cannot port multiple numbers into Sideline to use at the same time. 

Will my calls, messages, and voicemails transfer to Sideline when I port my number in?

Any previous calls, messages, and/or voicemails with your previous carrier will not transfer to Sideline. Only the number itself is carried over.

Porting a number out

Can I port a number out of Sideline that I didn’t originally port-in?

It depends. Sideline subscription users can port a number out that they did not originally port in. We also allow users to pay a one-time fee of $19.99 to unlock the number.

If I ported my number in, can I port it out too?

Yup! If you have successfully ported a number in, you can port it out at any time, free of charge. 

Do I have to cancel my subscriptions if I port my number out?

Yes. If you were subscribed to the Sideline before porting your Sideline phone number out, you must manually cancel your subscription to avoid being charged. Click here to learn how to cancel your subscription.

How long does it take to port a number out?

The time depends solely on the Carrier. For more information on this process and other items to consider, visit our article on: How long does porting out take?

 

Now that you've checked out our Porting FAQs, check out our help site article about how to port a number out of Sideline as well as port your number into Sideline. If you have further questions, please submit a request.