If the contact has to be a phone call, or a service insists on a number, use a second number. If writing is enough, as it is for most first contact with someone you met at an event or on a trip, a chat link exposes less: it contains no number, the other person needs only a browser, and you can end it whenever you choose. You can also keep both.
Side by side
| Second number | Chat link | |
|---|---|---|
| What the other person gets | A number they can save, share and look up | A link they can open |
| What they need | A phone | A browser |
| Calls and text-message codes | Yes | No |
| Ending it | Only by giving up the number | Let it expire, burn it or pause it |
| After it ends | The number can be reassigned to someone else | A burned address is never issued again |
What a second number covers, and what it does not
Second-number apps and prepaid SIM cards keep your real number off the other person's screen. You can take calls, pass a text-message verification and sign up for services that insist on a number. But a second number is still a number: the other side can save it, pass it on and look it up in any number-based messenger, and once you give it up it can be reassigned to someone else. Blocking one caller does not change the fact that they have it.
What a chat link covers, and what it does not
A chat link removes the need for a number. Whoever opens it writes to you in their browser, and the link contains no phone number or email address. You can end it by letting it expire, burning it or pausing it. Use a separate link for each person you meet, and burning one ends only the chats that came through it. A link will not place a call, pass a text verification or fill a form that demands a number, and the conversation inside it cannot stop a screenshot.
Setting up a link
- In the FadeTalk app, open the Links tab, tap New link and choose a purpose. The link is created and copied.
- Make a separate single-use link for each person you meet.
- Use your personal link where you need a standing address, such as a bio or a name tag; each contact arrives as a request you accept.
- When a stage really needs a call, exchange numbers at that point.
The deciding question is whether this contact has to be a phone call. If it does, a second number is the answer; if writing is enough, a link you can end exposes less. The address that many people see at once is covered in what to put in your bio or on a name tag instead of your phone number.