TikTok doesn’t require a phone number to work. But it does give you the option to enter your phone number if you want to (I don’t know why you would, though).
One more thing – technically, you can create your TikTok account based on your:
- Email address
- Phone number
If you use your phone number to create the account, you won’t be able to remove the phone number until you add your email address, and vice-versa.
You see, the account has to have an identification method (that being an email address or phone number). It can’t function without one.
By the way, if you want to unlink or remove your phone number from TikTok, check out this guide.
Will TikTok Force Me to Enter My Phone Number?
No, it doesn’t work like that.
TikTok can’t force you to enter your phone number unless you willingly provide it or choose to use Two-Factor Authentication via SMS.
Other cases where your phone number may be required are:
- When you want to recover your account, and you don’t have access to your email address
- When you’re a business, and you enter contact details in the bio
- When you unlink your email address from your TikTok account
So, you see, you’re largely in control (I use this term very loosely) of your experience on TikTok but if you want total privacy, then don’t use the app. Simple as that.
Does TikTok Remember my Phone Number After Removing it?
There’s a good chance that TikTok retains your data for a long time—possibly even indefinitely. All jokes aside, considering the platform’s concerning data collection practices, it’s likely that TikTok could keep your phone number for an extended period.
That said, we don’t know this for certain, and theoretically, they are required to remove your personal data after a set period of time.
However, this is just speculation on my part.
To be on the safe side, if you don’t want your phone number in TikTok’s database, it’s best not to enter it on the platform in the first place.
I hope this answers your question! If you need any more help, feel free to ask in the comments below.
