Invalid Phone Number for Apple ID, Apple Pay: Fix!

Some iPhone users have encountered a problem when trying to create an Apple ID or trying to use Apple Pay. They get an error saying, “Invalid Phone Number. This phone number is invalid. Please enter a new number and try again.”

There are a few situations where you may encounter this error message on your iPhone:

• When trying to create Apple ID
• When trying to use Apple Pay
• After entering a verification code for two-factor authentication

How to Fix “Invalid Phone Number”

Try the suggestions below until your problem is fixed.

Check the phone number on your iPhone

First, double-check the number you are entering. A simple way to find your number is to check the Phone app’s settings in the Settings app. Follow the steps below:

1. Open the Settings app on your iPhone.
2. Scroll down to and tap Phone.
3. Your phone number will be next to My Number.

Check the phone number for your Apple ID

Next, you need to check your Apple ID phone number and make sure it’s correct. Here are the steps:

1. Open the Settings app on your iPhone.
2. Tap on your name.
3. Tap Sign-In & Security. Check that the correct phone number is listed.

For Apple Pay issues, check the default phone

1. Open the Settings app on your iPhone.
2. Scroll down to and tap Wallet & Apple Pay.
3. Under Transaction Defaults, tap on Phone.
4. If you have a phone number listed there, make sure it matches exactly, including the ‘ ’ and country code.

When entering your number

Make sure not to have spaces.
Don’t use the first zero for the country code. Check that the country code is there and is correct.

Update your iPhone

An important fix for any issue is checking for the latest iOS updates. Ensuring that your device’s software is up-to-date may help fix this problems. Here’s how:

1. Open the Settings app on your iPhone.
2. Scroll down to and tap General.
3. Tap Software Update.
4. If an update is available, tap Update Now and follow the onscreen instructions.

Restart your iPhone

Have you tried turning it off and on again? I’ve personally encountered an issue where my iPhone showed an error message saying “Invalid Phone Number. This phone number is invalid. Please enter a new number and try again,” and the culprit was software glitch. Turning my iPhone off and on again resolved the issue. I suggest that you try rebooting your device as well. Here’s how you can restart your iPhone:

• iPhone X or later: Press and hold the side button and the volume up (or down) buttons together until you see the power off slider. Drag the slider. Wait for your iPhone to turn off. Then press and hold the side button until you see the Apple logo.
• Other iPhone models: Press and hold the power button (side or top) until the power off slider appears. Drag the slider. Wait for your device to turn off. Then press and hold the power button again until the Apple logo appears.

Once your iPhone has rebooted, check if the your problem is fixed.

Update your carrier settings

Your carrier may have released settings update to address this problem. Here’s how to check:

1. Make sure you are connected to a Wi-Fi network.
2. Open the Settings app on your iPhone.
3. Scroll down to and tap General.
4. Tap About.
5. If there is an update available, you’ll immediately see a prompt that says Carrier Settings Update and asks whether you want to proceed with the update now. Tap Update.

If you receive "Invalid Phone Number" after entering 2FA code

Try getting the verification code sent to another device.

If the phone number is new

Wait and try again

• If you just got the phone number, you might wait a day or two if possible.
• Have someone call you to make sure the number is active.

Request a different number from the carrier

It is possible that someone had your phone number before. They may have created Apple IDs with the number or gotten put on some kind of spam list. These things could cause your phone number to be considered invalid.

• Someone may have had the number previously and created an Apple ID with it, and then the carrier recycled the number.
• You can get a new phone number from the carrier. If your phone number is new, it shouldn’t make too much difference to you if you have to change it.

If the phone number is not new

• Have you created other Apple IDs with the number?

Manage your Apple ID online

Go to appleid.apple.com to manage your Apple ID account.

If you still get the "Invalid Phone Number" error

There are two places that may be able to help you: Your carrier or Apple Support.

Contact your carrier (for a new number)

If you haven’t yet, you should contact your carrier to see if there is anything they can do to check your phone number or give you a new one (if yours is new).

Contact Apple Support

If you have double-checked your phone number, tried again a couple of days later and can’t get any help from your carrier, you might want to contact Apple support for assistance. They can help you get to the bottom of the problem.