Landline or mobile checker: line type for a whole list
This landline or mobile checker reads each number's line type from its country's numbering plan: mobile, landline, VoIP, toll-free or another service range. Where mobiles have their own prefixes, such as the UK's 07, the answer is reliable. In the US and Canada mobiles and landlines share prefixes, so those numbers come back as "can't tell" instead of a guess.
Used for numbers written without a + country code.
Sample result
+44 20 7946 0958 is in a UK landline range.
- Phone number
- +44 20 7946 0958
- Country
- GB
- +1 numbers
- Can't tell from the digits
What this means for you
Send texts to mobile ranges and calls to landlines; US and Canada digits can't tell you which.
- Line type each number's range was issued for
- Mobile, landline, VoIP and toll-free ranges
- US and Canada come back as can't tell
- Bulk CSV with your original columns kept
- Line type
- Bulk
- libphonenumber
By SimpleVerifier Team · Last updated · Runs in your browser; nothing you paste is sent to us
How to check if a number is mobile or landline
- Pick the default country for numbers written without a + code. Numbers with a + code ignore it.
- Paste one number per line, or upload a CSV. The phone column is found automatically and your other columns are kept.
- Press Check line types. Each number gets its E.164 form, country and line type.
- Download everything, or just the mobiles, the landlines or the numbers the plan can't settle.
Example
- You enter
- Two numbers,
(415) 555-0132and+44 20 7946 0958, with United States as the default country. - You get
- The UK number is in a landline range. The US number comes back as mobile or landline, because US and Canada numbering ranges don't separate the two.
- Limits
- Uploaded files can be up to 25 MB; there is no cap on the number of rows, and it all runs in your browser. Line type comes from numbering-plan ranges, not a live carrier lookup.
How do I know if a number is a mobile or landline?
In most countries you can tell from the prefix, because the numbering plan issues mobiles their own ranges. Every country publishes a plan that says which ranges are for mobiles, geographic landlines, freephone, premium rate and so on. This tool uses Google's open-source libphonenumber data, the same data Android uses, to place each number in its range. In the UK every mobile starts 07 (apart from 070 personal numbers and 076 pagers), while landlines start 01 or 02, so a UK number's range is a good guide to its type.
The result is the type the range was issued for. It isn't a lookup of the line as it is today. Nothing here contacts a network, so the tool can't say whether a number is connected, who holds it, or whether anyone will answer.
Why do US and Canada numbers say "can't tell"?
In the North American Numbering Plan, mobile and landline numbers come out of the same area codes and exchanges, so the digits don't say which a number is. libphonenumber's own documentation puts it plainly: in some regions, the USA among them, "it is impossible to distinguish between fixed-line and mobile numbers by looking at the phone number itself". Any free tool that confidently labels (415) 555-2671 as a mobile from the digits alone is guessing.
Number porting makes it harder. US customers can move a number from a landline to a wireless carrier and back, as the FCC's porting guide explains, so even the history of a range doesn't settle it. The only way to know a US number's current line type is a carrier lookup, which queries carrier data for that specific number. That's what the Email + Phone plan does.
Why check if a number is mobile or landline before you call or text?
Because texts are meant for mobiles and US calling rules treat mobiles differently. libphonenumber's FAQ says SMS can be sent to mobile numbers and notes that only some countries let ordinary landlines be set up to receive texts, so a landline in a text campaign is usually a wasted send. For calls, the TCPA's consent rules for autodialled and prerecorded calls are stricter for wireless numbers (47 CFR 64.1200), which is why compliance teams want the line type before a dialer runs. Our guide to TCPA, mobile and landline covers the details. It isn't legal advice.
For lists outside North America, the numbering plan is usually enough to split mobiles from landlines for an SMS campaign. For US and Canadian lists, use this tool to remove invalid and toll-free numbers first, then run a carrier lookup on what's left so you only pay for lookups on numbers worth checking.
What do the other line type results mean?
"Toll-free" numbers such as +1 800 usually can't receive SMS in the usual way and are often answered by a call centre. "VoIP" appears where a country issues VoIP its own range, as the UK does with 056. VoIP numbers inside ordinary ranges can't be spotted this way; see how to check if a number is VoIP. "Valid, type not published" means the number fits the plan but the country's data doesn't split its ranges by type. "Other service number" covers premium rate, shared cost, personal numbers, pagers and similar ranges. "Not a valid number" is usually a missing digit or the wrong default country.
Numbering plan check or carrier lookup: which do you need?
This free tool reads the numbering plan. A carrier lookup asks carrier data about one specific number. They answer different questions:
| This tool (numbering plan) | Carrier lookup | |
|---|---|---|
| What it reads | The range a number belongs to | Carrier records for that number |
| UK, France, Australia and similar | Mobile or landline from the prefix | Mobile or landline, plus carrier |
| US and Canada | "Can't tell" | Current line type and carrier |
| Number ported to another carrier | Type of the original range | Current carrier |
| Cost and privacy | Free, runs in your browser | Paid per lookup, sent to a provider |
Who uses this tool, and for what?
- SMS teams
- Split a list into mobiles and landlines before a campaign, so segments aren't billed for numbers that can't take a text. Check message length with the SMS character counter.
- Sales ops
- Before a dialer runs, separate the numbers the plan can settle from the US and Canadian ones that need a carrier lookup, and drop invalid and toll-free rows so you don't pay to look them up.
- Agencies
- Client lists from Europe, Australia and other markets with separate mobile ranges can be split for SMS here in one pass, with the original columns kept for re-import.
- Marketers
- Find which sign-ups gave a landline in the mobile field, and ask for a mobile number before relying on SMS confirmations or reminders.
What can’t this tool tell you?
- US and Canadian numbers can't be split into mobile and landline from the digits. They come back as "can't tell".
- It reports the type a range was issued for. A ported number, or a VoIP number inside an ordinary range, shows the range's type.
- It never contacts a network, so it can't tell you a number is in service, who holds it, or whether it can receive a text today.
- Some countries' data doesn't split ranges by type. Those numbers show "Valid, type not published".
- A landline result doesn't always mean no SMS: in some countries landlines can be set up to receive texts.
Common questions
- How can I tell if a phone number is a mobile or a landline?
- In most countries the prefix tells you, because mobiles are issued their own ranges, such as 07 in the UK or 06 and 07 in France. Paste the numbers above and the checker reads the type from each country's numbering plan. In the US and Canada mobiles and landlines share prefixes, so only a live carrier lookup can tell.
- How do I tell if a UK number is a landline or mobile?
- Look at the start. UK mobiles begin 07 (or +44 7), except 070 personal numbers and 076 pagers, and geographic landlines begin 01 or 02. Numbers starting 03, 08 or 09 are non-geographic service numbers.
- Can this tool tell if a US number is a cell phone?
- No, and no tool can from the digits alone. US and Canadian mobiles and landlines share area codes and exchanges, and numbers can be ported between them. Those numbers are marked "can't tell". A carrier lookup, such as the one in the Email + Phone plan, returns the current line type for each number.
- Does a mobile result mean the number is active?
- No. It means the number sits in a range issued for mobiles. Disconnected numbers stay in their ranges, and this tool never contacts a network, so it can't say whether the line is in service or who answers it.
- What is a line check?
- The term usually means a provider's test of a physical phone line, such as a broadband availability check by landline number or postcode, or a fault test. This tool does neither: it reads which kind of range a number was issued from.
- Can I check a CSV without losing my other columns?
- Yes. Upload the CSV, the phone column is found automatically, and the download keeps every original column with E.164, country and line type added at the end. You can also download only mobiles, only landlines or only the numbers the plan can't settle.
- Is my list uploaded anywhere?
- No. The numbering-plan data is loaded into your browser and every number is checked there. Nothing you paste or upload is sent to our servers.
Sources
The numbering plan only knows what a range was issued for.
In the US and Canada mobiles and landlines share the same prefixes, and anywhere a number can be ported or reassigned the range stops telling the whole story. A live carrier lookup asks the network data instead, which is what the Email + Phone plan adds.
- 5,000 live carrier lookups a month: real line type, including US numbers
- Carrier name for every number looked up
- Upload a CSV up to 100,000 rows; emails in the same file get a mailbox check
One plan, cancel anytime, no contract. Sign in with Google and your first 100 email checks are free, no card. The free tools stay free either way.