Categories: General

Protect your privacy and your phone number with Firefox Relay

When you share your personal phone number with anyone outside your circle of family and friends, it essentially gives them permission to call you anytime of the day. This can mean robocallers at lunch and dinner, not to mention spam text messages throughout the day.

Think about it: How many times have you shared your number without giving it much thought? Take those retail loyalty programs that promise big discounts and hot deals. When you sign up and accept the terms of service, you’re also agreeing to share your personal information like your phone number with those companies – plus all their third-party partners. Having your data shared across multiple companies increases the chances of your information getting leaked. Before you know it, your number has landed on a spam caller list.

Since launching in 2020, Firefox Relay – a privacy-first product that hides your real email address to help protect your identity – has blocked more than 1.3 million unwanted emails from people’s inboxes while keeping true email addresses from trackers across the web. For Firefox Relay users, privacy protection doesn’t stop there. This Cybersecurity Awareness Month, we’re excited to announce a new user-requested feature to protect personal phone numbers.

The new Firefox Relay phone number masking feature is available to Firefox Relay subscribers and can be accessed via the Firefox Relay website. Once you upgrade your subscription to the phone number masking plan, we will generate a phone number for you to use. Each month you will receive up to 50 minutes for incoming calls and 75 text messages. All phone number masking plans will include unlimited email masking. The cost is $3.99 a month for an annual plan or $4.99 a month for a monthly plan. Currently, this feature is available in the U.S. and Canada. As we roll out this feature, we will explore how we can expand this offering to outbound calls and texts, as well as to other regions.

How Firefox Relay’s new phone number masking feature works

Whether you are signing up for loyalty programs, booking a restaurant reservation, or making purchases that require your phone number, now you can feel confident that your personal phone number won’t fall in the wrong hands with Firefox Relay.

Step 1: Go to relay.firefox.com

Step 2: Select Upgrade now to phone number masking.

An illustration depicts a person sitting down, looking at a phone. Text: Firefox Relay Premium. Introducing phone number masking. With phone number masking, you can create a phone number mask that helps you protect your true phone number. Share it, and receive messages and calls privately. Share a phone number mask that forwards texts and calls to your number. Need to get a digital receipt? Share your phone number mask instead. With phone number masking, you can reply to the last text you received. Currently available in the US and Canada only. Upgrade to get phone number masking. Yearly $3.99 / month. (Billed annually). Upgrade now.

Step 3: Next, you will be prompted to verify your true phone number where the calls and texts will be forwarded to via text message. After verification, we will generate your phone number mask. Bonus: To help you find an easy-to-remember phone number mask, we’ll recommend phone numbers for you to choose.

Text: United States and Canada. Enter an area code. These available phone number masks are similar to your true phone number. (415) 727 - 7153. (415) 967 - 5581. (415) 877 - 3406. Show me other options. Once you register a phone number mask, you cannot change it. Register phone number mask.

Step 4: Now, phone calls and texts will automatically forward to your true phone number. You won’t need to download another app, and you can check your calls on your phone and your Firefox Relay dashboard.

Text:  ### - ###- ####. Callers and text senders >. Remaining call minutes: 12:04. Remaining texts: 31. Calls and texts forwarded: 17. Calls and texts blocked: 0. Relay is currently forwarding all phone calls and text messages to your true phone number. Forward to: ### - ###- ####. Created: October 27, 2021

Also, if you receive a text message, you can reply directly to the last sender, which is helpful when that retailer or company wants to send a confirmation text to the phone number. If you find yourself receiving too many unwanted spam calls or texts, you can easily turn it off for all phone numbers or select the specific ones you want to block.

The Firefox Relay Product team is excited to add this new privacy-first feature! Check it out at relay.firefox.com.