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As our phones connect us to more and more of the world around us, identifying the people who try to contact us becomes more meaningful. Your first line of defense is the area code: the first three digits of an incoming phone number that identify where the caller is from.
In some cases, screening an area code is simple; a local phone number is more trustworthy, while business phone numbers with an 800 area code may earn more concern.
Just as you screen incoming calls based on their area codes, many others will get their first impression of you from your area code.
Why Would You Change Your Area Code?
There are plenty of valid reasons why you would not want your area code attached to your phone number at all times. Having an area code that narrows down where in the world you live is uncomfortable for some people, especially given the targeted forms of scam calling certain regions to get. In a world where personal privacy is becoming harder to come by every day, it is understandable that you would want some control over how your phone number is presented to strangers.
Luckily, there are several ways you can take action and change your area code if that is the route you want to take. It is not uncommon for people to want to change their number for privacy and other concerns. Regardless of your motivations, changing your area code can involve varying levels of work and effort depending on what method you choose.
There are different ways of doing this, with pros and cons for each method, but they will do the trick if you are looking for another area code. Specifically, here are a few ways to give yourself a phone number with an area code from the state of Idaho.
What does it mean to have a 208 area code?
The area code of 208 once covered the entirety of Idaho, a job which it now splits with its overlay area code of 986. 208 is one of the original area codes created in the United States in 1947. As such, it comprises many of the largest cities in the state of Idaho.
Cities covered by the 208 area code include Boise City, Nampa, Meridian, Idaho Falls, Pocatello, Caldwell, Coeur d’Alene, Twin Falls, Lewiston, and Post Falls. These cities comprise a large percentage of the state of Idaho.
You Could Buy Your Phone in Idaho
This may seem unhelpful, but the most traditional way to do this would be to go to the state of Idaho in person. If you set up your phone in a place that has an Idaho area code, your number will be attached to that area code by default.
Like with any phone number, your geographical location when you get the number and set up the phone will determine your area code. You should note that this is a solution for either mobile or landline phones, as it doesn’t require any work beyond buying a phone and getting service for the device set up.
That said, buying a whole new phone isn’t something many people are willing to do just to change their area code. While it is possible for you to buy a cheap burner phone from the area just to have a phone number with an Idaho area code, that still requires money and a lot of travel potentially, depending on where you live.
In truth, this is a lot more trouble than it would be worth to get a number with an Idaho area code. While this method works perfectly fine, there are much easier ways to achieve the same result without going on a road trip to the state of Idaho with some saved-up cash.
You Can Contact Your Phone Company
The largest phone companies allow you to change your area code by contacting them and putting in a request. The process is fairly simple, but here is an example of what it looks like for Sprint for T-Mobile:
- Go to your account and navigate to the preferences menu.
- Go to ‘about my devices’ and select ‘my preferences.’
- Click ‘I need a new area code for this phone.’
- Continue through the process until it is finalized.
Once you have followed these steps, you will get a new phone number with the area code in the region you selected. It is important to note that you usually can’t select the phone number you want, and instead, you will receive a randomly assigned phone number.
This is the most straightforward method of changing your area code, as it lets you change your phone number with your own phone company. It isn’t a complicated process; however, you must give up your current number and make that change.
You will have to inform your contacts that your number has changed, which is complicated in itself. Your old number will not be accessible by anyone in your network. If you don’t want to make such a big life change, you might try another option.
The Best Option: Use the Burner App
The top option is to use the Burner application to give you a new phone number without major changes to your existing device and phone service. Burner is an app that allows you to create a burner number that functions as an entirely new phone on your already existing device.
When you use Burner, you have two phones in one, with two different phone numbers. When you create a burner number, you can choose which area code you want, and with a couple of clicks, you will have a new phone number with a new area code that you can access from your phone.
Burner makes your original phone number completely private, and it doesn’t require you to do anything to your current phone plan. You don’t have to travel across the country, and you don’t need to recreate your contact list. This option is the least invasive and easiest to complete when getting a number with a new area code.
Whether it is an Idaho area code or one from any other region of the United States, you can use Burner to get the area code you are looking for.
Visit Burner Now to Download the App
There are plenty of reasons you might want to change your phone number’s area code and several ways to make that happen. The most straightforward method is to travel to Idaho if that is the area code you want, but not many people want to travel just to get new phone service.
Instead, the best method is to use Burner to create a second phone number that you can access on your mobile phone without making major changes to your phone and phone service.
Sources:
Change your area code on sprint.com | Sprint
208 Area Code - Location map, time zone, and phone lookup | allareacodes.com
