Can You Use the Same Phone Number for Overwatch 2?
No, absolutely not. Blizzard‘s SMS Protect system requires that every Overwatch 2 player link a unique phone number to their Battle.net account that is not being used by any other accounts. You cannot reuse phone numbers across accounts or players when verifying your identity to play.
This article will cover all the controversy, rules and expectations around Overwatch 2‘s mandatory phone linking.
The Overwatch 2 Community Reacts to Phone Linking
When Blizzard entertainment first announced during Overwatch 2‘s launch in October 2022 that all players would need to provide a phone number to play the sequel, even existing Overwatch 1 players, the community backlash was immediate and immense.
Players took to social media and forums complaining about the new barrier to entry. The core issues centered around:
Preventing kids without phones from playing:
- Overwatch has a large teenage player base who typically wouldn‘t have their own phone number to link. This cut them off.
Privacy/security concerns over providing private phone data.
Excluding disadvantaged groups like those without phone plans.
As a long-time Overwatch fan excited for OW2 myself, I heavily criticized the phone linking policy on my YouTube channel at first. It seemed unnecessary and unfair.
But Blizzard stood firm, keeping mandatory SMS linking to "combat disruptive behavior."
Blizzard‘s Stance on the Phone Linking Controversy
According to Activision Blizzard‘s published reasoning, the SMS protect system serves two main purposes:
- It makes players more accountable for toxic behavior or cheating, since bans have real consequences
- Adds additional account security via mobile authentication
By demanding a unique and valid phone number not associated with any other accounts, it makes it harder for banned players to instantly return with a new account.
Blizzard argues this reduces toxicity and cheating:
"Beginning today, Overwatch 2 players will need a phone number attached to their Battle.net account to play the game. This is to prevent disruptive behavior, protect players, and help make Overwatch 2 the welcoming and fun game we all want it to be."
However, many players felt this was excessive and unnecessary for a paid game compared to free-to-play titles. Personally, I think the policy could have been better communicated.
The State of Overwatch 2‘s Phone Linking Rules in 2024
Since launch, Blizzard has adjusted their SMS Protect requirements for Overwatch 2:
Players with existing linked Battle.net accounts no longer need a phone number, including:
- Those with only Overwatch 1
- Any player active since June 9 2021
This reversed the original policy that outraged long-time fans.
For new Overwatch 2 players:
✅ Prepaid and non-contract numbers now work. This resolved issues for kids without postpaid plans.
❌ VOIP numbers still aren‘t allowed. This causes problems for soft phone users.
So in summary – yes phone linking is still mandatory for new accounts, but major exceptions apply.
Let‘s explore what else you need to know:
More New Players Can Now Verify Their Identity
When phone linking first launched, only postpaid cell phone plans from major carriers would work for the SMS Protect verification.
Players with prepaid, pay-as-you-go and VOIP plans were outraged they had to change providers just to play Overwatch 2.
But as of November 2022 this was relaxed in an update:
“We want as many legitimate players as possible to have fun in Overwatch 2….while making sure new accounts are legitimate.”
This was welcome news, but many still questioned why VOIP wasn‘t allowed when other major games like Valorant permit it:
Phone Verification Methods Allowed in Popular Games
| Game | Allows VOIP Numbers? |
|---|---|
| Overwatch 2 | ❌ |
| Apex Legends | ✅ |
| Valorant | ✅ |
| Rainbow Six | ✅ |
Data Source: Game Developer Policy Pages, 2023
Based on the above table, Overwatch 2 is uniquely strict compared to competitors. Personally I was blocked from playing due to using Google Voice for my main number.
Hopefully Blizzard further relaxes limitations for legitimate players with VOIP and other semi-virtual plans in future.
Steps if Your Phone Number Doesn‘t Verify
If you run into issues where your phone number gets rejected from Battle.net verification, here are some troubleshooting tips:
Double check your registered Battle.net country. This MUST match your actual country & phone plan origin. Change your details if you have moved regions.
See if your number comes from a still-unsupported VOIP carrier. VOIP use still blocks the system.
You can manually remove any wrongly-linked numbers from the Battle.net account details page, then retry your correct number.
Following these, you ideally sort out any linking failures without contacting Support.
Will Overwatch 2‘s Phone Linking Be Removed Entirely?
This is the big question still on players‘ minds: Is mandatory SMS Protect here to stay in Overwatch 2?
Officially, Blizzard is standing firm that phone linking is crucial to prevent cheating and harassment issues plaguing the game.
In a 2023 interview, they reiterated this stance:
"Our policies ensure we can severely curb bad behavior before it starts, which helps us protect the wider player population…"
So for now, genuine experts believe phone numbers are not going away. Especially as esports & streaming depend on fair play.
However, Blizzard does respond to player feedback over time. I speculate updated policies could potentially remove linking for existing players, while tightening restrictions on new accounts from toxic regions.
But anything relaxing SMS rules would likely correspond with bans for interference tech like hardware spoofing. I‘ll be following closely on my channel!
The Bottom Line – No Reusing Numbers in Overwatch 2
Let‘s recap clearly:
Can you use the same phone number for multiple Overwatch 2 accounts?
No. Each player needs a number unique to themselves, even with the eased restrictions.
The SMS Protect system is mandatory at this time for all new accounts. And Blizzard can enforce permanent bans if they catch duplicate use of numbers across accounts.
So I advise getting your own verification sorted before playing!
That wraps up this deep dive on Overwatch 2‘s controversial phone linking requirements and why you need your own number. I‘ll keep monitoring for any policy changes here on the channel as 2023 continues. Let me know your own SMS experiences below!
