Keeping your existing number
Customers keep calling the number they know. Catchline adds a second number behind it.
Updated
On this page
Every plan includes a Catchline number, local or toll-free, chosen on the Phone step of setup. It is where unanswered calls go and where texts come from. Your published business number does not change, does not move, and is not ported anywhere.
Two ways to use it
| Item | Forwarded (the default) | Primary |
|---|---|---|
| Number customers call | Your existing number | Your Catchline number |
| How a call reaches Catchline | Your carrier forwards it after you do not answer | It rings your mobile through Catchline first |
| How long your phone rings | Your carrier decides, usually 20 to 25 seconds | You choose, from 8 to 60 seconds, in Settings |
| Setup | Dial one forwarding code | Nothing to dial; publish the number |
| Caller ID on your mobile | The caller's number | The caller's number, or your Catchline number if you prefer |
Switch modes under Settings, Phone and forwarding. Most owners stay in forwarded mode. Primary mode suits a new business, or one that wants to control how long the phone rings.
Local or toll-free
A local number shows a familiar area code. A toll-free number works nationwide. Both can call and text. US carriers approve a number for business texting before texts reach every network; Catchline handles that registration with the phone provider, and it usually clears within a few business days. There is no progress bar for it in the product yet: if texts to some networks are still failing after a week, email hello@catchlinehq.com.
If your plan lapses
When a trial ends or a subscription is cancelled, texts pause but the number is kept for 14 days. On day 10 you get an email warning that the number is about to be released. Choosing a plan before day 14 keeps it. After day 14 the number is given up and cannot be recovered; choose a plan later and you get a new one. Conversations, bookings and contacts are always kept.
Still stuck?
Email us with your business name and what you were trying to do. Screenshots help. If a page here does not match what you see in Catchline, say so and we will fix the page.
hello@catchlinehq.com