Receive Calls in Your Browser — a Real Phone Number, No SIM, No App
Last updated: September 2026
Kinvo gives you a virtual phone number in the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, or Australia that people can call from any phone. When they do, the call rings in your browser — Chrome, Safari, Firefox, or Edge, on desktop or mobile — and you answer with your usual microphone or headset. Incoming calls cost $0.04 per minute with no connection fee, missed calls are free, and your credits never expire.
How receiving calls in your browser works
Three steps, about three minutes, and nothing to install.
- 1
Create an account and add credits
Sign up with your email from any country — no US address or phone number needed. Add credits from $5; they never expire.
- 2
Buy a virtual number
Open Virtual Numbers, pick the US, UK, Canada, or Australia, and choose a number. The monthly fee is shown before you confirm. Incoming calls are switched on by default.
- 3
Keep the dialer open and answer
Leave the Kinvo dialer tab open. When someone calls, the tab rings and shows their real number. Click Answer — you are talking over the same HD, encrypted connection Kinvo uses for outbound calls.
No credit card needed to sign up. The number can also be used as your caller ID for outbound calls.
What you get
A real number people can dial
A US, UK, Canadian, or Australian number that any phone in the world can call. It rings in your browser, not in an app.
Answer from anywhere
Cairo, Manila, Berlin, a hotel Wi-Fi — if the Kinvo tab is open, the call reaches you. No roaming, no SIM swap.
Same HD audio, same headset
Encrypted WebRTC with the Opus codec, exactly like outbound calls. Any mic, headset, or Bluetooth device your browser can see works.
See who is calling
The caller's real number shows on the ring screen and in your call history, so you can decide before you pick up and ring back later.
Never lose a missed call
Tab closed or you were away? The caller gets a busy tone, you get an email, and the call lands in your history.
On or off, per number
Switch incoming calls off and the number still works as your caller ID for outbound calls. Turn it back on whenever you like.
What it costs
| Item | Price |
|---|---|
| Incoming call | $0.04 per minute, no connection fee |
| Missed or unanswered call | Free |
| Virtual number | Monthly fee, shown before you buy; billed from your credits |
| Subscription or contract | None — pay-as-you-go credits from $5 that never expire |
A 30-minute incoming call costs $1.20. If the tab is closed or you do not pick up, nothing is charged. Outbound calls from the same number are billed at the normal per-country rate on the rates page.
Who uses a browser number
Expats keeping a home number
Moved from London to Dubai, or from Toronto to Cairo? Keep a UK or Canadian number so family, banks, and the doctor's office can reach you at a local rate, and answer from your laptop.
Freelancers with US or UK clients
Put a US or UK number on your invoices and website. Clients call a local number; you pick up in the browser from wherever you work, and their number is in your history for callbacks.
Travellers off their home SIM
Roaming voice is expensive and local data eSIMs have no phone number. A Kinvo number rings over any Wi-Fi or data connection you already have, at $0.04 a minute.
See also: Kinvo for expats and Kinvo for small businesses.
How it compares to the alternatives
| Option | Sign up from anywhere | Rings in a browser | SMS / voicemail | Countries |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kinvo virtual number | Yes | Yes, $0.04/min | Not yet | US, UK, CA, AU |
| Google Voice | US phone number and address required | Yes | Yes | US only |
| Skype Number | Discontinued with Skype in May 2025 | |||
| Carrier roaming | n/a | Rings your handset only | Yes | Your home number, at roaming rates |
Full comparisons: Kinvo vs Google Voice and Kinvo as a Skype replacement.
What it does not do (yet)
- No SMS. Kinvo numbers receive voice calls, not text messages. Two-factor codes sent by SMS will not arrive.
- No voicemail or transcripts. A missed call becomes an email and a history entry with the caller's number, not a recording.
- No forwarding to a mobile. Calls ring only while the Kinvo dialer tab is open in a browser.
Frequently asked questions
How do I receive calls in my browser?
Sign up at kinvophone.com, buy a virtual number in the US, UK, Canada, or Australia from the Virtual Numbers page, and keep the Kinvo dialer tab open. When someone dials your number, the tab rings, shows the caller's real number, and you answer with the same microphone or headset you use to make calls. Nothing to install and no SIM card involved.
How much does it cost to receive a call?
Incoming calls cost $0.04 per minute with no connection fee. Missed or unanswered calls cost nothing. The virtual number itself has a monthly fee, shown before you buy, and your prepaid credits never expire.
What happens if my browser tab is closed when someone calls?
The caller gets a busy tone, you get a missed-call email, and the call appears in your call history with the caller's number so you can ring them back from the same screen. Calls only ring while the Kinvo dialer tab is open on your desktop or mobile browser.
Which countries can I get a number in?
Kinvo sells virtual numbers in the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, and Australia. Anyone in the world can call them from any phone, and the call rings in your browser wherever you are.
Do I need a US address or phone number to sign up?
No. Kinvo accepts signups from any country with an email address. This is the main difference from Google Voice, which requires a US phone number and address to create an account.
Can I get SMS or voicemail on a Kinvo number?
Not yet. Kinvo virtual numbers receive voice calls in the browser. They do not receive text messages, do not record voicemail, and do not forward calls to a mobile phone. If SMS or voicemail is essential, keep a service that provides them alongside Kinvo.
Can I turn incoming calls off?
Yes. Each virtual number has an incoming-calls switch on the Virtual Numbers page. Turn it off and the number still works as your outbound caller ID, but callers get a busy tone instead of ringing your browser.
Can I receive phone calls on my computer?
Yes. With a Kinvo virtual number, calls ring in a browser tab on a Windows PC, Mac, Chromebook or Linux machine — there is nothing to install. This is different from Phone Link or iPhone continuity, which mirror the mobile in your pocket; a Kinvo number is its own number and rings the computer directly, even if you have no mobile at all.
How do I receive calls online without a phone?
Buy a virtual number from Kinvo and keep the dialer tab open in any browser. The number is a real US, UK, Canadian or Australian number that people dial from ordinary phones; you answer with your computer's microphone or a headset. No SIM card, no handset and no app are involved.
Can I get a US phone number from outside the US?
Yes. Kinvo sells US numbers to accounts from any country and does not ask for a US address or an existing US phone number. Calls to the number ring in your browser wherever you are. Note that the number receives voice calls only — it will not receive SMS verification codes.
Can I get a UK number if I live abroad?
Yes. UK numbers, like US, Canadian and Australian ones, can be bought from anywhere and ring in your browser in any country. People in the UK dial an ordinary UK number and pay their normal domestic rate.
Does it work on iPhone and Android?
Yes, in the browser. Open the Kinvo dialer in Safari on iPhone or Chrome on Android and keep it in the foreground; incoming calls ring there the same way they do on a desktop. It does not ring while the browser is closed or the phone has been locked for a long time, so for always-on mobile use pair it with your regular SIM.
Is there a free way to receive calls in a browser?
Only with strings attached. Google Voice is free but requires a US phone number and address to sign up, and ad-supported apps such as TextNow serve the US and Canada only. Kinvo is not free — incoming calls cost $0.04 per minute plus a monthly fee for the number — but it works from any country and charges nothing for a missed call.
Is the call encrypted and is the quality good?
Incoming calls use the same encrypted WebRTC path as outbound Kinvo calls, with HD Opus audio and live quality indicators. Any microphone, headset, or Bluetooth device your browser can see will work.
Get a number people can call you on — today
Sign up in under a minute, pick a US, UK, Canadian, or Australian number, and take your first call in the browser. $0.04/min incoming, missed calls free, credits that never expire.
Create your accountRead the guide: How to receive calls in your browser