---
title: "Web text inbox"
url: "https://numberburn.com/features/text-inbox.md"
canonical_url: "https://numberburn.com/features/text-inbox"
last_updated: "2026-10-19"
type: "product"
summary: "Texts and photos sent to your NumberBurn number appear in a web inbox. No app and no replies, media up to 5 MB is stored."
related: ["https://numberburn.com/features/call-forwarding.md", "https://numberburn.com/features/modes-and-labels.md", "https://numberburn.com/features.md"]
---

# Web text inbox

Texts and photos sent to your NumberBurn number appear in a web inbox. No app and no replies, media up to 5 MB is stored.

Texts to a NumberBurn number land in your browser, verification codes included. There is no app to install and nothing to reply to.

## How it works

1. **Someone texts your number.** A text or a picture message is sent to the NumberBurn number you handed out.
2. **It appears in your inbox.** The message shows up on the web under that number, with its time and the sender, in your account. There is no app to open.
3. **Copy what you need.** Read the code or the message and copy it. Messages stay in the inbox for you to read again.
4. **Optional: get an email copy.** Turn on the email copy for a number if you want each text sent to your account email too. It is off by default.

## Pictures and other media

Picture messages (MMS) arrive in the inbox like any text. NumberBurn stores media up to 5 MB. Anything larger is not kept, and the inbox says so instead of hiding it.

| Incoming media | What you see in the inbox |
| --- | --- |
| Up to 5 MB | The file is stored and shown with the message. |
| Larger than 5 MB | A row marked "could not store". The message itself is still recorded. |

## Fair use and email copies

Each number can receive 500 texts per calendar month under fair use. Past that, the number is flagged for review. **Texts are not dropped**: they keep arriving while the flag is looked at.

The email copy is a per-number switch. When it is on, each inbound text is also emailed to your account email. When it is off, texts live in the web inbox only.

## Limits

> **What the inbox does not do:** The inbox is web only and receive-only: you cannot reply or send a text from a NumberBurn number. Media over 5 MB is recorded as "could not store". Texts are kept 30 days. Some banks and apps refuse virtual numbers, so a code may never be sent.

## Frequently asked questions

### Can I reply to a text?

No. NumberBurn numbers are receive-only, and the inbox has no way to send a text or a picture message. See the [limits](https://numberburn.com/help/limits-and-911.md) for the full list.

### Is there an app for the inbox?

No. The inbox is a web page, so it works in any browser. NumberBurn does not plan a mobile app.

### What happens after 500 texts in a month?

The number is flagged for review. Texts are not dropped and keep arriving in the inbox. The 500 texts per number per calendar month is the fair-use level.

## Related

- [Call forwarding](https://numberburn.com/features/call-forwarding.md)
- [Modes and labels](https://numberburn.com/features/modes-and-labels.md)
- [Burner number features](https://numberburn.com/features.md)