Short answers
Does a paid order mean the number is ready?
Payment acceptance and number allocation are separate. Open the existing order and its number details. Before a number exists, allocation is incomplete. A processing asset that already has an allocated number can be waiting for SMS rather than waiting for provisioning.
Does an empty inbox prove that no SMS arrived?
Only a current, successful reading can describe the saved history at that check. An old reading, failed refresh or withheld message is different from a current empty history. None proves that another service accepted the number or sent a message.
Is an activation automatically refunded if no code arrives?
No. Expiry or an empty history does not automatically establish refund eligibility. Customer-requested refunds require confirmed account email and owner review under the refund policy. Check the order and wallet records for a settled refund.
Open the number belonging to the existing order
Sign in to My numbers and choose the resource associated with your order. Check its product type, selected service where applicable, allocated number, status, reported expiry and Checked time. Avoid comparing a message request with a different number or an earlier order.
An activation, a service-specific rental and a monthly number have different terms. The SMS product selection guide explains those differences. Access to one service or period does not establish permission for every sender or a right to keep the number after that term.
| Current observation | What to do next |
|---|---|
| No number has been allocated | Read the order’s delivery state. Refresh its existing status when needed; do not start another purchase to test delivery. |
| Number allocated, waiting for SMS | Check the selected service and remaining access time, then inspect the owned inbox. |
| Purchase result needs confirmation | Retain the order and request reference. Ask support to reconcile the existing result. |
| Access expired, cancelled or refunded | Stop waiting for a new message under that access period. Read the final state and any supported next action. |
Check how recent and complete the inbox is
Read the message history and its update time. Use Refresh status when a current reading is needed, then check the new result rather than assuming that clicking refresh succeeded. A failed or stale check leaves the latest outcome unconfirmed. Rapid repeated clicks do not establish delivery.
| Result | Interpretation |
|---|---|
| A current, successful reading has no messages | The saved history is empty at that check. The sender’s acceptance and sending decision remain separate. |
| The last check is old or reports an error | The latest history is unconfirmed. Preserve the timestamp and error for support. |
| A received code or message is shown | Use only the message belonging to your permitted task. Check the reported receipt time and the receiving service’s own code rules. |
| Content is unavailable or withheld | Do not treat it as an empty message, guess a code or try to recover content through another account. |
Use the reported message, code and receipt time. Do not extract a code from unrelated digits or replace its receipt time with the time you opened the page. Keep the content private.
Check the receiving service’s side of the task
- Confirm that the task is allowed by the receiving service and that its rules permit the number type. Portproof availability does not establish that acceptance.
- Compare the number entered there with your allocated number, including its country code. Do not publish the full number in a troubleshooting post.
- Check that an activation or rental matches the service you purchased. A service-specific product does not become an all-service inbox because another sender was selected.
- Read the receiving service’s displayed error, resend instructions and expiry conditions. Follow its supported process rather than inventing a universal resend interval.
Google’s verification help gives examples of delayed messages and rejected or limited numbers. Other services have their own rules. Do not repeat a refused task with new numbers to get around a restriction.
Know when to stop waiting or review an action
When the needed message arrives, complete the permitted task and stop unnecessary checks. At completed, expired, cancelled or refunded states, do not keep polling for a new result from that ended workflow. If the outcome is unknown or held for confirmation, stop automatic retries and retain the existing reference for support.
Only use follow-up actions currently offered for the owned number. Reuse, paid reuse and completion are not available for every activation. A paid action requires reviewing its quoted charge and confirmation; it is not a harmless inbox refresh. Portproof does not offer automatic renewal or a general rent-again flow through this integration.
If you may need the number later, read the expiry and account-recovery checklist before the current term ends. A successful code today is not a promise of future access to the same number.
For reseller integrations
Read the owned asset and its saved message history through the SMS & eSIM API guide. Follow message pagination, last-synced information and withheld-content fields. Poll serially with timeouts, backoff and a deadline. Portproof does not currently expose verified incoming-SMS webhooks to reseller customers; order events are not incoming-message events.
If a purchase response was lost, retry only the identical saved purchase body and idempotency key. A new key creates a different purchase intent and can spend more wallet funds. Keep your own end-customer mapping private and authorise access to each inbox; a Portproof project key does not isolate your downstream customers.
Ask for confirmation with useful private evidence
Contact Portproof support with the order reference, product/service, status, last-check time, when the message was requested and the visible error. State whether a number was allocated and whether the inbox was current, stale or unreadable. Do not include API keys, full message content or verification codes.
For a cancellation that would return funds, or another refund request, confirm your account email and use Refund requests. A supported cancellation with no refund can instead follow the action currently offered for that number. Submission, owner approval and a settled refund are different events. The refund policy governs eligibility; an unused number, expired task or third-party rejection does not automatically establish a refund.
Sources and scope
Portproof’s owned-resource and message flow, the linked API guide and Google’s verification guidance were reviewed on 25 October 2026. This is a documentation-based diagnostic, not a live SMS test or a guarantee of stock, acceptance, delivery time or refund eligibility. Check current SMS listings for a new permitted task after resolving the existing result.
What is not allowed
Request messages only for accounts and tasks you are authorised to manage. Keep numbers and codes private and follow the acceptable-use policy.
Read next
SMS activation, rental or monthly number?
Choose the access period and supported service you need, and understand what happens when the term ends.
Read the guide
SMS number expiry and account recovery
Map the accounts that depend on a time-limited SMS number and complete permitted access changes before its current term ends.
Read the guide