Unable to Verify Phone Number for Codex Login (WhatsApp Required, SMS Not Received)
What version of the Codex App are you using (From “About Codex” dialog)?
Version 26.527.60818 (3437)
What subscription do you have?
ChatGPT Plus
What platform is your computer?
Darwin 25.5.0 arm64 arm
What issue are you seeing?
I am unable to log into Codex because the phone verification process does not work.
During login, Codex asks me to enter a verification code that was supposedly sent to my German phone number via WhatsApp. However, this phone number is not registered with WhatsApp, and I do not receive any SMS verification code either.
There is no option to switch from WhatsApp verification to SMS verification, use another verification method, or change the phone number associated with verification.
As a result, I am completely blocked from accessing Codex despite having an active ChatGPT Plus subscription and being able to log into ChatGPT normally.
What steps can reproduce the bug?
Steps to reproduce:
- Open Codex and start the login process.
- Sign in with my OpenAI account.
- Complete account authentication.
- Reach the phone verification screen.
- Codex requests a verification code sent via WhatsApp.
- No WhatsApp message or SMS is received.
- Login cannot be completed.
What is the expected behavior?
Expected behavior:
- Receive a verification code via SMS.
- Have an option to use an alternative verification method.
- Be able to complete login successfully.
Actual behavior:
- No verification code is received.
- No alternative verification method is available.
- Login process is blocked.
Additional information
Additional Information
- I am located in Germany and using a German mobile phone number (+49).
- The phone number is valid and active.
- The verification screen specifically states that a code was sent via WhatsApp.
- This phone number is not registered with WhatsApp, so I cannot receive WhatsApp messages on it.
- No SMS verification code is received as an alternative.
- I cannot find any option to switch from WhatsApp verification to SMS verification.
- I cannot find any option to use a different phone number or another verification method.
- My ChatGPT account is working normally and I can access ChatGPT without issues.
- I have an active ChatGPT Plus subscription.
- I have retried the verification process multiple times and the issue persists.
- I have tried different browsers/networks and the result is the same.
- This issue prevents me from using Codex entirely.
If this is expected behavior, please advise how users without WhatsApp on their phone number can complete the verification process and access Codex.
6 Comments
Potential duplicates detected. Please review them and close your issue if it is a duplicate.
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They made it like that to try be smart about people using free accounts.
Normal phone verification could still be done with temporary numbers etc.
So they become so self aware in the last couple of months that they think that imposing whatsapp to everyone is the solution to avoid new accounts to bypass their limits, a shit move that screws us all now
OpenAI is lame and should be ashamed for this nosense
tf you closing this as completed? @sudarshandhokale
What is completed? OpenAI scum are forcing people to get and use whatsapp even if they don't want or can't?
Do you understand the implications of all this? I pretend a professional reply and asap.
Not you silently coming here and closing the issue as soon as I call out the bullshit openAI is doing
You prefer me approach this with lawyers instead? Keep complain about this issue like I am doing instead.
@Radu13 I understand your frustration, and I can see why this issue is concerning.
I closed my issue because OpenAI Support contacted me directly by email, acknowledged the problem, requested additional diagnostic information (including HAR files), and continued the investigation through the support ticket. Since my individual case was being handled outside of GitHub, I closed the issue to avoid having duplicate tracking for the same problem.
Closing my issue does not mean I believe the underlying issue is resolved for everyone, nor was it intended to dismiss the concerns raised by others. I only closed it because my support case moved to a different channel.
If you’re still experiencing the problem, I encourage you to keep your own issue open or open a separate one with your specific details so the team can investigate your case as well.
I appreciate you bringing attention to the impact this has had on users.
But did openAI solved the issue for you? That's the problem
Yes, it was resolved for me after I contacted OpenAI Support via email.