Why can't I send my phone number?

Phone numbers, email addresses and messenger links can't be sent in the chat. All chat stays in Carbetic, where reporting and blocking protect you.

What can't be sent

A message can't be sent if it contains:

a phone number;
an email address;
a link or handle for a messenger or social network, for example WhatsApp, Telegram, Signal, Instagram, Snapchat or Facebook.

The app notices it while you type. The send button is turned off, and a short note above the message field says: “For security reasons, phone numbers and other contact details can't be sent. Please keep chatting in Carbetic.” Remove the contact details, and you can send your message.

Why

As long as you chat in Carbetic, you can report and block, and we can help if something goes wrong. Scams and other problems often start when someone moves the conversation to another app before people have met.

So keep chatting in Carbetic until you meet, and swap phone numbers in person.

What still works

Dates, times, prices, postcodes, house numbers and ages are not blocked. For example, “Saturday 18:00-20:00, €15 an hour” is sent as usual.

If the app blocks something that isn't a contact detail, write it a little differently and let us know at safety@carbetic.app, so we can improve the check.

Please don't try to get around the block, for example by spelling numbers out. That breaks our community guidelines.

Nothing is stored

The check is a fixed pattern check on your phone and on our server. It uses no AI, nobody reads your message, and nothing about a blocked message is stored. Nobody is penalised for trying.

If you type something that looks like a bank account or a request for payment, the app shows you a short safety tip instead. That message is not blocked. See Scams and money red flags.

Photos and profiles

Contact details don't belong in photos or profile texts either. Profile texts with contact details are not published, and photos of phone numbers break our rules.