bilibili SMS guide: distinguish new sign-in from old-number recovery

A new SMS sign-in is different from recovering your old account

bilibili's official sign-in page offers password and SMS routes. It says an unregistered or unbound phone number used for SMS sign-in may create a new account. If you want an existing account, first check whether that phone was already bound to it. Receiving a code on a newly purchased number cannot retrieve posts, saved content or benefits tied to a different account.

bilibili's privacy notice describes a phone number for registration and sign-in and also mentions email sign-in. Follow the options in the app or web page you actually see. If you still have access through your existing password, bound email or signed-in device, review the binding settings there first. Receiving a text completes only a text step; it does not replace identity information or an account appeal requested by bilibili.

Check the country code before comparing pools

1. Open bilibili's current SMS sign-in or registration screen and confirm it offers the country code you intend to use. An SMS4U quote for that region does not prove bilibili accepts its number type. SMS4U does not offer mainland China numbers.
2. In SMS4U choose product code bilibili and the country, then compare the default Smart recommendation with the other pools currently offered. A country's lowest price across all apps is not necessarily the price for bilibili.
3. Review the lowest available and currently selected prices, order lifetime and final CNY debit. USD on this English page is an indicative display; your balance, top-up and actual order charge remain in CNY.
4. After a number is actually allocated, enter it using the format bilibili requests and watch Active orders for the text before expiry. If allocation says no number is available, refresh the quote or try another offered pool rather than repeatedly submitting an expired quote. If you have a number but no text, check the sending status, number formatting and order timer.

Some recent bilibili purchase attempts on SMS4U encountered no stock at confirmation. A displayed count is an upstream quote snapshot, not a reservation. Even receiving an SMS does not guarantee that bilibili will accept the number or clear later checks. If bilibili reports an invalid number, a sending restriction or another verification method, follow its message before buying the same combination again.

For an account you want to keep, plan beyond a short SMS order

bilibili's support center directs signed-in users to “Me → Contact support → Self service → Change phone number.” If the old bound number cannot receive a code, its change-number page has a “Cannot receive verification code” path. Use that official recovery flow when you no longer control the old phone. A new number will not receive messages addressed to the old one. bilibili also warns that changing the phone binding does not transfer membership or other assets from a different account.

For lasting access, prefer a phone number you control over time and confirm any available password or email route. An SMS4U activation order receives texts only during its validity period and does not promise future codes. To compare regional offers, read the USA and Hong Kong guides, then check the country codes shown in bilibili. Those guides describe SMS4U supply, not bilibili's country policy.