Use the Burner app to create 'smart' phone numbers
Burner Connections can connect your temporary numbers to outside services, leading to some IFTTT-like magic.
Burner, the iOS or Android app that creates temporary phone numbers, recently learned a few new tricks.
For starters, you can now sign up for a somewhat permanent phone number that renews each month. This added benefit makes it possible to purchase a dedicated Tinder number, or for the more serious use case, a business line. Burner Premium lines are $4.99 a month and currently available on iOS, with Android support coming soon.
Of course, Burner has stayed true to its roots and allows you to create temporary numbers. The numbers can be "burned" at any time with a press of a button. A temporary phone number lends itself to situations like dealing with Craigslist, online dating or any number of instances where you don't want someone to have your real phone number.
Also included in the recent update is what the company is calling Connections. Burner now lets you connect Dropbox, Slack, Soundcloud and Evernote to a phone number.
Once connected, you can do things like set up Evernote to automatically reply to incoming messages, or -- my personal favorite -- connect to Dropbox to automatically back up incoming picture messages and voice mails. The company has said it's working on integrating more services into Connections.
Once you have an active Burner, just tap on the Settings gear to connect your number to the available services. The process is quick and easy, leaving little room for you to mess it up. Burner Connections are iOS-only for the time being, again, with Android support coming soon.