How to Create a BiliBili Account without a Phone Number?

Bilibili is a well-known Youtube-like platform in China, being the leader among video-sharing services in the country. With a Bilibili account, almost half of the Z and millenials’ generations of the Chinese watch online lectures, variety videos, and streams, share their impressions in the commentary section, generate videos with digital avatars, and many more.

Account verification with a phone number is mandatory on the platform. But what can you do if you have no phone number of Mainland China in hand? One of the optimum options is utilizing a Chinese disposable virtual phone number for this purpose.

But first, what is Bilibili, and what functionality does it offer to its users? Let’s find out next.

What is Bilibili?

Its creator, the Chinese software engineer Xu Yi was initially known as an active user and fan of the video-sharing platform AcFun, having in mind the idea to launch the better version of it once.

Before even getting its current name, the Bilibili app started as a fandom community of Hatsune Miku, the Japanese virtual singer. Later, in 2010, when the website gained an audience, Xu Yi transformed it by adding video-sharing functionality. And this was the time when Bilibili got its name from the “A Certain Scientific Railgun” manga’s heroine, Mikoto Misaki.

First, there were only three video categories on the website, including anime, comics, and videogames. Later, with the growing audience it added new topics such as cybersports, lifestyle, food, pop-culture, and more. Also, the Bilibili app provides users with a live-streaming service where a streamer can interact with the audience.

What is Bilibili’s Bullet Comments?

It is one of the distinctive functions of the video-sharing service, which implies that user messages recall streams of scrolling subtitles overlaid on the screen. User messages are named after the ‘bullet curtain’ feature from the Japanese danmu shooter game “Butsugun”, where the weapon fires multiple bullets. The more active the Bilibili account users are, the faster the comments fill the screen. Though, it does not disturb spectators from watching a video since the developers trained AI to ‘hide’ messages behind the people’s silhouettes in frame. Moreover, if you are not fond of this feature, you can always turn it off in the settings.

Another aspect is that you can leave comments anonymously, which is especially important for Mainland China. The thing is that each person has a social rating, and a careless comment can cause you to lose your job, position in society, and significantly spoil one’s life.

To start commenting on videos, you need to make Bilibili account first. For that, you need to get tested with the 100 question quiz during an hour. The quiz covers such topics as copyright, etiquette, meaning of terms used on the platform, etc. In addition, part of the quiz is devoted to testing your knowledge of a niche in which you are knowledgeable, such as anime or cybersports. Only those users who answered more than 60% of the questions successfully pass the test. Therefore, the quiz is a kind of tool for filtering random passers-by, trolls, and scammers.

However, to pass Bilibili registration, the obligatory requirement is submitting a phone number. Though, instead of giving out your personal number, you can always obtain a virtual phone number with limited duration to pass phone number verification on the platform. But first, how to set up an account on Bilibili?

Bilibili Registration and Verification

Find the ‘Log In’ (登录) blue button in the top right corner and click it. In the window that appears click ‘Register’ (注册) on the left, choose the national code and enter a phone number. After that, click ‘Get a verification code’ (获取验证码) on the right to number. Then, enter the code into the field (验证码) under the number. After that, click the blue button (登录/注册) at the center.

A window will pop up where you will need to enter your username and ID. You can generate this data using specialized web sources if you need to finalize the Bilibili registration for watching a few videos only. However, if you want to create a permanent account, keep in mind that Bilibili verifies user data. It means that sooner or later you will have to provide your real data.

Well, this is how you make Bilibili account. To confirm your identity, you will have to provide:

• Type of an identity document.
• Name — you can translate it into Chinese through a translator and write it in your language next to it.
• National ID/ passport number.
• Phone number or email.
• UID.

Moreover, to pass photo verification, you will need to attach a series of photos, including front and back of the ID, the side/page with your photo, and the image of your face next to the photo in the document.

Within 24 hours, Bilibili support will give you an answer whether your account is confirmed or not. If more than 24 hours have passed, please send the data again.

Virtual Phone for Bilibili Registration

Using a one-time use virtual phone number for getting an OTP for your Bilibili account is convenient. You neither need to leave home to purchase a SIM, nor reveal any personal documents.

Being auto generated, these numbers allow you both to remain completely anonymous on the web and register an account from any location regardless of where you actually are located. Moreover, when you register with a virtual number, the platform you are using it for is not able to distinguish them from conventional numbers.

SMS-Man allows you to find the required country from 190+ supported national codes to get verified in 1000+ supported services and applications. To make Bilibili account, you can even buy a virtual number of Mainland China if needed. The price is also affordable starting at $0.14 per number.

To purchase a virtual phone number from SMS-man, follow the instructions below:

1. Set up an account at sms-man.com using your email address or join via Google+.
2. Tap ‘Top Up’ in the top right corner to deposit the appropriate sum to the balance.
3. Open ‘Receive SMS’, find Bilibili among services and opt for the required country code. Tap ‘Buy’.
4. Then, scroll the homepage and copy the newly issued phone number to submit it to Bilibili registration.
5. Return to SMS-man and reveal an OTP by tapping ‘Receive SMS’ near the number.
6. Use the code for the Bilibili app.