Overwatch 2's servers have been live for a few days now, with the free-to-play hero shooter FPS witnessing a sudden surge in its playerbase. With the rapidly increasing player count, numerous glitches, server issues, and verification problems alongside the DDoS attack have dampened the gaming experience for Overwatch 2 fans.
A recent glitch annoying players is the 'Phone Number Already in Use' error. This error is linked to Blizzard Entertainment's newly introduced Defense Matrix initiative. This article will focus on the reason behind the error and how to possibly fix it to give players a smoother experience in Overwatch 2.
Overwatch 2's "Phone Number Already in Use" error
On September 27, Blizzard Entertainment announced its new Defense Matrix initiative. The goal of this initiative was to:
- Define, develop, and nurture programs that will ensure a positive experience for all players.
- Ensure competitive integrity at every level of play by rapidly identifying and eliminating cheaters and disruptive players.
- Create a safer community both in and out of the game by embracing a firm stance against disruptive gameplay and enabling positive and constructive players to be the leading voices in the community.
However, for this program to be active, Blizzard requires players to link their phone numbers to their Battle.net accounts.
Possible reasons for the error
1) The possible reason for the error is that your account might have already been added to another account, or the number is not valid or meets the requirements.
2) Some players have also noticed that if they use a pre-paid or VOIP SIM card for their mobile phones, Blizzard Entertainment's new SMS Protect service cannot detect those numbers, and players will get this error.
How to fix Overwatch 2's "Phone Number Already in Use" error
Here are some methods that you can try to avoid receiving these errors while playing Overwatch 2:
1) You need to open the Battle.Net launcher or the site from your web browser and make sure that a mobile number is already added.
2) If a mobile number is added to it, starting from October 7, you'll have nothing to worry about. Since Blizzard is updating their SMS Protect system, only new players will be required to add their phone numbers to their Blizzard accounts. If you are an existing player, you should not be getting this error from October 7.
3) If you are still getting this error, you can try changing your mobile recharge plan to post-paid from pre-paid, and you might not be receiving the error anymore.
4) However, if none of the above methods fixes the issue, you might need to contact Blizzard's customer service to check why Blizzard is not receiving your number.
Overwatch 2 is the sequel to Blizzard Entertainment's successful hero-shooter, FPS Overwatch. With a plethora of new content and gameplay improvements, the multiplayer FPS has become free-to-play and offers a larger audience to indulge in the world of Overwatch.
The game's open beta server went live on October 4, 2022.
Quick Links
More from Sportskeeda
" modalPopup.closeOnEsc = false; modalPopup.setHeader("Why did you not like this content?"); modalPopup.setContentText(modalText); modalPopup.addCancelOkButton("Submit", resetRatingAndFeedbackForm, sendRating); modalPopup.removeCloseModalIcon(); modalPopup.disableDismissPopup(); modalPopup.open(); } else { sendRating(index); } } function sendRating() { var requestPayload = { "post_id": 1252386, "rating_value": ratingValue } if (ratingValue > 3) { requestPayload.rating_feedback_type = null; requestPayload.rating_feedback = null; } else { if (!$('input[name="drone"]:checked') || !$('input[name="drone"]:checked').value) { showErrorMessage('option'); return; } if (!$(".post-rating-feedback-note textarea") || !$(".post-rating-feedback-note textarea").value) { showErrorMessage('note'); return; } var selectedOption = $('input[name="drone"]:checked').value; var feedbackNote = $(".post-rating-feedback-note textarea").value; requestPayload.rating_feedback_type = selectedOption; requestPayload.rating_feedback = feedbackNote; } pureJSAjaxPost(addratingAPI, requestPayload, onsaveRatingSuccess, onsaveRatingFail, function() {}, true); } function resetRatingAndFeedbackForm() { var activeStars = Array.from($all('.rating span.rating-star.active')); for (var i=0; i < activeStars.length; i++) { activeStars[i].classList.remove("active"); } if ($('input[name="drone"]:checked')) { $('input[name="drone"]:checked').checked = false; } var userNote = document.querySelector(".post-rating-feedback-note textarea"); userNote.value = ''; modalPopup.close(); } function onsaveRatingSuccess() { modalPopup.close(); savePostIdInUserRatedPostsCookie(); $("#post-rating-layout").classList.add("hidden"); $("#post-rating-message").classList.remove("hidden"); window.setInterval(function showMessage() { $("#post-rating-widget").classList.add("hidden"); }, 3000); } function onsaveRatingFail() { console.error('Saving post rating failed!'); modalPopup.close(); } function savePostIdInUserRatedPostsCookie() { userRatedPostIds.push(1252386); var expiryTime = new Date(); expiryTime.setMonth(expiryTime.getMonth() + 12); // Expiry after 1 year setCookie("user_rated_post_ids", JSON.stringify(userRatedPostIds), expiryTime); } function isPostRatedByUser() { var userRatedPostIds = getCookie('user_rated_post_ids'); if (userRatedPostIds) { try { userRatedPostIds = JSON.parse(userRatedPostIds); } catch (err) { console.error(err); return false; } } else { return false; } if(userRatedPostIds.indexOf(1252386) >= 0) { return true; } else { return false; } } function getRatingCountByPostId(postId) { return new Promise(function(resolve, reject) { pureJSAjaxGet( getRatingCountBaseURL + postId + '/rating/count', function(data) { try { data = JSON.parse(data); if (data.meta_value) { resolve(data.meta_value); } reject("Failed to fetch rating count for the post:" + postId); } catch (err) { reject("Failed to fetch rating count for the post:" + postId); } }, function(err) { reject("Failed to fetch rating count for the post:" + postId); }, true); }); } function showErrorMessage(messageType) { var messageContainerId = '#' + messageType + '-error'; $(messageContainerId).classList.remove('hidden'); window.setInterval(function () { $(messageContainerId).classList.add("hidden"); }, 5000); } (function() { var callFired = false; function lazyLoadPostRating() { if (callFired) return; callFired = true; if (!isPostRatedByUser()) { getRatingCountByPostId(1252386) .then(function(ratingCount) { if (ratingCount < 10) { $("#post-rating-widget").classList.remove("hidden"); } }) .catch(function(err){ console.error(err); }); } } document.addEventListener("scroll", lazyLoadPostRating, { passive: true, once: true }); document.addEventListener("mousemove", lazyLoadPostRating, { passive: true, once: true }); document.addEventListener("touchmove", lazyLoadPostRating, { passive: true, once: true }); })();ncG1vNJzZmivp6x7tLzOq6uso5WasaJ6wqikaJ2jpbyzwNJopq%2Bdoqyuta%2FHZmlmqJiku6Z5za6km52iYq6tvsSam7JlpaiybrHRq6arZZikxG6yyLFkqaejqLajuMRmqZ6Zo6S7tA%3D%3D