Porting Into Your Existing Cape Account

Overview

Cape users can now transfer ("port") a phone number they already own from another carrier into their existing Cape account, rather than only creating brand-new account. This is done through the "Bring a number to Cape" option in My Numbers found under the "Account" menu option in the Cape app.

Because porting is a sensitive account action, Cape requires the user to re-enter their 24-word Recovery Phrase before the request can be submitted. This is the same phrase used throughout the app as Cape's SIM-swap protection — it proves the person initiating the port is the legitimate account owner, not someone who has taken over the SIM or device.

 How to Port a Number Into Cape

Before you start

• Have your 24-word Recovery Phrase ready. This is the same phrase you'd use to recover your Cape account, and Cape uses it here to confirm you're authorized to make account changes like this.
• Contact your current (previous) carrier first and get:
  • Your Account Number
  • Your Number Transfer PIN (sometimes called a Port Out PIN)
  • The billing zip code on file with that carrier — your previous carrier's verification process requires it, and an incorrect zip code can delay the transfer.
  • Exact steps vary by carrier — see Cape's carrier-by-carrier lookup guide for AT&T, T-Mobile, Verizon, and others.
• Turn off port-out protection with your current carrier (called "Number Lock" at Verizon, "Port Out Protection" at T-Mobile, "Wireless Account Lock" at AT&T, etc.). If this is left on, the previous carrier may automatically deny the transfer.
• Confirm the number you're porting is a US-based number.

Steps

1. Open the Account tab, then tap My Numbers.
2. Under Add numbers, tap Bring a number to Cape ("Port in an existing number").
3. On the Transfer phone number screen, enter your 24-word Recovery Phrase, with a single space between each word, in the correct order. The word counter at the top will update as you type (0/24).
4. Once all 24 words are entered, tap Submit.

What happens next

• Cape will keep your initial sign up number active until your port in completes so you're not without service while the transfer is in progress. 
• Your request now appears back on the My Numbers screen, under a Transfer Requests section, with a Pending badge and the note "Pending previous carrier approval."
• Tap the pending request to open the Transfer Request screen, which shows a status timeline:
  1. Transfer request received/submitted — with a timestamp
  2. Waiting for approval by [Your Previous Carrier] — in progress
  3. Number ready to use — when the port in order has completed.
• You can tap Manage Order from this screen if you need to review order details while the request is pending.

When the transfer completes

• The status updates to Completed, and the timeline shows:
  1. Request approved by your Previous Carrier.
  2. Your number is now active on Cape
• Back on My Numbers, the number moves from Transfer Requests into an Active Transfers section, marked Completed, with the note "Your number is now active."

If your transfer is rejected

If your previous carrier rejects the port request, you'll see a "Retry transfer" banner — either on the Home screen or on your profile screen under the Account tab. Tapping it shows the reason for the rejection.

From there, you can:

1. Review the rejection reason.
2. Edit your Account Number and PIN (the most common fix, since these are the details most likely to be entered incorrectly or to have changed).
3. Resubmit the request — it will go back to "in progress" status and follow the same approval timeline as before.

(Note: exact on-screen wording for the rejection reason and retry screen still needs to be confirmed with screenshots — this section describes the flow, not the literal text.)

How long does it take?

 Actual timing depends on your previous carrier and can vary.