Feature Request: Support Mainland China (+86) Phone Number Verification

ChatGPT Feature requests
1

I would like to request that OpenAI consider supporting Mainland China (+86) phone numbers for account and identity verification.

At the moment, users with +86 numbers are unable to complete certain verification steps, even when they are legitimate developers, researchers, students, or paying customers. This creates a frustrating gap: users may be able to access OpenAI products in some contexts, but still cannot fully secure or verify their accounts using their own phone numbers.

I understand that regional availability, compliance requirements, and risk management are complex issues. However, completely excluding +86 numbers from verification also creates real problems for legitimate users. It affects account security, product accessibility, and the overall user experience for a large technical community.

Supporting +86 phone verification would not necessarily mean ignoring compliance concerns. OpenAI could explore safer and more limited approaches, such as stricter abuse checks, additional verification layers, or phased support for eligible users.

I hope OpenAI can provide a clearer explanation of the current limitation, and whether there is any plan to support +86 phone numbers in the future.

This is not only about convenience. For many users, phone verification is part of basic account security and trust. I hope OpenAI will take this request seriously.

2

Thanks for sharing this, @ZeusacK.

I can see why this is frustrating for users who want to verify and secure their accounts using a +86 phone number. Your points around accessibility, account security, and support for legitimate users are well taken.

I've forwarded this feature request to the team for logging and visibility. While there isn't anything to share about future plans right now, feedback like this helps highlight where users are running into limitations.

Thanks again for raising it.

-Mark G.