Phone numbers in the United Kingdom

If your team works from the United Kingdom, this is the reference for how Cradle handles your numbers.

Country code and formats

The UK's country code is +44. When you write a UK number in international form, drop the leading 0 from the local format.

Type	Local format	International form
London landline	`020 7946 0111`	`+44 20 7946 0111`
Manchester landline	`0161 496 0212`	`+44 161 496 0212`
Birmingham landline	`0121 496 0313`	`+44 121 496 0313`
Mobile	`07700 900515`	`+44 7700 900515`

Cradle stores and displays numbers in international (E.164) format. When you type a number into the dial pad, you can use either the local format or the international form.

Leading digits

Mobile: all start with 07.
Landlines: 01 and 02 (geographic). London uses 020, Manchester 0161, Birmingham 0121, Edinburgh 0131, Cardiff 029.
03: UK-wide non-geographic numbers, charged at landline rates.
0800 / 0808: national toll-free.
084 / 087 / 09: premium-rate or service ranges. Cradle treats these separately, ask your admin before assuming a number is callable.

Porting your UK number to Cradle

UK number porting is governed by Ofcom, the UK communications regulator. Your losing carrier and Cradle's carrier coordinate the cutover under Ofcom's rules.

How long it takes: typically 2 weeks, can be as quick as 3 business days or as long as 6 weeks, depending on your losing carrier, the complexity of the port, and getting the documents right at the start.

For non-geographic numbers (080, 084, 087, 03), the paperwork differs. Use the last page of the porting form for those.

Full process and forms: How can I port my current number to Cradle?

Emergency calling

Cradle has no emergency-calling capability. Calls to 999 will not connect through Cradle.

If you need to reach emergency services from the UK, call 999 from a mobile phone or a fixed line. You can also dial 112, the international mobile emergency number, which UK carriers route to 999. Cradle is not a substitute for either.

More context: Emergency calling.

Messaging in the United Kingdom

SMS is available on Cradle's UK numbers today, from the Cradle desktop app on Windows and macOS. The rules are:

SMS is country-confined: UK Cradle numbers message UK mobiles only. Don't expect cross-country sends to an AU mobile to work.
SMS needs a dedicated Cradle-provisioned mobile number (it can't ride on your existing voice number). See Why does my Cradle SMS need a separate number?.
SMS is enabled per number, not per user. Your admin emails Cradle support to switch it on for a specific number. See Getting SMS switched on.

SMS on the Cradle iOS and Cradle Android apps is on the roadmap for mid-2026. Until then, send and reply from the desktop app.

For the full availability picture: SMS availability today.

WhatsApp Business is in private beta with general availability later in 2026.

Calling the UK from another country

If you have an NZ or AU Cradle number and want to dial the UK, prefix +44 and drop the leading 0. For example, a London landline 020 7946 0111 becomes +44 20 7946 0111. Most international call destinations are gated on your account, see I can't make international calls.