Facebook Business Manager Locked Out: What to Do When the SMS Verification Code Doesn't Arrive

Last updated: December 16, 2025 · 7 min read

Monday morning, 9 AM. Your most important Facebook campaign needs adjustments – but the colleague with Business Manager access is out sick. You try to log in and get prompted for an SMS code. The code goes to their personal phone. They're asleep. The campaign is burning budget.

Or worse: The employee whose number is on file left the company three months ago. The number is deactivated. Your entire Facebook Business Manager – ad accounts, business pages, audience data – is unreachable.

If this sounds familiar, you're not alone. In this article, we'll show you how to regain access right now – and how to ensure this never happens to your company again.

Immediate Actions: Regaining Access to Facebook Business Manager

First, the most important question: Who else has admin access? Facebook Business Manager allows multiple administrators. If someone else on the team is still logged in, they can:

  • Add a new admin
  • Change the phone number on file
  • Make urgent campaign changes

If no one has access, follow this process:

1. Check Alternative Verification Methods

Facebook offers multiple ways to verify identity:

  • Email code: If a company email is on file
  • Authenticator app: Google Authenticator or similar
  • Already authorized devices: Is someone still logged in on a company computer?
  • Trusted contacts: If configured, colleagues can help

2. Contact the Former Employee

If the number belongs to an ex-employee: Contact them and ask them to forward the code. Awkward, but often the fastest way. Document the process for your compliance records.

3. Contact Facebook Business Support

For verified business accounts, there's dedicated business support:

  1. Go to facebook.com/business/help
  2. Select "Account and Access" → "I can't log in"
  3. Submit business documentation (business registration, trade license)
  4. Wait for a response (can take 5-14 business days)

Important: The higher your ad spend, the faster Facebook typically responds. Accounts with significant ad budgets effectively get priority.

4. Engage a Meta Business Partner

If you work with a certified Meta agency, they can often escalate support tickets faster. This is one of the benefits of a partner relationship that pays off in crisis situations.

Why Does This Happen? The Typical Scenarios

Before we get to prevention, it's important to understand how companies end up in this situation:

Scenario 1: The "Founder Account"

The company was founded years ago. The founder registered their personal phone number back then. The company has grown, the founder may not even be operationally involved anymore – but their number is still the key to the company's entire Facebook ecosystem.

Scenario 2: The Ex-Employee

A marketing manager set up the Business Manager. During offboarding, many things were handled – laptop returned, email deactivated – but nobody thought to transfer the Facebook verification. Now the number is deactivated or belongs to someone else.

Scenario 3: The Agency Dependency

An external agency manages your Facebook presence. Verification runs through an agency employee. The collaboration ends – and with it, your access.

Scenario 4: The International Emergency

The colleague with the registered number is on a business trip in Asia. Roaming is disabled or not working properly. An urgent campaign change is impossible because the SMS code doesn't arrive.

The Fundamental Problem

All these scenarios have one thing in common: Critical business assets depend on a single personal phone number.

It's like having the key to the company safe on a single employee's keychain – and only there.

The Solution: SMS Verification as Team Infrastructure

The question isn't whether you'll regain access – with enough time and effort, that usually works. The question is: How do you prevent this from ever happening again?

Step 1: Multiple Admins with Different Verification Methods

Ensure at least 2-3 people have admin access to Business Manager – and each person uses a different verification method:

  • Person A: Authenticator app
  • Person B: Email verification
  • Person C: SMS verification

This way you're never dependent on a single method.

Step 2: Company Email Instead of Personal Email

All registered email addresses should be company addresses that the business has permanent access to – not employees' personal Gmail accounts.

Step 3: Dedicated Business Number for SMS Verification

Here's the game-changer: Instead of a personal phone number, register a dedicated business number whose SMS are automatically forwarded to the team member who needs it.

With SIMRelay, here's how it works:

  1. You get a real mobile number (not a VoIP number that Facebook might block)
  2. The team member who currently needs the number receives the SMS directly
  3. As a fallback, you can configure a Slack channel or Teams channel as a catch-all – if no one is actively assigned, the code still won't get lost
  4. You have a searchable archive of all SMS for compliance and documentation

The result:

  • No dependency on individuals: The number can be flexibly used by different team members
  • Built-in fallback: Slack or Teams catches codes when no one is actively assigned
  • No offboarding risks: The number belongs to the company, not an employee
  • No roaming problems: SMS are forwarded via internet, not mobile network
  • Full audit trail: Who received which code and when?

Step 4: Documented Emergency Plan

Create an internal document with:

  • List of all admins and their verification methods
  • Recovery codes (securely stored)
  • Facebook Business Support contact details
  • Escalation path for account issues

The Business Case: What's at Stake?

If you need to make the internal case, here are the numbers:

Direct costs of a lockout:

  • Ad budget that can't be optimized and runs inefficiently
  • Missed campaign launches at critical times (Black Friday, product launch)
  • Work hours spent on recovery (support tickets, document uploads, waiting)

Indirect costs:

  • Reputation damage when customer inquiries on Facebook go unanswered
  • Lost leads during downtime
  • Stress and productivity loss in the team

A SIMRelay number starts at €39/month. A single day without access to Business Manager costs most companies many times that.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I register a different number if I don't have access to Business Manager?

No, you need access first. That's why prevention is crucial – set up backup methods and a team number while you still have access.

Does Facebook accept VoIP numbers like Google Voice?

Usually not. Facebook detects many VoIP numbers and blocks them, as they're frequently used for fake accounts. SIMRelay uses real SIM cards that work like regular mobile numbers.

How long does recovery through Facebook Business Support take?

Between 5 and 14 business days, sometimes longer. Accounts with higher ad spend tend to be processed faster.

What happens to running campaigns during a lockout?

They keep running – you just can't optimize, pause, or adjust them. Worst case, you're burning budget on a campaign that's no longer relevant.

Which countries does SIMRelay support?

Currently, SIMRelay offers numbers from Germany, Austria, and UK – more countries coming soon. For most European Business Managers, these numbers work without issues.

Conclusion: From Risk to Infrastructure

Access to your Facebook Business Manager is business-critical. It shouldn't depend on a single employee's personal phone number.

Immediate actions:

  1. Check who currently has admin access and what verification methods are on file
  2. Add at least one more admin with a different verification method
  3. Replace personal numbers with a dedicated business number with team forwarding

Setup takes less than an hour. The protection lasts forever.

Never get locked out of Facebook Business Manager again – start with SIMRelay now and turn your SMS verification into team infrastructure.