Help
Help comes from a real person at Number Withheld, never from a character. Characters can't help with bookings or payments, and they'll never ask about them.
Help comes from a real person at Number Withheld, never from a character. Characters can't help with bookings or payments, and they'll never ask about them.
Story messages only ever talk about the story. If a message asks for money, bank details, a password or a code, it isn't us, even if it uses a character's name.
Our only website is numberwithheld.com, plus the story websites linked from it. Not sure? Forward it to us using the form below.
Send any of these to any character during a story. They're read by us, not by the character.
| Text | What it does |
|---|---|
| PAUSE | Holds this one story. Nothing more arrives until you say so. In a group story, the others carry on and you catch up later. |
| RESUME | Picks it up again. |
| HINT | Someone in the story nudges you, in character. |
| STOP | Stops everything, straight away: every story you're in, and every text from every Number Withheld number, including ours. Text START to any of our numbers to undo it. Stories you stopped stay stopped. If you only want a break, use PAUSE. |
| RESTART | Starts your story again from the beginning. Solo stories only. |
| VOTE | In a group story's finale, text VOTE and a name to the game number. |
About six hours over a few days, in short bursts. You can reply straight away or hours later. The story waits for you.
Text PAUSE to any character and the story holds until you text RESUME. Unless you say otherwise, nobody texts you between 9pm and 8am.
Check the time on your booking in My stories. If it's past the start, look in your phone's list of messages from unknown senders, then contact us.
Yes, for free, until 24 hours before it starts. Go to My stories and choose a new date.
Group stories adapt to who's playing. If someone drops out before the start, the story works around it. After it's started, they can text PAUSE.
You can replay a solo story, but the surprises are spent. Most people try a different story instead.
We will never ask for money, bank details, passwords or codes, in or out of a story. If a message asks, it isn't us. Forward it using the form here.
Characters stop texting when the story ends. We never use your number for marketing. You can delete everything from My stories.