<P> Burner is a mobile application for iOS and Android made by Ad Hoc Labs, Inc. that allows users to create temporary disposable phone numbers in the U.S. and Canada . The app allows smartphone users to have a phone number that is anonymous and can be thrown away, for purposes such as online ads, while traveling, for business projects, or for dating profiles . Burner is a product of Ad Hoc Labs, an Atwater Village, Los Angeles - based software startup . </P> <P> The application's name is a reference to so - called "burner phones," prepaid mobile phones that are replaced frequently . Burner phones have been used to control costs, reduce contractual obligations, and provide a degree of privacy in mobile phone use . They have been used in popular culture by drug dealers on The Wire, spies on Burn Notice, and agents in Mission: Impossible . The company has stated it would comply with law enforcement requests but would require valid search warrants . </P> <P> The Burner application launched in August 2012 with angel investors including Techstars founder David Cohen and super angel Dave McClure in October 2012 . Its iPhone application was released in August 2012, followed by an Android version in April 2013 . In October 2013, Ad Hoc Labs raised an institutional funding round led by Founder Collective and Venrock, with participation from 500 Startups, Miramar Digital Ventures, TenOneTen Ventures and others . In an interview with Ars Technica, CEO Greg Cohn stated "we definitely think that communications, and telephony specifically, have been left behind by the wave of social innovation that's been happening . The network should be smarter, it should be more socially aware and more privacy - aware ." He has also stated that the long - term vision for Burner is to build technology where phone numbers are smarter and act more like software . </P> <P> Burner allows users to make phone calls and VoIP calls and send SMS and MMS messages via phone numbers issued through the app . Users can purchase credits for temporary numbers or add an additional line for an ongoing subscription fee . The Burner Connections features, launched in October 2015, allow users to integrate their Burner numbers with third - party applications like Slack, Google Sheets, Dropbox, Evernote and SoundCloud . This functionality allows people to automatically archive SMS messages and images, program auto - responses, sync voicemails and more . In November 2015, Burner launched a way for developers to connect the app with various applications, like IFTTT, or create new custom integrations through the use of webhooks . </P>

Where did the term burner phone come from