• Home
  • Line#
  • Scopes#
  • Navigate#
  • Raw
  • Download
1# Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
2
3## Parsing
4
5### Why wasn't the country code removed when parsing?
6
7In some cases, the library cannot tell if the leading digits of a phone number
8are intended to be the country calling code, or the start of the national
9significant number.
10
11This affects primarily German phone numbers, where 49 is both a country calling
12code and an area code, and numbers of variable lengths are valid. The leading
13digits will only be interpreted as a country calling code if the number is not
14already considered a possible number for the region provided when parsing.
15
16If you know that your numbers are always in the form <country calling
17code><national significant number>, it is safe to put a "+" in front to
18indicate this to the library.
19
20### Why does the library treat some non-digit characters as digits?
21
22When parsing, the library does its best to extract a phone number out of the
23given input string. It looks for the phone number in the provided text; it
24doesn't aim to verify whether the string is *only* a phone number.
25
26If the input looks like a vanity number to the library, `parse()` assumes this
27is intentional and converts alpha characters to digits. Please read the
28documentation for `PhoneNumber parse(String, String)` in
29[PhoneNumberUtil](http://github.com/google/libphonenumber/blob/master/java/libphonenumber/src/com/google/i18n/phonenumbers/PhoneNumberUtil.java)
30for details. Also see `Iterable<PhoneNumberMatch> findNumbers(CharSequence,
31String)`.
32
33Some examples:
34
35*   `+1 412 535 abcd` is parsed the same as `+1 412 535 2223`.
36
37*   If someone fat-fingers and adds an extra alpha character in the *middle*,
38    then the library assumes this was a mistake and fixes it. E.g. the extra `c`
39    in `+1 412 535 c0000` is ignored, and this is parsed the same as `+1 412 535
40    0000`.
41
42*   If someone fat-fingers and *replaces* a digit in the middle with an alpha
43    character, and the remaining characters do not make up a valid number, this
44    alpha character is not converted and the resulting number is invalid, e.g.
45    with `+1 412 535 c000`.
46
47Other examples, in reports:
48
49*   [#328](http://github.com/google/libphonenumber/issues/328)
50*   [#1001](http://github.com/google/libphonenumber/issues/1001)
51*   [#1199](http://github.com/google/libphonenumber/issues/1199)
52*   [#1813](http://github.com/google/libphonenumber/issues/1813)
53
54### Why wasn't the national prefix removed when parsing?
55
56Usually, when parsing, we remove a country's national or trunk prefix, so we can
57store a normalized form of the number. This is usually, but not always, a
58leading zero. In some situations, we don't remove this, but instead keep it as
59part of the national number:
60
611.  If a country does not use a national prefix, or does not use one anymore, we
62    don't remove a leading zero, since then if the user wanted to format the
63    number we would never know to prefix it with this leading zero.
641.  If the leading zero is not a national prefix but is needed for dialling from
65    abroad (e.g. in the case of Italy) it is stored in the proto, not removed as
66    a national prefix.
671.  If the number is too short to be a valid phone number in this country, we do
68    not remove the national prefix. For instance, although `0` is a national
69    prefix in Australia, we do not remove it from the number `000` which is the
70    emergency number; if we did we would not know that it needs a `0` re-added
71    when formatting since other short-codes do not, and we would be irreparably
72    changing the phone number.
73
74### Why wasn't `00` parsed the same as `+`?
75
76`00` is not an international prefix (IDD) in every region, so it's not
77equivalent to `+`.
78
79For example, if [parsing `0015417540000` as if dialled from the
80US](http://libphonenumber.appspot.com/phonenumberparser?number=0015417540000&country=US),
81the national number is `15417540000` because `00` is not an international prefix
82in the US.
83
84Ascension Island, however, does have `00` as an international prefix, so `00`
85there works the same as `+` and [`0015417540000` as if dialled from
86`AC`](http://libphonenumber.appspot.com/phonenumberparser?number=0015417540000&country=AC)
87gives `5417540000` for the national number.
88
89You can try [the demo](http://libphonenumber.appspot.com/) for more regions.
90Also see `internationalPrefix` in
91[`resources/PhoneNumberMetadata.xml`](http://github.com/google/libphonenumber/blob/master/resources/PhoneNumberMetadata.xml).
92
93## Validation and types of numbers
94
95### What is the difference between isPossibleNumber and isValidNumber?
96
97To understand the behavior of functions, please refer to the documentation in
98the Javadoc/C++ header files. For example, see `isPossibleNumberWithReason` in
99[`PhoneNumberUtil`](https://github.com/google/libphonenumber/blob/master/java/libphonenumber/src/com/google/i18n/phonenumbers/PhoneNumberUtil.java).
100
101### Why does PhoneNumberUtil return false for valid short numbers?
102
103Short numbers are out of scope of
104[`PhoneNumberUtil`](https://github.com/google/libphonenumber/blob/master/java/libphonenumber/src/com/google/i18n/phonenumbers/PhoneNumberUtil.java).
105For short numbers, use
106[`ShortNumberInfo`](https://github.com/google/libphonenumber/blob/master/java/libphonenumber/src/com/google/i18n/phonenumbers/ShortNumberInfo.java).
107
108### What does it mean for a phone number to be valid?
109
110Our phone number library can tell that a number range is valid when there is
111sufficient official documentation, with some latency after this fact is brought
112to our attention via issue reports or notifications (see below for more
113information on where our metadata comes from). A valid number range is one from
114which numbers can be freely assigned by carriers to users.
115
116Do not rely on libphonenumber to determine whether numbers are currently
117assigned to a specific user and reachable. Some products (e.g.
118[Google 2-step verification](https://www.google.com/landing/2step/)) do
119this with a verification step e.g. by sending an SMS or placing an automated
120phone call with a verification code). This is not technically feasible without
121such a verification step given the complicated international world we live in,
122with varying standardization practices in different regions.
123
124#### But my dialled number connected, so isn't it valid?
125
126Not necessarily.
127
128*   In some countries extra digits at the end are ignored. For example, dialling
129    `1800 MICROSOFT` in the US connects to `+1 (800) MIC-ROSO`.
130*   During renumbering transitions, e.g. when all numbers are getting an extra
131    `9` added to the front, some operators will "fix" old numbers long after
132    they're no longer working for the majority.
133*   Numbers that are only locally-diallable e.g. a 7-digit number dialled in the
134    US are not valid, because without the rest of the number it is impossible
135    for the library to canonicalize this.
136
137### When should I use isValidNumberForRegion?
138
139Rarely! Many people have phone numbers that do not belong to the country they
140live in. This applies particularly to mobile numbers, but may also be true
141for VoIP numbers etc. Note also that the regions your application supports may
142not be the same as the regions we support. For example, the Channel Islands such
143as "Jersey" have their own region code - JE. If you allow these users to sign up
144as a British user ("GB"), their phone numbers will not be considered valid for
145the region "JE".
146
147One use-case where this method may be useful is if you want to see if a
148`FIXED_LINE` number for a business matches the country it is in, to try and spot
149data errors.
150
151### Some "valid" numbers are not formatting correctly.
152
153This could be due to number simplification. In order to keep the size of the XML
154files to a reasonable level, it's necessary in some regions (e.g. "DE" or "AT")
155to simplify number ranges. This results in a relatively small amount of false
156positive numbers (i.e. numbers that should be reported as invalid, but which are
157now shown as valid).
158
159This issue here is that (for simplicity) only the number validity information is
160simplified; the formatting information in the XML (leading digits) retains its
161full accuracy and so doesn't cover these numbers.
162
163Note that while it is probably possible to address this and expand the format
164information to cover these numbers as well, it's a rather non-trivial task
165(since the leading digits must not be over simplified so as to capture other
166valid ranges with different formats). Note that this also applies to attributes
167like "national only" or geocoding information.
168
169### What types of phone numbers can SMSs be sent to?
170
171SMSs can be sent to `MOBILE` or `FIXED_LINE_OR_MOBILE` numbers. However,
172in some countries it is possible to configure other types, such as normal
173land-lines, to receive SMSs.
174
175### <a name="fixed_line_or_mobile"></a>Why did I get `FIXED_LINE_OR_MOBILE` as the type of my phone number?
176
177Some number ranges are explicitly defined as being for fixed-line or mobile
178phones. We even represent ranges defined as being "Mostly land-line" in this
179way.
180
181### What is mobile number portability?
182
183The ability to keep your mobile phone number when changing carriers. To see whether a region supports mobile number portability use [isMobileNumberPortableRegion](https://github.com/google/libphonenumber/blob/58247207903f917839001bc62525a5b48a475b7e/java/libphonenumber/src/com/google/i18n/phonenumbers/PhoneNumberUtil.java#L3524).
184
185### Since it's possible to change the carrier for a phone number, how is the data kept up-to-date?
186
187Not all regions support mobile number portability. For those that don't, we return the carrier when available. For those that do, we return the original carrier for the supplied number.
188
189### What about M2M (machine to machine) numbers?
190
191libphonenumber does not support M2M numbers in general, but only in one exception case where in Netherlands 097X M2M numbers are used as regular mobile phone numbers.
192
193The reason for Libphonenumber to not provide M2M support is related to the lack of standardization and the need for a new Util API (not in radar for the time being).
194
195We don't require that a number to be supported by the library has a human at the other end since we already accept premium rate services and they might go to an automated system instead. But to date we only accept ranges that a human might call or send an SMS to.
196
197M2M numbers would violate this assumption and we'd have to evaluate the consequences for existing APIs and clients if M2M numbers would be considered  valid by the library. Clients of libphonenumber expect mobile and fixed-line numbers to have certain affordances, such as: Reachable for voice calls (and for mobile also SMS) as well as assuming standard cost. This expectation is broken by the lack of M2M standardization today.
198
199Many people use this library for formatting the numbers of their contacts, for allowing people to sign up for services, for working out how to dial someone in a different country, for working out what kind of cost might be associated with a number in an advert, etc. We don't think the lack of M2M support hinders any of those use-case, but we might be wrong.
200
201At the moment Libphonenumber can only support phone numbers that can be dialled by us, not by machines. If you found any humanly diallable M2M numbers that library is not supporting, please raise an [issue here](http://issuetracker.google.com/issues/new?component=192347) with all authoritative and specific documentation such as government sources, which have varied definitions.
202
203### Why supporting only NL M2M numbers?; Are we sure all 097X numbers are MOBILE?
204
205Official authority has [explicitly stated](https://www.acm.nl/en/publications/information-about-dutch-097-numbers-non-dutch-providers) that this range “should be made accessible, just like other, regular number series from the Netherlands” and that “you can set up a voice and SMS connection towards prefix +31-97 in the same way as you have done already with the +31-6 series.[...] you should enable your systems for voice telephony for the numbers
206in the +31-97 series”. This means, however, that there might be cases where the library would categorise a number as a valid mobile number, but in reality, the particular number is used as pure M2M, is not SMS or voice-enabled. There is not much we can do from our side about this, since we always follow official guidelines.
207
208Therefore, clients should be aware that there is possibility of false positives in NL MOBILE category. The library will continue to not support M2M numbers in general.
209
210### What about numbers that are only valid for a set of subscribers?
211
212There are some numbers that only work for the subcribers of certain operators
213for special operator-specific services. These differ from carrierSpecific since
214they're not shortcodes. We don't support these numbers due to their limited use
215scope, few examples (only the [area code 700](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Area_code_700)
216in the US), and lack of authoritative evidence.
217
218Until there are more examples with authoritative evidence and a proposal on how
219the library should handle these numbers, we won't be able to support these
220similar to our prerequisites for supporting M2M.
221
222Please see [this issue](https://issuetracker.google.com/issues/65238929) for more
223context, and file a new issue if you're able to provide more information than this.
224
225## Representation
226
227### What is the maximum and minimum length of a phone number?
228
229We support parsing and storing numbers from a minimum length of two digits to a
230maximum length of 17 digits currently (excluding country calling code). The ITU
231standard says the national significant number should not be longer than
232fifteen digits, but empirically this has been proven not to be followed by all
233countries.
234
235## Formatting
236
237### Can / should we format phone numbers in a language-specific way?
238
239No, phone number formatting is country-specific and language-independent. E.g.
240formatting a US number in a French way (e.g. the way a France number is
241formatted) for a French user is undefined and wrong.
242
243It is true that in some countries phone numbers are typically written using
244native, not ASCII, digits; our phone number library supports parsing these but
245doesn't support it at formatting time at the moment.
246
247### When does formatting in a country change?
248
249The formatting within a country changes sparingly, but may be announced explicitly
250or noted implicitly in a national numbering plan update that introduces a new number
251length, number type, or other significant change. This may include the grouping and
252punctuation used (e.g. parentheses versus hyphens).
253
254In the event of lack of evidence and/or enforcement by a central government
255regulatory or telecommunication authority, we'll stick with the status quo
256since the community prefers to bias towards stability and avoid flip-flopping
257between formats over time. If the silent majority becomes vocal to support
258new formatting with authoritative evidence, then we'll collaborate with
259community stakeholders on a transition.
260
261An example of this is the shift from using parentheses to hyphens to separate
262area codes within North America. Hyphens may indicate that the area code is
263optional in local circumstances, but this is shifting to become mandatory
264in areas that have had more area code splits. However, the usage of
265parentheses persists and both methods are acceptable.
266
267See [issue #1996](https://github.com/google/libphonenumber/issues/1996)
268for some additional discussion.
269
270### Why does formatNumberForMobileDialing return an empty string for my number?
271
272If we don't think we can guarantee that the number is diallable from the user's
273mobile phone, we won't return anything. This means that for numbers that we
274don't think are internationally diallable, if the user is outside the country
275we will return an empty string. Similarly, in Brazil a carrier code is essential
276for dialling long-distance domestically. If none has been provided at parsing
277time then we will return an empty string. If you get an empty string and are
278okay providing a number that may not be diallable, you can call another of our
279formatting numbers instead.
280
281## Metadata
282
283### <a name="metadata_definition"></a>What do we mean by "metadata"?
284
285We use the word "metadata" to refer to all information about phone numbering in
286a particular country - what the country code, international and national
287dialling prefixes are, what carrier codes are operational, which phone numbers
288are possible or valid for a particular country, how to optimally format them,
289which prefixes represent a particular geographical area, etc.
290
291### Where do we get information from to determine if a number range is valid?
292
293In theory, phone numbering plans are all supposed to be administered through the
294ITU. Many countries' phone numbering plans may be found on the [ITU website](
295http://www.itu.int/oth/T0202.aspx?parent=T0202).
296
297We receive automatic notifications when a new ITU plan has been filed, which may
298or may not be before it comes into effect.
299
300Not every country files their numbering plans with the ITU nor are the plans
301filed with ITU always up to date. In some countries, the numbering plans are
302directly handled by a government authority, while in others, most of the work
303is done by telecom companies (the government's role being only to distribute
304ranges at the prefix level, with the actual partitioning within the prefix done
305by the telecom).
306
307A large part of the data in `PhoneNumberMetadata.xml` comes from the ITU
308documents, but because they're sometimes insufficient, we also include data from
309other sources, including user bug reports, telecom company home pages and
310government telecommunication authorities.
311
312There is no RFC indicating where the data comes from, or what format they're in.
313
314We'd love to consume machine-readable numbering plan data (assigned ranges,
315carrier & geo mappings). If you can connect us with partners in the industry
316to achieve this, please do so. Thanks!
317
318### Why is number from Argentina (AR) or Mexico (MX) not identified as the right number type?
319
320Certain countries' mobile and/or fixed line ranges may overlap or too granular,
321which may make accurate identification impossible. Eg: Argentina and Mexico.
322We tried incorporating such granular data (prefix of 7 digit for a 10 digit
323number). However, due to very high maintainance to keep the data fresh and
324also leading to significant increase in metadata size, we are supporting
325ranges/prefixes only at higher level. More details in [Argentina](https://issuetracker.google.com/issues/78443410) and
326[Mexico](https://issuetracker.google.com/issues/74517266) triaged issues.
327
328@Argentina,
329When calling a mobile line from a fixed line in Argentina, you need
330to dial 15 before the subscriber number, or 9 if you're calling from another
331country. Without these additional digits, your call may not connect at all!
332
333We rely on these additional and explicit context such as a mobile prefix to
334correctly identify the phone number type (rather than returning [`FIXED_LINE_OR_MOBILE`](#fixed_line_or_mobile)
335in ambiguous cases).
336
337Moreover, Argentina has different possible lengths for area codes and
338subscriber numbers depending on the city, which further complicate matters (e.g.
339Buenos Aires is 11 followed by eight digits, but Río Gallegos is 2966 followed
340by six digits).
341
342Despite all the aforementioned complexity, users may not provide their phone
343number with all the additional context unless explicitly asked. For instance,
344since SMS messages can be sent in Argentina from a mobile phone without a
345prefix, the user may not supply the mobile prefix.
346
347We are aware of these issues but fixing them is not trivial. In the meantime, we
348recommend the following workarounds to support affected users.
349
350*   If you know an Argentina number is mobile (e.g. if you're doing signups with
351    device numbers or will send them an SMS verification code), follow these steps:
352    *   For raw input strings:
353        *   Parse a raw input string into a `PhoneNumber` and follow the next
354            instructions for `PhoneNumber` objects.
355    *   For `PhoneNumber` objects:
356        *   Check that the library validates a `PhoneNumber` as mobile, by
357            calling `getNumberType`;
358        *   If not, format it in national format and prepend a `9`
359        *   Parse the modified string and if the library validates it as mobile,
360            accept the resulting `PhoneNumber` as canonical.
361*   Consider prompting for type (mobile or not) in the phone number input UI.
362
363IMPORTANT: Do not add a leading 9 for displaying or formatting the numbers.
364Depending on the use case, other tokens may be needed. The library will do the
365right thing if the phone number object is as intended.
366
367@Mexico,
368Mexico used to have such additional prefixes (1, 02, 045, ...) for dialling
369mobile numbers internatioanlly, fixed-line to mobile nationally.. As these
370dialling patterns were deprecated, we have continued to maintain mobile and
371fixed-line ranges at higher level, returning type as [`FIXED_LINE_OR_MOBILE`](#fixed_line_or_mobile)
372
373### Why Mexico (MX) numbers in older dialling formats are accepted as valid ones?
374Though library has stopped supporting below older dialling codes in the canonical
375form and formatting results, we are lenient in parsing the number, i.e removing
376all older codes.
377- 1 -> in E.164 international diallings
378- 01, 02, 044 and 045 -> for local/national diallings
379
380This is because we found the older dialling codes supported even after deprecation
381period, so we decided to support them for longer time. However, we will stop this as
382part of [this issue](https://issuetracker.google.com/issues/205606725). More details there.
383
384### Why are Bouvet Island (BV), Pitcairn Island (PN), Antarctica (AQ) etc. not supported?
385
386We only support a country if:
387
388*   **The country has a single country calling code.** For instance, Kosovo (XK)
389    has been using three different country codes until 2017 - those of Serbia,
390    Monaco and Slovenia. The relevant numbers will be marked as valid, but as
391    belonging to Serbia, Monaco or Slovenia respectively. When Kosovo starts
392    using its own country calling code of 383 it will be added to the metadata
393    by itself. Similarly, Antarctica doesn't use its assigned country calling
394    code of 672 - instead the bases belonging to different countries have
395    different solutions. For example, Scott Base, belonging to New Zealand, has
396    an area code that is part of the New Zealand phone number plan, and we
397    support those numbers as valid numbers for NZ.
398*   **The country still exists.** For example, Yugoslavia (YU), Serbia and
399    Montenegro (CS) and Netherlands Antilles (AN) have been dissolved and no
400    longer exist as political entities so we do not support them.
401*   **The country has some phone numbers in use that can be ascribed to it.**
402    For instance, Pitcairn Island has only around thirty inhabitants and they
403    use satellite phones, so there is no numbering plan for Pitcairn Island.
404    Similarly, Bouvet Island is an uninhabited Antarctic volcanic island with no
405    telephone country code and no telephone connection, so we will not support
406    it.
407*   **It has an assigned region code.** For instance, previously Kosovo did not
408    have a region code assigned to it, so we could not support it until it was
409    assigned XK by [CLDR](http://cldr.unicode.org/).
410
411We support non-geographical entities that have been assigned country calling
412codes by the ITU where a numbering plan is available, e.g. "800" (International
413Freephone Service) and 870 (Inmarsat SNAC). However we do not support country
414calling codes that are only "reserved", or that no data is available for (namely
415388 - listed as "Group of countries, shared code" and 991 - listed as "Trial of
416a proposed new international telecommunication public correspondence service,
417shared code".)
418
419### Why are Indonesian toll-free numbers beginning with "00x 803" not supported?
420
421Although some numbers beginning with "001 803" or "007 803" do work in Indonesia
422to reach toll-free endpoints, these numbers are hard to support because they
423overlap with the international dialling prefix for Indonesia (IDD). It seems
424that since 803 is unassigned and not a valid country code, some local
425tel-companies in Indonesia hijack 803 and redirect it to their own services.
426
427We have also found evidence that reaching some "00x 803" numbers cost local or
428national tariff, rather than the call being toll-free.
429
430These numbers are not diallable from any other country using their IDD,
431and it's unclear whether all carriers in Indonesia support them. If we ever
432supported them, they would have to be added to the `noInternationalDialling`
433section, and it is likely some changes in the parsing code would have to be
434made to interpret the "00x" as something other than an IDD: this could have
435undesirable side-effects when parsing other numbers.
436
437## Misc
438
439### <a name="reduced_metadata"></a>What is the metadatalite.js/METADATA_LITE option?
440
441For JavaScript, Java and C++ there is the option to use a stripped-down version
442of the metadata. Currently this only removes the example number metadata, so the
443savings are not a lot, but we may revisit this.
444
445*Impact:*
446
447-   `getExampleNumber`, `getInvalidExampleNumber`, `getExampleNumberForType`,
448     `getExampleNumberForNonGeoEntity` will return `null`
449-   Binary size (or download size for JS) will be slightly smaller
450
451*JS:*
452Simply include metadatalite.js instead of metadata.js in your project.
453
454*C++:*
455Set the compiler flag `USE_METADATA_LITE` to `ON` using ccmake or similar.
456
457*Java:*
458The metadata binary files can be generated using the ant build rules
459`build-phone-metadata` and `build-short-metadata` with `lite-build` set to
460`true`. This can be set in the [build
461file](https://github.com/google/libphonenumber/blob/master/java/build.xml)
462itself.
463
464### Which versions of the Maven jars should I use?
465
466When possible, use the [latest
467version](https://github.com/google/libphonenumber/releases) of
468libphonenumber.
469
470For the other Maven artifacts, to find the version corresponding to a given
471version of libphonenumber, follow these steps:
472
473*   Go to the versioned GitHub tag, e.g.
474    https://github.com/google/libphonenumber/find/v8.3.3
475*   Type `pom.xml`. This will surface all the `pom.xml` files as they were
476    released at the chosen tag.
477*   Find the version you care about in the corresponding `pom.xml` file. Look
478    for `<version>` in the top-level `project` element. For example, to find the
479    version of the carrier jar corresponding to libphonenumber 8.3.3, open
480    `java/carrier/pom.xml` at v8.3.3's search results. This is `1.56`.
481*   If you depend on the carrier or geocoder jar, you also need to depend on
482        the prefixmapper jar.
483
484### How do I load libphonenumber resources in my Android app?
485
486#### System considerations
487
488tl;dr: Do not call `PhoneNumberUtil` API on the main thread.
489
490If you get surprising exceptions involving metadata loading, e.g. "missing
491metadata" exceptions when the metadata exists, then it's probably because you're
492loading resources on the main thread.
493
494Please ensure that you don't call `PhoneNumberUtil` API on the main thread. Not
495loading resources in the main thread is the suggested best practice at the
496[Android developer
497guide](http://developer.android.com/guide/components/processes-and-threads.html),
498and will prevent the issue reported in
499[#265](https://github.com/google/libphonenumber/issues/265),
500[#528](https://github.com/google/libphonenumber/issues/528), and
501[#819](https://github.com/google/libphonenumber/issues/819).
502
503#### Optimize loads
504
505You can manage your own resources by supplying your own
506[`MetadataLoader`](http://github.com/google/libphonenumber/blob/master/java/libphonenumber/src/com/google/i18n/phonenumbers/MetadataLoader.java)
507implementation to the `PhoneNumberUtil` instance. It is thus possible for your
508app to load the resources as Android assets, while libphonenumber loads Java
509resources by default. The result is that the files are read as native Android assets
510and so optimized for speed.
511
512Here's the sample code for how to do it:
513
514```
515PhoneNumberUtil util = PhoneNumberUtil.createInstance(new MetadataLoader() {
516  @Override
517  public InputStream loadMetadata(String metadataFileName) {
518    return Application.getContext().getAssets().open("some/asset/path" + metadataFileName);
519  }
520});
521```
522
523You also need to copy the binary metadata files into your app's asset directory, and
524automate updating them from upstream. To avoid net increase of app size, remove them
525from libphonenumber.
526
527### What about Windows?
528
529The libphonenumber team's support of the C++ library on Windows is primarily to
530support Chromium's build environment, and we depend on the community to support
531other Windows build environments / build chains. We list here some known issues
532that would benefit from open-source collaboration. If you can contribute a PR
533or review and test out someone else's PR, please chime in on these links, or
534email the [discussion
535group](https://groups.google.com/group/libphonenumber-discuss):
536
537*   [#1000](https://github.com/google/libphonenumber/issues/1000) to provide
538    a Windows DLL.
539*   [#1010](https://github.com/google/libphonenumber/issues/1010) to require
540    Visual Studio 2015 update 2 or later on Windows
541*   PR [#1090](https://github.com/google/libphonenumber/pull/1090) /
542    [#824](https://github.com/google/libphonenumber/issues/824) to "Replace
543    POSIX directory operations by Boost Filesystem"
544*   [#1555](https://github.com/google/libphonenumber/issues/1555) to allow
545    Windows to build cpp library with pthreads for multi-threading
546
547### How to remove a specific example number?
548
549We supply example numbers as part of the library API. While we aim to have numbers
550that are either explicitly allocated by the country as a test number, or look
551fictitious (e.g. 1234567) we also need these numbers to validate correctly.
552This means we sometimes have numbers that do connect to a real person.
553
554If we by chance have actually listed your real number and would like it removed,
555please report this through Google's new [Issue Tracker](http://issuetracker.google.com/issues/new?component=192347).
556Only our internal team will have access to your identity (whereas GitHub usernames are public).
557
558### Why can the smallest digits of parsed numbers that are very long be incorrect when parsing in Javascript?
559
560Eg: National number of 900184080594493**87**, ```region: JP``` is parsed as
561900184080594493**90**. Reason: When the provided number is more than the max
562limit of JavaScript ```Number``` type - 2^53, JS starts rounding the value.
563libphonenumber cannot do anything better here. More details mentioned [in this issue](https://issuetracker.google.com/issues/198423548).
564