Surely, any of us has moments when we hesitate to provide our phone number to the wrong person, whether it’s for work-related calls, reaching out to someone on a classified ad site like Craigslist, or calling a company you’re unsure about regarding its trustworthiness. In these situations, you should conceal your phone number to hide your Caller ID to enhance your privacy protection.
Tips for Hiding Your Number and Caller ID on iPhone and Android
Here are some methods to hide your phone number on iPhone or Android devices. However, keep in mind that many people today automatically reject calls from unknown numbers, so they may not answer your call.
Dial *67 Before the Number You Want to Call
The simplest way is to enter *67 before the phone number you wish to call. If you use this method to hide your Caller ID from someone in your contacts, you should first note down or copy that number to your clipboard. Then, type or paste it into the Phone app with *67 at the beginning.
For example, if you want to block your number when calling 555-555-5555, you would dial *67-555-555-5555.
When you use *67 to call someone, your number will appear as No Caller ID, Private, Blocked, or similar on the recipient’s device. Using *67 is completely free, and you can use it as often as you like.
Of course, you need to enter *67 before any anonymous calls you wish to make. Therefore, if you want to block your personal number for all calls, you can use one of the two alternative options below.
Change Caller ID Settings on Your Phone
Changing the settings on your device can help hide your phone number and Caller ID. Both Android and iOS allow users to hide their Caller ID, displaying you as No Caller ID, Private, or Blocked to everyone you contact.
If you want to temporarily override the phone number block after changing these settings, dial *82 before the number you wish to call. This will override the settings and reveal your Caller ID again.
Unfortunately, some network providers do not allow you to hide your Caller ID on the device. If you cannot find this setting, consider the direct approach – signing up for a number hiding service with your network provider.
How to Block Caller ID on iPhone
- Open the Settings app and scroll down to tap on the Phone option.
- Tap Show My Caller ID, then flip the switch to Off to hide your phone number.
How to block Caller ID on Android devices
Depending on the Android phone and dialer app, this process may vary by device. Below are two common ways to block Caller ID for this option:
- Open the Phone > Menu (…) in the top right corner.
- Go to Settings, then scroll down to Supplementary Services. Depending on the specific device, you may need to go to Call > Additional.
- Tap Show my caller ID and select Hide number from the popup menu.
If that doesn’t work, try a different location:
- Open the Phone app again and tap Menu > Settings.
- Select Calling accounts, then tap the provider’s name in Settings.
- Select Additional settings.
- Tap Caller ID and choose Hide number to block it at all times.
Directly Hide Caller ID with Your Mobile Service Provider
If you cannot find the option to hide your phone number or Caller ID in your smartphone settings, you need to directly register for this service with your network provider.
Most network providers do not allow you to hide your number in device settings; instead, you must use their specific app. If you don’t have it yet, you will need to call your provider to sign up for the number hiding service.
Similar to the previous method, this one allows you to remain anonymous on all calls. If you want to reveal your phone number for a specific call, you need to add *82 before your number.
