Are you wondering how to hide your phone number when calling? Do you feel the need to block your phone number when making certain calls?
We live in a digital age where a person’s phone number is linked to various personal details, such as credit card information, bank details, and other essential accounts. As a result, it is crucial for everyone to safeguard their phone number and minimize the risk of it falling into the wrong hands.
Perhaps you’re calling a dating phone line, inquiring about a service you discovered online, or reaching out to an unfamiliar company. In these situations, hiding your phone number while making a call helps maintain your privacy.
There are different methods for hiding your number on Android or iOS devices. However, be aware that many people automatically decline calls from unknown or private numbers. You must consider this, as most unknown calls are perceived as telemarketing or robocalls. Consequently, some individuals may choose not to answer your call.
Despite this possibility, understanding how things work can be beneficial, as you never know when this information might be useful. So, if you’re considering this option, here are various ways to hide your phone number when calling.
1. Change Your Phone’s Caller ID Settings.
You can hide your phone number every time you make a call by altering your phone’s caller ID settings. This applies to both Android and iPhone devices. When you make a call, it will display as “Private”, “Unknown Number”, or “No Caller ID”.
To temporarily unhide your number while using this setting, dial *82 before the number you want to call. This prefix can override your phone’s settings and reveal your caller ID again.
How to hide your phone number on an iOS device;
- Go to Settings, scroll down to find the “Phone” option, and tap on it.
- Tap on “Show My Caller ID”.
- Turn the toggle off to hide your phone number.
How to hide your phone number on an Android device;
- The first step varies depending on your Android device and the Dialer app. Here are the two most common options. Option 1: Go to the “Phone” app. Click on the three-dot menu in the upper right corner. Option 2: Go to “Settings” and scroll down to “Supplementary Services”. Some devices may require you to go to “Call” and then look for “Additional”.
- Tap on “Show My Caller ID” then select “Hide Number” from the pop-up menu.
Alternative Procedure;
Hiding your phone number may seem easy and convenient up to this point. However, some mobile carriers don’t allow their subscribers to block their caller ID from their devices. In such cases, you’ll need to contact your carrier and inquire about possible options. Before taking this step, try the alternative procedure below.
- Open the “Phone” app.
- Tap on the menu and then Settings.
- Look for “Calling Accounts”.
- Tap the name of your carrier under “Settings”.
- Select “Additional Settings”.
- Tap “Caller ID”, then select “Hide Number” to block it each time you make a call.
2. Use the *67 Prefix for Every Phone Number You Want to Call.
The easiest and most common way to hide your phone number is to dial *67 before the number you want to call. This method requires you to manually type the phone number or copy and paste it after the *67 prefix. For example, to block your number when calling 123-123-3333, you must dial *67-123-123-3333.
This method displays your phone number as “No Caller ID”, “Blocked”, or “Private Number”. It’s the most convenient way to hide your phone number when making specific calls. You can use this prefix selectively or as often as needed. It is also free and doesn’t require changing your phone settings for activation.
Commonly known as a vertical service code, *67 is among the several codes you can use to access specific features on your smartphone or landline. As much as this method is quick and temporary, almost all mobile carriers support it.
Here’s a tip: if you want to permanently hide your number when calling a particular person, add them to your contacts list and save their phone number with *67 at the beginning. This will automatically hide your number whenever you make a call to this person. It can also save you from having to type *67 + (this person’s phone number) every time you need to call them.
3. Ask Your Phone Carrier to Hide Your Caller ID Permanently.
If you want to permanently hide your phone number, you can request this from your phone service provider. Be aware that you need to give them a valid reason before they can process your request, and they may require you to sign an agreement form. Some phone companies also charge for the service, so discuss this with your carrier before making a decision.
Once the change is in effect, you have the option to unblock your phone number for specific calls. You can do this by simply adding *82 at the beginning of the number you want to call. This will display your caller ID as is.
The Benefits of Hiding Your Phone Number.
If you call an unfamiliar number, it makes sense to hide your personal phone number. Taking such precautionary measures can protect you from potential threats that often lead to a series of inconveniences.
Nowadays, digital attackers will do anything to steal private information from their targets. One of the things you can do to protect yourself from such malicious intentions is to minimize the exposure of your phone number. This makes hiding your phone number highly beneficial in many ways.
To help you understand this further, we have outlined the most significant benefits of hiding your phone number:
1. Keeps your number off the “call lists”.
Hiding your phone number can minimize its exposure to robocallers, spammers, and telemarketers. In many cases, the primary reason why some people frequently receive spam calls is that their number is on a list. Unfortunately, there are many such lists.
These “call lists” show telemarketers and robocallers which numbers are active and most likely to answer or return a call. By hiding your phone number every time you’re calling or returning a call to an unfamiliar number, you minimize the risk of your number being part of a call list.
2. Protects you from hackers.
One of the greatest risks of disclosing your phone number is becoming a potential victim of hackers. This activity can pose a persistent threat to your private data. Keep in mind that the most common and potentially the worst phishing schemes involve stealing a phone number and using it to access various accounts and services.
Do not disclose your phone number online and never give it to strangers to protect yourself from hackers. If you are calling a dating line or someone you recently met on a dating app, there is nothing wrong with being cautious. Instead of exposing your caller ID when making a call, use whatever means you can to keep your phone number private.
3. Helps you manage your calls.
Hiding your phone number when making certain calls can help you manage your incoming calls better. This means you’ll have fewer chances of receiving prank calls and unimportant calls from random people. Wouldn’t it be nice to receive calls only from people you know and have on your contacts list?
Although this is not a 100% guarantee, being selective of the people who know your phone number can keep you from dealing with annoying calls now and then. This can reduce the risk of being disturbed by an unwelcome caller during a busy day or the wee hours of the night.
4. Enables you to make anonymous phone calls.
There are times when you need to make an anonymous phone call to someone. It could be for personal reasons, to inquire about a service, or perhaps you simply need to confirm something important. Whatever your reasons are, having the means to hide your phone number when making a call can help you fulfill an intention or execute a plan.
As long as you don’t have any malicious intent, there’s no reason to feel guilty about it. In fact, hiding your phone number gives you the liberty to call anyone without exposing yourself in the process. This helps defy certain limitations when using your personal number to make random and spontaneous calls.
The Takeaway: What You Should Know When Hiding Your Phone Number
Unless you ask your phone service provider to permanently block your caller ID, you cannot completely block your phone number for everyone. Some people who know how technology works will always find a way to figure out who is behind a call. Additionally, your efforts to hide your number may not work for some toll-free numbers, government phone numbers, and 911 services.
As much as you want to find a means to hide your number, there are readily accessible third-party apps that can determine an unknown phone number. If, by any chance, a person you are calling is using such an app, they would still be able to identify your phone number even if you attempt to hide it. Moreover, the services we have mentioned can only hide your caller ID when you’re making a call. It doesn’t make the call untraceable.
What’s the moral of the story? Use the available resources responsibly and protect your privacy for the right reasons. Hiding your phone number just to make prank calls, to stalk someone, or to engage in other malicious activities is not only unethical but potentially illegal as well.
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