How To Hide Your Phone Number

Have you wondered how to hide your phone number when making calls and what it looks like to the receiver? When you hide your phone number, it appears as a “Private Number” or with “No Caller ID.” These are calls from individuals or organizations who have purposefully blocked or masked their number. With no caller ID, it is difficult to identify who may be calling you. But how do these callers hide their numbers and why?

Different Ways To Hide Caller IDs

There are a few different ways to keep your caller ID unknown. Let’s look at how to hide your phone number temporarily or permanently, depending on your requirements.

Temporary vs Permanent

One way to block or hide your phone number is by dialing ‘*67’ before the number you are calling. This will temporarily deactivate your number and make it appear as a private number on the receiver’s screen. For example, if you are calling 745-332-5987, dial *677453325987 to mask your number. Phone calls made this way cannot be traced.

To permanently block your number, you will need to call your phone service provider and request a line block. When you do this, the phone number will remain blocked for all future calls. Note that this cannot be reversed.

Hide Your Caller ID With Mobile Settings

Most iPhones and Android phones allow you to turn your caller ID on or off through the phone’s settings.

So, how to hide your phone number with an iPhone?:

1. Go to ‘Settings’
2. Select ‘Phone’
3. Then select ‘Show My Caller ID’
4. Here you can turn your Caller ID on or off.

To hide your number on an Android device:

1. Open the ‘Phone’ app
2. Select ‘Settings’
3. Click on ‘Call’ settings
4. Then select ‘Additional’ settings
5. Click on ‘Caller ID’
6. Select ‘Hide number’ or ‘Show number’ to block or display your caller ID.

How To Hide Your Phone Number in Other Countries

*67 is the common code for blocking caller IDs in the United States (except with AT&T), Canada, and New Zealand (using Vodafone phones). However, other countries have their own blocking codes. Here’s a list:

Why Do People Hide Their Phone Number?

Usually, telemarketers conducting illegal marketing businesses choose to block their numbers. This is the preferred method of communication because these numbers cannot be traced. Other times, people who have been blocked can resort to hiding their phone number or Caller ID to ensure the call goes through.

Most receivers who get “No Caller ID” calls are interested in who is calling and may answer. Others, however, are suspicious of unknown or private numbers being spam or telemarketers and avoid answering them.

Benefits of Hiding Your Phone Numbers

Since customers are less likely to answer numbers they don’t recognize, consider local numbers if you have a business in a different country. Global Call Forwarding is a phone service provider that offers virtual phone numbers for local and international businesses. With a virtual number from Global Call Forwarding, you can have a local phone number for overseas countries where your business extends to. Customers prefer local or toll free numbers over unfamiliar international numbers. Make your customers more comfortable with a local or toll free number from Global Call Forwarding today.