Whether you’re trying to hide your phone number to avoid being called back or to prevent someone from knowing it’s you that’s calling, there are quite a few ways you can block your number from being shown on someone else’s caller ID.
And, while it’s free and easy to block your number from showing up on caller ID, what about when you want to learn how to keep your phone number private while texting, too? There are numerous reasons for not wanting to give out your phone number or for wanting to hide it from others. Here’s how to hide your phone number safely.
How to Hide Your Phone Number For One Phone Call
If you’re at work and need to quickly hide your phone number to make an important call or don’t have time to download the Burner phone app, most carriers allow you to hide your number for calls and from your contacts.
The FCC has actually mandated that all carriers in the United States make it possible for users to be able to block their number from appearing on caller IDs (along with mandates protecting you from robocalls). So, to hide your number and sometimes even your name for one simple phone call you can:
Enter *67 before the entire number, then press the call button.
If you can, make a test call (to a trusted friend or coworker) before calling your contact to make sure this works.
If it doesn’t work, try entering #31# before typing in the phone number.
If it works, your number should appear as “private,” “unknown,” or “restricted.”
How to Hide Your Phone Number From Contacts
Planning on making lots of outgoing phone calls and don’t want anybody to be able to see your phone number? On iPhones and Androids, you can block your number permanently from appearing on caller ID.
For Android phones, you’ll have to perform some variation of the following steps:
Open the Phone app
Open the menu to select “Settings”
Click on “Calls”
Click on “Additional Settings”
Click on “Caller ID”
Select “Hide Number”
For iPhones, you’ll have to:
Open the Settings app
Click on “Phone”
Click on “Show My Caller ID”
Turn the option off
It’s important to note that Verizon doesn’t currently allow you to hide your phone number on an iPhone. You can, however, hide it by accessing your Verizon account via their website or the My Verizon app.
And, while the above actions are pretty easy to follow (and great for a quick fix or a quick phone call), they’re not meant to act as long-term solutions. For starters, it’s pretty clear to whoever you’re calling that you’re trying to hide your number when it pops up as “restricted” or “anonymous.” Secondly, these techniques don’t allow you to hide your phone number when texting.
Use a Burner Phone Number for Calling & Texting
Instead of simply blocking your phone number from appearing on caller ID or using the *67 technique, why not use a Burner phone number instead? Using an app like Burner, you’re able to easily sign up for a second phone number that, when called or texted, will send those calls and messages straight through to your phone like normal.
This way, your personal number stays private and nobody who is trying to contact you or vice versa knows that you’re intentionally trying to hide your number. It’s a practical, long-term solution that allows anybody, from salespeople and business owners to casual daters and freelancers to protect their privacy.
You can choose to create a Burner phone number for a one-off situation and then get a new number or you can choose the more suggested option which is to set up a Subscription Burner phone number that allows you to keep the same number to use for any situation in which you want to keep your normal number private.
Whether you’re making outgoing calls for work and want to keep your work life separate from your home life or simply don’t feel comfortable giving out your real number to that cutie you swiped on Tinder, Burner phone apps just make sense.
Get started with a new second number today.
