How to Make Your Mobile Phone Number Appear As a Private Number

This wikiHow teaches you how to prevent someone whom you're calling from seeing your phone number. You can do this on virtually any phone using a code prefix before dialing the other person's number. If you just want to call using a different number than your own, consider using Google Voice instead of blocking your number.

Method 1
Method 1 of 5:

Using an iPhone

  1. Image titled Make Your Mobile Phone Number Appear As a Private Number Step 1
    1
    Open the Settings app
    iPhone Settings App Icon
    .     The settings app has an icon that resembles two silver gears. Tap the icon on your home screen to open the Settings menu.
  2. Image titled Make Your Mobile Phone Number Appear As a Private Number Step 2
    2
    Tap Phone
    iPhone Phone
    .     It's next to a green icon that resembles an old phone. It's in the Settings menu on your iPhone.
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  3. Image titled Make Your Mobile Phone Number Appear As a Private Number Step 3
    3
    Tap Show My Caller ID. It's in the Phone Settings menu on iPhone.
  4. Image titled Make Your Mobile Phone Number Appear As a Private Number Step 4
    4
    Tap the toggle switch
    iPhone Switch Off Icon
    next to "Show My Caller ID".     It's the only option in the menu. If the toggle switch next to "Show My Caller ID" is to the left and grey, your Caller ID will not appear when you make phone calls from your iPhone.[1]
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Method 2
Method 2 of 5:

Using an Android Phone

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    Open the Phone app. The Phone app typically has an icon that resembles an old phone. Tap the app you use to place calls on your Android phone.
  2. Image titled Make Your Mobile Phone Number Appear As a Private Number Step 6
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    Tap ⋮, ☰, or More. It's the icon in the upper-right corner. This opens the Menu. Depending on the model of your Android smartphone, this may be an icon with three dots, three lines, or a button that says "More".
  3. Image titled Make Your Mobile Phone Number Appear As a Private Number Step 7
    3
    Tap Settings. It's at the bottom of the menu. This opens the phone menu.
  4. Image titled Make Your Mobile Phone Number Appear As a Private Number Step 8
    4
    Scroll down and tap More Settings, Additional Settings, or Supplementary Services. It's near the bottom of the Settings menu. Depending on the model of your Android phone, this may read "More Settings" or "Additional Settings". On Samsung Galaxy phones, it's under "Supplementary Service."
  5. Image titled Make Your Mobile Phone Number Appear As a Private Number Step 9
    5
    Tap Show Caller ID. It's at the top of the More Settings menu. Depending on your Android phone model, this may read as "Show Caller ID" or "Show My Caller ID."
  6. Image titled Make Your Mobile Phone Number Appear As a Private Number Step 10
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    Tap Hide Number. It's the second option in the "Show Caller ID" menu. This hides your number when you place calls from your Android phone.
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Method 3
Method 3 of 5:

Using a Temporary Code

  1. Image titled Make Your Mobile Phone Number Appear As a Private Number Step 11
    1
    Determine your phone's block code. You can use one of the following block codes to hide your phone number behind a "Private" or "Unknown" heading:[2]
    • *67 - Most North American mobile phones; Canada landlines.
    • #31# - AT&T North American phones; Canada mobile phones; Most European & South American phones.
    • 1167 - Most North American rotary phones.
    • 141 - UK phones.
  2. Image titled Make Your Mobile Phone Number Appear As a Private Number Step 12
    2
    Open your phone's Phone app. Tap the app that you use to make phone calls from your phone.
  3. Image titled Make Your Mobile Phone Number Appear As a Private Number Step 13
    3
    Dial the block code. Enter the code that correlates with your phone, symbols included.
    • Depending on your phone, you may have to tap the Dial or Keypad tab before you can dial.
  4. Image titled Make Your Mobile Phone Number Appear As a Private Number Step 14
    4
    Enter the phone number. Type in the number of the person whom you want to call. Make sure that you include the country code/long-distance code if necessary.
    • The final result should look something like this: *67 (123) 456-7890
  5. Image titled Make Your Mobile Phone Number Appear As a Private Number Step 15
    5
    Press the "Call" button. Doing so will call the number as usual. Unless the other person has installed an app that unmasks incoming private calls, they will not be able to see your phone number.
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Method 4
Method 4 of 5:

Asking Your Carrier To Make Your Number Private

  1. Image titled Make Your Mobile Phone Number Appear As a Private Number Step 16
    1
    Open the phone app
    iPhone Phone
    .     The phone app on both Android an iPhones usually has an icon with an old phone. Tap the icon on your home screen to open the Phone app.
  2. Image titled Make Your Mobile Phone Number Appear As a Private Number Step 17
    2
    Dial 611 and press the call button. This is the number used to contact customer service for most major mobile service providers.
  3. Image titled Make Your Mobile Phone Number Appear As a Private Number Step 18
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    Follow the menu options to talk to a customer service representative. The menu options for customer service is going to be different from one mobile service provider to another. Follow the instructions to talk to a customer service representative. You may be able to just say "Talk to a customer service representative."
  4. Image titled Make Your Mobile Phone Number Appear As a Private Number Step 19
    4
    Ask the customer service representative to make your number private. This is an option that most mobile service providers offer. A customer service representative should be able to make your number permanently private. All major carriers offer this option.
    • Most carrier do not charge to make your phone number private, though a few may charge a fee to make your number private.
    • If you want to temporarily allow your caller ID information to appear when placing calls, dial "*82" before dialing a number when placing a call.[3]
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Method 5
Method 5 of 5:

Using Google Voice

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    1
    Set up Google Voice. Google Voice is a free app that allows you to place calls using a different number from your standard mobile number. Before you use Google Voice, you need to download it from the App Store or Google Play Store. When you place your first call using the Google Voice app, you will be asked to search for and select a number to use. Follow the on-screen instructions to select a number to use with Google Voice.
    • Google Voice numbers are not listed publicly. However, if you have posted your Google phone number online or give it out to other people, it may still be traceable back to you. Use the following steps to hide your Google Voice number when making calls.
  2. Image titled Make Your Mobile Phone Number Appear As a Private Number Step 21
    2
    Open the Google Voice app. The Google Voice app has a dark-green icon that resembles a phone. Tap the icon on your home screen or apps menu to open Google Voice.
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    Tap ☰. It's the icon in the upper-left corner of Google Voice. This displays the Settings menu.
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    Tap Settings. It's next to an icon that resembles a gear. It's near the bottom of the Google Voice menu.
  5. Image titled Make Your Mobile Phone Number Appear As a Private Number Step 24
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    Tap the toggle switch next to "Anonymous Caller ID". It's below the "Calls" header in the Settings menu. If the toggle switch is to the right, Anonymous Caller ID is turned on. You can use Google Voice to call from a different number and keep it a secret.
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Community Q&A

  • Question
    If I block my number from displaying when making a call, can someone trace the call back to my phone anyway?
    Community Answer
    Community Answer
    No, unless you call emergency services (but most don't allow the caller ID to be blocked).
  • Question
    I bought a prepaid phone under my Verizon plan, but my name is also on a family plan for Verizon. Can that plan access my private prepaid phone?
    Community Answer
    Community Answer
    Probably not. Most phone companies have their prepaid services separate from their postpaid (month to month) services. But I would recommend contacting Verizon to make sure.
  • Question
    Why does anonymous show sometimes as restricted?
    Community Answer
    Community Answer
    This sometimes happens because the person who is receiving the call has a whitelist - this means that only certain people have permission to call this person.
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Warnings

  • If the person whom you're calling has an app that unmasks your private phone number, they'll be able to see your real phone number.
    ⧼thumbs_response⧽
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References

  1. ↑ https://www.idownloadblog.com/2017/10/16/how-to-hide-your-caller-id-when-making-a-phone-call-on-iphone/
  2. ↑ https://hushed.com/how-to-hide-your-number-when-calling-and-texting/
  3. ↑ https://www.techjunkie.com/make-phone-number-private/

About This Article

Travis Boylls
Written by:
Travis Boylls
wikiHow Technology Writer
This article was co-authored by wikiHow staff writer, Travis Boylls. Travis Boylls is a Technology Writer and Editor for wikiHow. Travis has experience writing technology-related articles, providing software customer service, and in graphic design. He specializes in Windows, macOS, Android, iOS, and Linux platforms. He studied graphic design at Pikes Peak Community College. This article has been viewed 7,890,064 times.
How helpful is this?
Co-authors: 105
Updated: November 1, 2022
Views: 7,890,064
Categories: Featured Articles | Telephone Numbers | Cell Phones
Article SummaryX

1. Dial 611 on your mobile phone to contact customer service.
2. Follow the menu options to talk to a customer service representative.
3. Ask the customer service representative to make your mobile number private.
For more tips, like how to use Google Voice to stay anonymous over the phone, read on!

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