Hide Your Caller ID: Why and How It Works

Do you want to hide your phone number to avoid being called back or do you want to prevent the receiver from knowing it’s you on the other end? There are a lot of reasons for wanting to keep your phone number hidden. We’ve collected some ways to succeed in doing so!

Hide Your Caller ID: 3 Easy Ways of Doing This

What does hiding your caller ID do?

Normally, when you place a call, your phone number is displayed on the recipient’s phone. We all have caller ID nowadays, but there are situations in which you want to block your phone number when you’re making a call. Luckily, hiding your phone number is easy to do.

When you block your caller ID, you prevent the person on the other end of the line from knowing it’s you that’s calling. This person will only see ‘anonymous’, ‘private number’ or ‘unknown caller’, or something similar on their caller ID instead of your phone number.

You can use hiding caller ID permanently or just for a single phone call. In the latter case, your next call will display your caller ID as normal.

Bear in mind: you can’t hide your caller ID when you’re making a call to certain phone numbers, such as emergency services. Operators of emergency call centers are always able to see your number, so they can call you back when your connection is poor or if you hang up in a panic.

Code to hide your caller ID

If you’re in a situation where you quickly need to disguise your caller ID, so your name and phone number, you can easily use a code or prefix to do so. If you’re from the United States, for example, you enter *67 before you dial the phone number you want to call. The code depends on the country or region you’re from.

Codes by country for mobile phones

CountryCode
Australia#31#
Austria#31# or *31#
Belgium#31#
Brazil#31# or *31#
Bulgaria#31#
Canada#31# or *67
Czech Republic#31# or *31#
Denmark#31#
Finland#31# or *31#
France#31#
Germany#31# or *31#
Greece#31#
Hong Kong133
Hungary#31# or *31#
Ireland141
Italy#31#
Japan184
Mexico*67
Netherlands#31# or *31*
New Zealand*67 (Vodafone)
0197 (Telecom or Spark)
Norway#31# or *31#
Poland#31# or *31#
Portugal#31# or *31#
Romania#31# or *31#
South Korea*23 or *23#
Spain#31#
Sweden#31#
Switzerland#31#
Ukraine#31# or *31#
United Kingdom141
United States*67 (all carriers except AT&T)
#31# (AT&T)
Other countriesUse code #31#

Step-by-step guide

Using a code or prefix is the quickest way available, plus it’s completely free. The proceedings are simple:

  • First enter the code, for example *67
  • Then, enter the actual phone number you want to call
  • Place the call as you normally would

For example, if you’re calling the US-number 444-333-2222, you dial *674443332222 to mask your number. If it doesn’t work, try entering #31# or *31# instead. Your number should appear as ‘private’ or ‘unknown’.

It might be smart to first make a test call and make sure you’ve completed the steps in the right way. The trick is temporary, which means you should do this procedure for each individual call. It is time-consuming if you want to block your caller ID more often.

How to hide your caller ID on iPhone?

Most phones, such as the iPhone, also allow you to hide your caller ID on a more permanent basis. If you want to hide your caller ID on your iPhone, there are several ways to do so. You can block your caller ID for a single call, depending on which carrier you’re using, or you can change your phone’s settings to permanently disguise your phone number.

Do you want to make an anonymous phone call? Try this:

  • Open ‘Settings’
  • Click on ‘Phone’
  • Click on ‘Show My Caller ID’
  • Turn the option off

Your caller ID remains hidden as long as you don’t switch the button back on. Remember: some phones do not accept calls from blocked numbers, so be sure you know how to turn the option off and make your identity known again!

Do you want to switch your caller ID to anonymous for an indefinite period of time? Then contact your service provider and ask about permanent caller ID blocking. Don’t forget to check about added expenses: perhaps hiding your caller identity permanently isn’t worth the while if it will cost you heaps.

How to hide your caller ID on Android?

Most Android phones have an option to block your caller ID to prevent your number from appearing on the receiver’s end. However, there are several routes you can follow, also because some carriers block the features you need in order to hide your caller ID. We’ve collected the options below.

Option no. 1:

  • Open the Phone App
  • Open the menu and select ‘Settings’
  • Click on ‘Calls’
  • Click on ‘Additional Settings’
  • Click on ‘Caller ID’
  • Select ‘Hide Number’

Option no. 2:

  • Open the Phone App
  • Click on ‘More’ or the three dots icon
  • Click on ‘Settings’
  • Scroll down and click on ‘More Settings’
  • Tap on ‘Show My Caller ID’
  • Tap on ‘Hide Number’

How to hide your caller ID with Google Voice?

Another possibility is hiding your Google Voice number, so the people you’re calling won’t see it:

  • Open the Voice app
  • Tap Menu Settings at the top left
  • Turn Anonymous Caller ID on under calls

When the need to call anonymously has vanished, you can easily turn Anonymous Caller ID off by following the opposite steps. Keep in mind that hiding your caller ID on one device hides it on all devices that are linked to your Voice account.

Do you only want to hide your caller ID for individual calls? Then you can also try the *67 trick for Google Voice. Just follow these steps:

  • Open Voice
  • Open the tab for Calls
  • Before dialing the phone number as you usually would, you enter the prefix for blocking your caller ID.
  • Dial the phone number after entering the prefix

The person you’re trying to reach won’t see it’s you calling.

How to use a burner number app to hide your caller ID?

All the above-mentioned actions are quite easy to follow and they are great for a quick, anonymous phone call. However, if you’re serious about hiding your caller-ID for the long run, there are better solutions. Such as a burner phone number, which also allows you to hide your personal phone number when texting or sending images.

If you use an app like Burner, you can easily sign up for a second phone number that will send incoming calls and text messages straight to your regular phone.

The perks? Your personal number remains private and nobody who tries to contact you knows you’re trying to hide your phone number. This way, you’re able to protect your privacy without anyone noticing because they see ‘private number’ or ‘anonymous caller’ popping up on the screen.

It makes sense when you think about it. In work situations, for example, when you want to maintain the balance between your private life and those incoming work-related phone calls. Or when you’ve just met a potential lover through Tinder or some other dating app and don’t want them to know your real phone number.

It’s clear: with the Burner app, you’re always safe and anonymous when you give out your phone number!

Frequently asked questions about hiding your caller ID

How to get my name to not show on caller ID?

You can prevent your caller ID with name and number to show. If you want to do this once, you have to type in a certain code in front of the phone number you are calling. Take a look at the paragraph 'Codes by country for mobile phones' on this page, to see which code you need to use from the country you are in.

Note: it can not be 100% guaranteed that your caller ID will be blocked, but it is an option that often succeeds. You can also turn off your caller identity by default. For iPhone, Samsung, and Android this has to be done in different way. You'll find these instructions higher up on the page.

How to hide caller ID on Samsung?

Most Android phones like Samsung's have an option to block caller ID. At the same time, there are several ways to do that, also because some providers block features that you need to disable your caller ID in the settings. But we have the step-by-step plan for you here:

  • Open your Samsung phone's phone app
  • Open the menu and select 'Settings'
  • Tap on 'Call' or 'Chats'
  • Tap on 'Additional settings'
  • Tap on 'Caller ID'
  • Select 'Hide number'
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