How to Call With a Private Number

To make a call show up as private in the United States and Canada, dial *67 first, then the full number, then press call. The person you are calling sees a label such as "Private", "Blocked", "Anonymous", or "No Caller ID" where your phone number would normally appear.

Caller ID blocking is a phone-network feature, not an app. Your carrier simply withholds your number from the call it sets up, so nothing is installed on the phone and nothing changes on your account when you use the per-call code.

What does calling from a private number actually hide?

A private call hides your phone number from the display on the other person's phone. That is all it hides, and the limits matter more than the trick itself.

• Your carrier still records the call in its own systems and on your bill.
• Emergency services receive the calling number regardless of any blocking code.
• Many toll-free business lines receive the calling number through a separate billing feature, so blocking often has no effect when you call a company.
• Some people and businesses reject anonymous calls automatically, so a private call may never ring at all.
• Hiding caller ID does not make a call anonymous in any legal sense, and it does not hide the call from the phone company.

If you need the other person to be able to call you back, a private call is the wrong tool: they will have nothing to call back.

How to make one call private on iPhone or Android

The per-call method is the same on both, because the code is handled by the phone network rather than by the handset.

1. Open the phone app and go to the keypad.
2. Enter *67 first, with no space and no pause after it.
3. Enter the number you are calling, including the area code, exactly as you would normally dial it.
4. Press the call button once. Do not add the code after the number, and do not dial it as a separate call: it only works directly in front of the number.
5. Watch the call screen. Most phones show the whole dialed string, including the code, which confirms it was sent.

The per-call code applies to that one call and resets by itself. Repeat it every time you want the number hidden.

How do I hide my number on every call instead of one?

Per-line caller ID blocking hides your number on all outgoing calls until you turn it off. Two places control it, and which one works depends on your carrier.

1. Phone settings. On an iPhone, look in Settings, then Phone, for a "Show My Caller ID" switch. On Android, open the phone app menu, then Settings, then Caller ID or Supplementary services, depending on the version.
2. Carrier account. If the switch is missing, greyed out, or comes back on by itself, the setting lives with the carrier instead. Sign in to your carrier account and look for caller ID or privacy options, or ask the carrier to add blocking to your line.

On many prepaid lines and on business lines the handset switch does nothing at all, because the network setting overrides it. If you flip it and the other phone still shows your number, that is usually the reason.

What to do if *67 does not hide the number

When a private call still shows your number, the cause is almost always one of a short list of things rather than a broken phone.

• The code was entered after the number, or dialed and connected as its own call. It has to be in front, in the same dialed string.
• You called a toll-free line or an emergency number, both of which can receive the number anyway.
• The call went out through a calling app or an internet calling service instead of your carrier line. Those services ignore network dialing codes and use their own privacy settings.
• You are dialing from an office phone system that needs an outside-line digit first. In that case the outside-line digit goes before the blocking code.
• You are calling from outside the United States or Canada, where the code is different or absent.
• The recipient uses a service that unmasks or rejects blocked calls, so a blocked call either shows up identified or never arrives.

How do I show my number again on a single call?

If your line is set to block caller ID on every call, dialing *82 in front of a number releases your caller ID for that one call. This is worth remembering when a bank, a clinic, or an automated system will not accept anonymous calls, because their systems often drop a call that arrives with no number attached.

Someone is calling me from a private number: what can I do?

People search for "private number call" in both directions, and the receiving side has different options. Blocking a single blocked number is not possible, because there is no number to block.

1. Let unknown and blocked calls go to voicemail. A recorded message is evidence and costs you nothing.
2. Turn on the setting that silences unknown callers, available in the phone settings on current iPhone and Android versions. Calls still reach voicemail.
3. Ask your carrier what it offers for anonymous calls. Some lines can reject calls with no caller ID outright, and some carriers offer a per-call trace service you activate right after a call.
4. Write down the date and time of each call. Carriers and police both ask for that first.
5. If the calls are threatening or repeated, report them to local police and to your carrier's fraud or abuse team, and ask what records they can retain.

Do not call the number back through a service that promises to reveal blocked callers. Those services are unregulated, and the caller often learns that your line is active.

What to have ready before you contact your carrier about caller ID

• The phone number on the line you want changed, and whether it is prepaid, postpaid, or part of a business account.
• Whether you want blocking on every call or only the ability to use the per-call code.
• The account holder's name and the account PIN or password, since a privacy setting is usually a restricted change.
• An example: one date and time when the number showed up unblocked, if you are reporting that blocking failed.

Ask the carrier to confirm the change is on the line and not only on the account, and test it by calling a second phone you control before you rely on it.