If you want to hide your phone number when calling, the fastest fix is a one-time star code. Just dial *67 before the number on most US carriers, and the person you're calling sees "Private" or "Blocked" instead of your digits. Want it permanent instead of call by call? That's a phone setting, but enabling it works differently on iPhone versus Android. Here's exactly how to do both, plus where this trick quietly stops working.
Nobody needs a dramatic reason to keep a number private. Common ones include:
None of this requires an app, a burner phone, or anything technical. It's built into the network.
This works on most US landlines and cell carriers, no settings menu required:
The recipient's phone shows "Private Number," "Blocked," "Unknown," or "No Caller ID," depending on their carrier and device. This only applies to that one call. Hang up, and your next call shows your real number again unless you dial *67 first each time.
For a permanent setting instead of a code you have to remember:
Every outgoing call now shows as private until you turn the toggle back on. This setting doesn't exist for iMessage or FaceTime, which use your Apple ID rather than caller ID, so it only affects standard cellular calls.
The exact path varies slightly by phone maker, but the general route is:
On some carrier-locked Android phones, this option is missing entirely. If that's the case, *67 on a per-call basis is the reliable fallback.
Landline carriers generally support the same *67 code. Some also offer permanent per-line caller ID blocking, which you'll need to request directly through your provider, since it's usually not a self-service toggle.
This is the part most guides skip. Caller ID blocking has real limits:
The FCC requires caller ID information to be accurate when it is transmitted, which is the same rule that makes illegal spoofing (faking a different real number, not just hiding your own) enforceable under the Truth in Caller ID Act.
Caller ID blocking works both ways. If you're on the receiving end of a call marked "Private," "Blocked," or "No Caller ID," you're in the position most people search for next. A reverse phone lookup can't unmask a number that never transmitted in the first place, but if you have any partial information (a callback number left in a voicemail, a number from a missed-call notification, or a text from the same source) that number can potentially be searched through a public records lookup.
You should understand what "No Caller ID" actually means before assuming the worst, since not every hidden call is a scam or a spoof. We also have an article focusing on unknown callers, which you should also check out. If the calls are frequent or feel targeted, our breakdown of unknown number versus No Caller ID types offers an in-depth comparison of each, while our guide to stopping spam calls covers the tools that actually reduce volume instead of just labeling it.
Got an actual number you don't recognize, rather than a blocked one? ClarityCheck's reverse phone lookup can help surface publicly available information tied to it before you decide whether to call back.
WhatsApp has no name search. Here's how finding someone on the app works, plus how to verify a stranger's number before you meet or send money.
Learn how to find someone on dating sites by email using free methods, what they can't tell you, and how a reverse email lookup fills the gaps.
No search bar, no name lookup. Here's how to find someone on Hinge using phone, email, name, and photo search methods that actually work.