How to block my cell number when calling out

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.

What to Know

• Enter *67 before dialing a number to hide your number from the recipient of the call.
• Android: Tap Phone > menu > Settings > Calls > Additional Settings > Caller ID > Hide number.
• iPhone: Tap Settings > Phone > Show My Caller ID. Turn off Show My Caller ID.

This article explains how to hide your number with *67 when you make calls on a smartphone.

How to Use *67 on an Android or iPhone

You can prevent your number from appearing on a recipient's phone or caller ID device when you place a call using a smartphone or a traditional landline by pressing *67 followed by the number you want to call. The person you're calling only sees a message such as "blocked" or "private number" when their phone rings.

*67 does not work when you call toll-free numbers or emergency numbers.

While using *67 works on smartphones, it must be entered each time you dial a number. Most cellular carriers offer a way to block your number on all outgoing calls using the Android or iOS device settings.

Other Ways to Hide Your Number on Android

How to Hide Your Number on an Android Phone

You can also use settings to hide your number while using an Android phone:

1. Tap the Phone icon, usually found toward the bottom of the screen.

2. Locate the Search bar on the Phone interface and tap the three vertically aligned dots found within it to display a drop-down menu.

3. Select Settings.

4. Tap the Calls section.

   
   

5. Tap Additional settings.

6. Tap Caller ID.

7. Tap Hide number when the pop-out interface is displayed.

   
   

How to Hide Your Number on an iPhone

To hide your number when you use an iPhone:

1. Tap the Settings icon.

2. Scroll down in the Settings interface and select Phone.

3. In the Calls section, tap Show My Caller ID.

4. If the Show My Caller ID toggle switch is green, tap it once so that it turns white, which is the off position. Your outgoing calls will now display with the message "No Caller ID" in place of your phone number.

   
   

Why Use *67?

Now a common feature on most home phones and virtually all mobile devices, caller ID gives us the ability to screen calls and avoid annoying friends or pesky telemarketers. An obvious downside to this functionality is that anonymity when placing a call is now a thing of the past.

Fortunately, vertical service codes like *67 can come in handy if you need to call people who you don't necessarily want to call you back. For example, if you need to call a business client after work hours from your personal phone, you might not want them to have that number.

Just keep in mind that some people choose to block hidden or private numbers from calling them automatically, in which case your call won't go through if you use *67.

How to Use Other Popular Vertical Service Codes

The following vertical service codes work with most popular providers. Check with your phone company if a particular code is not working as expected.

• *60: Provides the ability to block a specific number.
• *66: Continuously dials a busy number until the line becomes free.
• *69: Useful from a landline that does not have caller ID, this code dials the last number that called you.
• *70: Temporarily deactivates the call waiting feature.
• *72: Turns on call forwarding on a landline.
• *77: Turns on anonymous call rejection, which only allows incoming calls from people who reveal their number.

FAQ

• Can you hide your number when texting?

  Yes. To send anonymous texts on an iPhone, go to Settings > Phone > turn off Show My Caller ID. On an Android, go to the Phone app and keypad > select More (three dots) > Settings > Call Settings. Next, tap Caller ID > Hide Caller.

• How do I block a number on an iPhone?

  To block a number on an iPhone, launch the Phone app and tap the Recent tab to show recent calls. Find the number you want to block and tap the i. Select Block This Caller > Block Contact. Or go to your Contacts, tap a contact > Block This Caller.

• How do I block a number on Android?

  To block a number on Android, launch the Phone app and find the number you want to block. (On a Samsung phone, tap Details.) If your carrier supports blocking, you'll see an option to Block number or Reject call.

  Does * 67 work on cell phones?

  Use *67 to hide your phone number This trick works for smartphones and landlines. Open your phone's keypad and dial * - 6 - 7, followed by the number you're trying to call. The free process hides your number, which will show up on the other end as “Private” or “Blocked” when reading on caller ID.

  Does * 67 still work on iPhone?

  How to Use *67 on an Android or iPhone. You can prevent your number from appearing on a recipient's phone or caller ID device when you place a call using a smartphone or a traditional landline by pressing *67 followed by the number you want to call.

  Does * 67 still work?

  Based on our tests in April of 2022, this still works. If you dial *67 then the recipient's full ten-digit phone number, your call will ring through. The recipient's caller ID will say 'Unknown Caller' or something similar.

  Can I block my cell number before making a call?

  Change the Caller ID Settings on Your Phone You can block your phone number and hide your caller ID for every call you make by changing the settings on your device. Both Android and iOS devices let you hide your caller ID, making you show up as No Caller ID, Private, or Blocked to everyone you call.