Privacy is a rare commodity these days. We live in an era where your digital footprint is tracked by every app you open, every site you visit, and every call you make. Sometimes, you just want to make a phone call without handing over your personal identity to a stranger, a business, or a potential Craigslist scammer. You've probably been there—staring at your screen, wondering if there’s a way to keep your digits to yourself.
Learning how to hide a phone number when calling isn’t just for spies or pranksters; it’s a basic utility for anyone trying to navigate a world that demands too much data.
Maybe you’re calling back a missed number you don't recognize. Or perhaps you're a freelance worker trying to maintain a boundary between your professional and personal life. Whatever the reason, the tech exists. It’s surprisingly simple, yet most people only know the one trick they learned in the 90s.
The Classic Vertical Service Code (The *67 Trick)
Most people immediately think of *67. It’s the "OG" method. You dial those three characters, then the number, and suddenly you’re "Private" or "Unknown" on the other end.
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It works because of something called "Caller ID Blocking." This is a feature of the Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN) that tells the receiving exchange to drop the presentation of your number. It’s free. It’s fast. Honestly, it’s still remarkably reliable for landlines and most major cellular carriers like Verizon, AT&T, and T-Mobile.
But it has a glaring weakness.
If you’re calling a toll-free number (1-800 or 1-888), *67 is basically useless. Why? Because the person paying for the call—the business—uses something called Automatic Number Identification (ANI). ANI is different from Caller ID. It’s a billing tool. Since the company is paying for your call, the law generally allows them to see exactly where that call is coming from, regardless of your privacy settings.
Also, many people now use "Silence Unknown Callers" or "Anonymous Call Rejection." If you hide your number using this method, your call might never even ring on their end. It just goes straight to the void.
Diving Into Smartphone Settings for a Permanent Fix
If you find yourself constantly needing to mask your identity, doing it manually every time is a massive pain. You’re going to forget. You’ll slip up, and then your number is out there.
Both iOS and Android have baked-in toggles to handle this. On an iPhone, you’ll find it under Settings > Phone > Show My Caller ID. Flip that switch to off, and you’re ghosting everyone you call. Android is a bit more of a "choose your own adventure" because every manufacturer—Samsung, Google, OnePlus—hides the menu in a different spot. Usually, you open the Phone app, hit the three dots for settings, look for "Supplementary services" or "Calling accounts," and you'll find the caller ID options there.
Wait, there’s a catch.
Carrier overrides are real. In some regions, or on some specific prepaid plans, your carrier might disable this toggle entirely. If you see the button but it’s grayed out, your service provider has locked you into being visible. It sucks, but it’s a common hurdle for people trying to figure out how to hide a phone number when calling on budget MVNO plans.
Why Burner Apps Are the Real Pro Move
Let's be real: "Unknown Caller" looks suspicious. If I see "Private Number" on my screen, I assume it’s a debt collector or a telemarketer. I’m not picking up. You probably wouldn't either.
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This is where VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) apps come in. Apps like Burner, Hushed, or Google Voice don't just hide your number—they replace it. They give you a secondary "shadow" number.
When you use an app like Hushed, the person on the other end sees a legitimate, 10-digit local number. They have no idea it’s routed through an app. It’s psychological. People trust a real-looking number more than a "Hidden" label.
Google Voice is arguably the most robust tool here because it’s free (for personal use in the US) and integrates with your existing phone. You get a second number, and you can choose which number to show when you dial out. It adds a layer of separation that *67 just can't touch. Plus, if that second number starts getting too much spam, you just delete it and get a new one. No harm done to your primary SIM card.
The Nuclear Option: Asking Your Carrier
If you are in a situation where privacy is a safety concern—say, you’re dealing with a stalker or you’re in a sensitive legal position—you can ask for a permanent block at the network level.
You call up your carrier's customer service. You ask for "Line Blocking." This ensures that every single outgoing call is blocked by default. It is the most "hardcore" way to manage how to hide a phone number when calling.
However, keep in mind that this is a blunt instrument. If you want to show your number for a specific call (like to a family member who won't pick up for an anonymous caller), you usually have to dial a prefix like *82 to temporarily unmask yourself. It’s the reverse of the *67 system.
The Legality and the "Trap"
We need to talk about the FCC and the Truth in Caller ID Act.
In the United States, it is perfectly legal to hide your number for privacy reasons. However, it is a federal crime to "spoof" a number with the intent to defraud, cause harm, or wrongfully obtain anything of value. If you’re hiding your number to protect your privacy while selling a couch on Facebook Marketplace, you’re fine. If you’re doing it to impersonate a government official or a bank, you’re looking at massive fines.
Also, be aware of "Trap and Trace."
Law enforcement and emergency services (911) can always see your number. You cannot hide from them. If you call 911 and think *67 will keep your location or identity a secret, you’re wrong. Their systems are designed to bypass all caller ID blocking protocols for obvious safety reasons.
Dealing with "Anonymous Call Rejection"
So, you’ve hidden your number, but now you can’t get through to anyone. You hear a recording saying, "The party you are calling does not accept blocked calls."
This is a common feature provided by landline companies and built into most modern smartphones. It’s a gatekeeper. If you absolutely must reach that person, your only choice is to unhide your number.
This is why the "secondary number" approach (Google Voice/Burner) is superior. It bypasses the rejection filters because you aren't "hidden"—you're just "someone else."
Actionable Steps for Better Privacy
Don't just rely on one method. The best approach depends on who you are calling and why.
If it's a one-time call to a local business, *dial 67 before the number. It's the least amount of effort for a quick result.
If you are managing a side hustle or dating, download a secondary number app. It’s worth the five bucks a month to keep your real phone number off the internet. Once your number is leaked to one of those "People Search" databases (like Whitepages or Spokeo), it’s nearly impossible to scrub it.
For those who want a permanent solution on their personal device, check your phone settings.
- iOS: Settings > Phone > Show My Caller ID.
- Android: Phone app > Settings > Supplementary Services > Show Caller ID.
If the settings are grayed out, your carrier is the bottleneck. In that case, you either live with *67 or you move your service to a more privacy-friendly provider.
Lastly, always remember that hiding your number doesn't make you invisible to the phone company or the government. It only hides your digits from the person holding the phone on the other side. Use these tools to protect your personal boundaries, but understand the technical limits of the network you're using.
The most effective way to stay private is to treat your primary phone number like your Social Security number: don't give it out unless it's absolutely necessary. Every time you enter your number into a "loyalty program" at a grocery store or a "win a free car" kiosk at the mall, you are essentially undoing all the work you did to hide your number in the first place.
Stay smart. Keep your data close. And maybe, just maybe, use a burner for that next Craigslist meetup.