How to hide your phone number starts with knowing the difference between privacy and complete anonymity.
You may want to block caller ID for a quick phone call, keep your main number away from strangers, or use a second number when texting. But not every method works the same way, and some only hide your number from the person receiving the call, not from carriers or legal records.
Before you turn on a setting or download an app, here’s what actually works for calls, texts, and iPhone privacy settings.
1. Can You Really Hide Your Number? What Works and What Doesn’t
Hiding your number from the person you call is possible with caller ID blocking, but hiding your number when texting usually requires using a secondary number or a different messaging platform.
However, hiding a number from the carrier, from law enforcement, or from emergency services is not.
Any call or message routed through a carrier’s network leaves a record on the carrier’s end, and that record is accessible through legal process regardless of whether the caller ID was suppressed.
Suppressing caller ID prevents the number from appearing on the recipient’s screen. It does not make the call or message untraceable.
This distinction matters: these methods work well for everyday privacy, but they are not anonymity tools in a legal or technical sense.
Calls to emergency services always transmit the actual number, regardless of any suppression settings.
2. How to Hide Your Phone Number When Calling
Three methods cover the main situations: a permanent setting for all calls, a per-call prefix code, and device-level settings on Android.
On iPhone: Turn Off Show My Caller ID
To hide your phone number on iPhone, open Settings > Apps > Phone > Show My Caller ID, then turn it off.
On some older iOS layouts, the path may appear as Settings > Phone > Show My Caller ID.
This is the most straightforward way of how to hide your phone number on iPhone for all calls at once.
Outgoing calls will usually appear as No Caller ID, Private Number, Unknown, or a similar label, depending on the recipient’s carrier and phone.
This setting is carrier-dependent: some carriers disable it, which causes the toggle to appear greyed out. In that case, you can try *67 for individual calls, but availability still depends on the carrier and country.
On Android: Hide Number in Call Settings
Android offers a similar setting, though the path how to hide your phone number varies by manufacturer.
On most devices, open the Phone app, tap the three-dot menu, go to Settings, then Calls or Supplementary Services, and look for Caller ID or Show My Caller ID. Set it to Hide Number.
On many Samsung phones, open the Phone app, tap the three-dot menu, choose Settings > Supplementary services > Show your caller ID, then choose Never or Hide number, depending on the region and carrier.
This suppresses the number on all outgoing calls until the setting is changed back.
Using *67 for a Single Call
Dialing *67 immediately before a phone number suppresses the caller ID for that one call only, without changing any settings on the phone. The format is *67 followed by the full number, including area code.
This works on both iPhone and Android and is processed at the carrier level, so it functions regardless of the phone’s caller ID settings.
To reverse suppression on a phone that has caller ID turned off globally, dial *82 before the number to unblock it for that specific call.
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3. Texting Without Using Your Main Number
Knowing how to hide your phone number when texting requires a different approach than calls, since SMS does not have a suppression prefix equivalent to *67. The options range from second number apps to encrypted messaging platforms.
Use a Secondary Number App
Apps such as Google Voice, Burner, TextNow, and MySudo can provide a secondary number for calls and texts.
The recipient sees that secondary number instead of your primary SIM number. Availability, pricing, texting limits, verification support, ads, and international access vary by app and country.
Google Voice is free for a US number and offers both calling and SMS. Burner provides temporary numbers that can be discarded. MySudo allows separate numbers with separate identities and is one of the more privacy-focused options for regular use.
Use an Encrypted Messaging App
Signal can make your phone number more private, especially with usernames and phone-number privacy settings.
Signal says your phone number is no longer visible to everyone by default, but people who already have your number saved in their contacts may still see it. Signal still requires a phone number, as phone-number privacy, not complete number-free messaging.
For contacts who are not on Signal, this method does not apply, and a secondary number app is more practical.
Be careful with WhatsApp
WhatsApp still relies on phone numbers for accounts and ordinary chats. Its phone number privacy feature mainly applies to:
- Communities, where your number is visible to community admins,
- people who have saved your number, or
- people who already have your number from other chats,
as a general way to hide your phone number from all WhatsApp contacts or chats
Avoid relying on random anonymous SMS websites
Some web-based texting tools assign a temporary or secondary number, but delivery is often unreliable, replies may not work, and messages may be filtered as spam.
These services may also require an account, collect usage data, or violate terms depending on how they are used. For important communication, a reputable secondary-number app is usually safer than a random anonymous SMS website.
4. Privacy and Safety Rules to Know
A few ground rules apply across all of these methods when applying how to hide your phone number:
- Hiding a number does not mean it cannot be traced. Carriers retain records of all calls and messages. Legal requests can obtain this information. These methods provide everyday privacy, not legal anonymity.
- Some recipients block hidden number calls. Some recipients, carriers, and business phone systems block or silence calls that appear as No Caller ID, Private, or Unknown. To reach them, either unblock caller ID for that call using *82 or use a secondary number that appears as a real number rather than Unknown.
- Emergency services always receive the actual number. Dialing 911 or other emergency lines transmits the true phone number regardless of any suppression settings or secondary number apps.
- *67 does not work for SMS. The prefix only suppresses caller ID on voice calls. It has no effect on text messages, which is why secondary number apps or web tools are needed for text privacy.
- Businesses and VOIP lines may not honor suppression. Some business, toll-free, carrier, or call-screening systems may handle blocked caller ID differently from a normal consumer phone. Even when the recipient’s screen shows Private or Unknown, network-level information may still exist outside what the recipient sees.
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5. FAQs
Does *67 Work Internationally?
Not universally. *67 is commonly associated with U.S. and Canadian caller ID blocking, while other countries use different prefixes or carrier settings. Check your carrier before relying on it internationally.
Can the Person I Call or Text Still Find Out Who I Am?
Usually not from the call screen alone. A blocked caller ID may appear as No Caller ID, Private, or Unknown, so the recipient typically cannot see the number directly. However, carrier records, call-tracing tools, business systems, or legal requests may still reveal information outside the recipient’s normal phone display.
Do Secondary Number Apps Cost Money?
Some secondary-number apps have free tiers, while others charge for numbers, ad-free use, temporary numbers, or extra privacy controls. Google Voice, TextNow, Burner, and MySudo all differ in availability, pricing, and texting features, so users should check the current terms before choosing one.
Can I Hide My Number When Texting Through iMessage specifically?
No, not in the same way as caller ID blocking. iMessage does not have a *67-style option to hide the sender. You may be able to choose whether new iMessages start from a phone number or Apple Account email in Messages > Send & Receive, but the recipient will still see the sender identity you use. For true separation, use a secondary number or a separate messaging account.
Conclusion
Privacy does not always mean disappearing. Sometimes, it simply means choosing when your personal number should stay personal.
Learning how to hide your phone number can help you make calls, send messages, or manage communication with more control, but it is important to understand the limits.
Caller ID blocking, secondary number apps, and privacy settings can reduce unwanted exposure, but they do not make communication completely anonymous.
The safest approach is to use these tools thoughtfully, protect your main number when needed, and remember that real privacy comes from knowing what each method can and cannot do.
