Did you know that there are many benefits of making calls under a private number? If you’re someone who thinks “I don’t wish to show my caller ID” It’s easy to appear to others as a private number.
Steps on How to Make Your Mobile Phone Number Appear As a Private Number
Imagine—you can prank your friends or scare the heck out of them with this trick! If you make your number private, the person you are calling won’t see your real number.
In our day-to-day lives, we are often required to call several people. For some, revealing phone numbers to unknown people has caused several incidents of threats and malicious activity.
So, by making your mobile number private, you can avoid all potential problems and boost your cybersecurity. Read on for easy ways to do this!
Here’s how you can make your mobile number appear as private in the USA, Canada, and India
First, let us learn about how to enable Private Number Service and some prerequisites:
- Your mobile phone should have the option to block caller ID. Most phones have this option built-in.
- Your mobile operator should allow it. Generally, mobile operators in Canada and the USA DO permit you to block your caller ID information, whereas some do not permit India’s private numbers.
- Mobile operators may require a service charge for activating private numbers.
- For more details and activation, contact customer care of your respective cellular carrier.
- Mostly, this service is not available to prepaid users, but a certain network default might allow it.
After you have all the prerequisites sorted out (as we discussed above), then you’ll need to hide your caller ID from your phone using the method discussed below.
You can hide caller ID from your device’s settings. If you have activated the private caller ID service, then you can use it for occasional calling. Imagine that you have to call xxx-xxx-xxxx, but you could add the code *31# to the mobile number to block your caller ID before calling. Then, your dialer should read: *31#xxx-xxx-xxxx.
Here’s how to make free voice calls from PC to mobile
NOTE, in India, you will enter *31#, whereas here is some additional information for some other carriers:
Prefix Codes to Make Your Caller ID Private (North America) ** Note, that other countries follow below
- AT&T (USA) – to make your mobile number private, dial 67 and then followed by your number area code + number
- Rogers (Canada) – to make your mobile number private, enter #31# and then followed by your number area code + number
- Bell Canada (Canada – to make your mobile number private, enter #31# and then followed by your number area code + number
- Verizon (USA) – to make your mobile number private, enter *67 and then followed by your number area code + number
- T-Mobile (USA) – to make your mobile number private, enter *67 and then followed by your number area code + number
There are three options for hiding one’s phone number and making a confidential call.
Use Caller ID Blocking Prefix:
The caller ID blocking prefix is different for some countries, but the same is used in most cases. You can enter a code in many countries before you dial a number, and your phone number will be blocked from appearing on the recipient’s caller ID. The code varies depending on your country and your service provider, and remember, it is not possible to block in all countries. In India, the prefix is *31#. Enter the prefix, followed by the number you are dialing. For example, if you are in India and want to call xxx-xxx-xxxx, you would enter *31#xxx-xxx-xxxx.
Codes by Country:
- USA: *67 or #31# (AT&T, Verizon, T-Mobile)
- Canada = #31# (Rogers, Bell Canada, and Virgin)
- Albania, Australia, Denmark, Greece, Israel, Italy, Netherlands, Sweden, Norway: #31#
- Argentina, Iceland, Switzerland, South Africa: *31*
- Germany: *31# or #31#
- Hong Kong: 133
- Japan: 184
- UK and Ireland: 141
- New Zealand: 0197 (Telecom) or *67 (Vodafone)
- Australia: 1831 or #31#
- India: *31#
For countries not listed here, chances are you can use either *67 or #31#.
Permanent Caller ID Blocking:
If you are hiding your number and caller ID for all outgoing phone calls, you can contact your phone carrier and set up permanent caller ID blocking. There is typically a charge or monthly fee for this, and the expenses and terms will vary from carrier to carrier.
- Most pre-paid plans can’t support permanent Caller ID blocking.
- India users need to enable Caller ID blocking before they can use the blocking prefix code.
Hide your Number through your Device Settings:
Many phones allow you to block your caller ID information by changing the phone’s settings. If your phone does not have the option for these additional settings, then it is not allowed by your carrier, and you will have to try one of the following steps:
- Android phone version 4.1 & later: Open the Phone app > Menu > Call settings > Caller ID > Hide number.
- iPhone: Open the Settings app > Phone > Show My Caller ID > Toggle the OFF slider.
- Windows: Open the Phone app > More button (…) > Settings > Show my caller ID to > No one/My contacts.
Use an External App
If you have no problem downloading a burner app to make calls for you, this is one of the easiest methods to follow. Here are some examples of apps that will use your internet data instead of your actual cell phone number to make calls:
- Google Voice
- Burner
- Hushed
These apps all have in common that they give you a whole new number to make calls on, as long as you initiate the calls through the app itself and not your phone’s built-in dial pad. This effectively makes your number “private” in that it changes it.
Using this type of app, your number will appear to others as whatever number the app has given you—not “Private Number.”
Advantages of switching to a Private Number:
- When calling back a number you don’t recognize, having a private phone number can protect you from scammers and spam. For example, you might miss a call from an unrecognizable number and want to make sure it wasn’t important. It could be a missed opportunity! Having a private number will let you make these calls risk-free.
- If you use a long-term private number service, you’ll be immune to many robocall lists that could have ended up bugging you all day.
- Keep your phone data from being sold by predatory companies that capitalize on breaching your privacy.
- You’ll be extra safe from hackers if you choose to block your phone number online.
- On the fun side, freely make prank calls to your friends or family without them already knowing it’s you!
Drawbacks of activating Private Number service:
- Some people have Anonymous Call Rejection enabled. Call Rejection means your call will not go through unless you call from an unblocked number.
- If you want to make an unblocked call after setting up a caller ID block on all outgoing calls, you will need to enter the unblocking prefix before the phone number. In India, this prefix is not specified, so you can use *31# as most GSM networks use this.
USSD Codes List of All Operators/Networks – Get Every USSD Code
So, that’s how you can make your mobile number appear as a Private Number when making calls. If you know of any other tricks to change your number to Private, share them with us in the comment section below!
I hope this article helps you to increase your privacy and security. If any of the methods are not working for your network, let us know in the below comments. We will try to help you as soon as we can.
Which method do you use to make your mobile phone number appear as a private number?
Bonus: How to Return A Call to A Private Number
Once your cellphone beeps, your first reaction is to look to see who is calling before answering. What happens if you glance at your smartphone and discover some private calls? With a call received from a private number, the name and contact details aren’t visible.
Moreover, the terms Restricted, Private Caller, Unknown Caller ID, Limited, or Unknown may display on your screen.
While you may be hesitant to answer unknown or even limited calls, how will you know whether you want to call back if you don’t respond? The incredible thing is that you can track down the caller and repay the call from a secret number that called, in various methods!
Use *69 to Call Back A Private Number
It is permissible for individuals to block their contact information for privacy and secrecy. However, you have the right to learn who is behind a private number.
The Last Call Return code, which is the North American Numbering Plan Administration’s universal vertical service code, is the initial approach for locating an unknown call (VSC).
Thus, for landlines, dial *69 to instantly contact the last caller that phoned you. On the other hand, to return a call from a recent private number, dial #69 on a mobile phone.
Moreover, you should also remember that your service provider may impose a time limit on returning the confidential call. Thus, it’s usually within 30 minutes after the last call.
You will not acquire the accurate phone information of the person who contacted you if you use this approach, but you will be able to get the unknown caller. While there is no guarantee that they will respond to your phone, you may receive a message that provides some information about who they are.
Drawback:
Your phone network operator will choose how you use this strategy. Some companies, for example, present auto-generated audio that gives you the phone number and the choice to contact. Other phone providers will not return your private call or furnish you with your mobile phone number.
However, there is a preventive measure to take before using this procedure. However, it’s for the rare situations where it exacerbates the issue. Computer-generated calls that check if your cell number is active are examples of restricted calls.
Moreover, scammers are phoning you in terms of selling your contact information. As a result, receiving a private call informs the system that your phone number is still operational.
Verifying the Logs of the Phone Provider
If you’re still having trouble finding what you’re looking for using Last Call Return, you may check your phone call records when you get your monthly account. Furthermore, your phone company keeps track of incoming call and outbound ones too.
Thus, it can disclose Private-number calls in these logs on occasion. Moreover, you may search and check your phone’s call history. Next, you may match the date and time to the user log provided by your mobile service provider. Consequently, you can compare these data bits to determine who the mystery caller is.
Further, the length of time these phone logs or call traces remain on record by the phone service provider. In most cases, these documents can stay for one to seven years. So it’s even possible to use it in criminal investigations.
Using the Reverse Number Lookup for Your Search
You may do a reverse phone lookup if you’ve tracked down the private number and want to learn about it before returning the call. Thus, determine if the phone number belongs to a landline or an android device by using a Google search or the Yellow Pages. Moreover, this website may also be an excellent way to locate the region where the cellphone is registered.
In some cases, the service isn’t toll-free, and you may have to pay the price to acquire a complete report. If the research service cannot provide any information on the unknown caller, you will receive a refund.
On the other hand, a reverse phone search will not give you the information you need if you are interacting with a faked call.
Third-party Apps Can Help Unmask Private Callers
Catching a consistent flow of private-number calls might be inconvenient, especially if you have a hectic schedule. So you may pay for a phone app like TrapCall to unmask a secret number. This is if you’re looking for a way to uncover limited calls, private numbers, or unknown calls.
TrapCall is a smartphone app that shows you who has been prohibited or restricted from calling you. It gives you the phone number and the name under which the phone is registered. It also provides the caller’s address and a blacklist option to block future calls.
Utilizing Call Tracing Configuration to Catch Private Callers
Call tracing or call tracking is another way to figure out who is behind a blocked, secret or restricted call. Some telephone service providers offer a call-tracing service to block threatening, illegal, vulgar, or annoying calls.
For example, when you get a confidential call, dial *57 from a telephone or #57 from a cell phone and follow the audio instructions provided by the phone provider.
After the tracing effort completes, a message will advise you whether the phone provider successfully located the caller’s details. Some telephone service providers offer this service for free. On the other hand, others need a minimal monthly cost for you to use them.
Unmasking private-number calls isn’t beneficial. It is, however, worthwhile if you are already facing harassment. Thus, if you’ve successfully tracked an unknown caller at least three times and have recorded the dates and times you set up call tracking, you can report your local enforcement department or even your phone provider right away. They have the power to prevent these calls from pestering you.
Key Takeaways
We’ve compiled a list of every potential method for returning a call from a private number. As a result, surveilling an unknown number or restricted call is simpler than ever before. Moreover, the method is simple whether you utilize the Last Call Return vertical service code or acquire a third-party program.
After all, you ought to have the security that comes with just receiving crucial and required calls. Interrogation of private numbers also aids in the blocking of harmful calls and the avoidance of dangerous frauds that may compromise your sensitive information.
