You need to call someone back, but you do not want them to save your number. Maybe it is a marketplace seller, a one-off work contact, or a number you are calling for the first time and would rather keep private. The good news is that you do not need an app for this: every iPhone and Android phone has a built-in way to hide your number, either for one call or for every call you make.
One call or every call: pick first
Hiding your number for a single call and hiding it permanently are different tools, and picking the wrong one causes the most common frustration — either your number shows on the next call, or it stays hidden when you actually want someone to recognise you.
| What you want | Best method | How long it lasts |
|---|---|---|
| Hide your number on one call | Per-call code before the number | That call only |
| Hide your number on every call | Caller ID setting on your phone | Until you change it back |
| No setting on your phone, or it is locked | Carrier-level caller ID blocking | Until the carrier turns it off |
On iPhone: hide your number for every call
On iPhone, the switch lives in the Phone settings, and it stays off until you turn it back on.
- Open Settings, then tap Apps.
- Tap Phone.
- Tap Show My Caller ID.
- Turn the Show My Caller ID switch off. On older iOS versions the same switch sits directly under Settings, then Phone, without the Apps step.
The person you call will usually see No Caller ID, Private, or Unknown instead of your number. The exact label depends on their phone, their carrier, and your region.
This guide to hiding caller ID on iPhone confirms the same path and the same carrier caveat: if Show My Caller ID is missing or greyed out, your carrier controls the setting, and you will need a per-call code or the carrier's own account setting instead.
On Samsung Galaxy: hide your number for every call
Samsung's own support page gives this route, and it is the same on most Galaxy phones running recent versions of One UI.
- Open the Phone app.
- Tap the three dots in the top-right corner, then tap Settings.
- Tap Supplementary services.
- Tap Show your caller ID.
- Choose Never to hide your number on every call. Choose Network default to hand the decision back to your carrier, or Always to show your number every time.
Samsung's own guide to hiding your caller ID on Samsung phones confirms these three choices and adds two honest limits: some carriers and countries do not allow hiding your number at all, and hiding caller ID does not hide your number in text messages.
If you have two SIM cards, the phone asks which line to change. Change the line you actually call from, or the setting will appear to do nothing.
On Pixel and other Android phones: hide your number for every call
Phones that use the Phone by Google app — Pixel, Motorola, OnePlus, and most others — put the setting one level deeper, under the calling account for your SIM.
- Open the Phone app.
- Tap the three dots in the top-right corner, then tap Settings.
- Tap Calling accounts (on some phones this is labelled Calls), then pick your SIM card or carrier.
- Tap Additional settings. Wait a moment while the phone checks with your carrier — this step can take a few seconds.
- Tap Caller ID, then choose Hide number.
This guide to hiding caller ID on Android confirms the same Samsung and Google Phone app paths, and notes that whether either one works at all depends on your carrier.
Hide your number for just one call
If you only want privacy once, do not touch Settings at all. Dial the code for your country or carrier immediately before the full number, then press call as normal. You must repeat the code on every call you want to hide.
| Where you are calling from | Per-call code | Example |
|---|---|---|
| US and Canada | *67 | *67 followed by the full number |
| UK | 141 | 141 followed by the full number |
| Much of Europe | #31# | #31# followed by the full number |
If you have already hidden your number for every call and want to show it for one call only, the reverse code in the US and Canada is *82 before the number. On GSM networks, the matching pair is *31# to block by default and #31# to allow by default, with the opposite code used as a per-call override — again, only where your carrier supports it.
When hiding your number will not work
Hiding caller ID has real limits, and knowing them in advance avoids an awkward surprise:
- Emergency calls always show your number. Emergency services receive caller details even when caller ID blocking is on. Never delay an urgent call because of a caller ID setting.
- Some toll-free and business numbers still see it. Banks, government lines, and other systems that identify callers for billing or security may receive your number regardless of the setting.
- Text messages are not hidden. Samsung states this plainly: hiding caller ID applies to voice calls only. Anyone you text still sees your number.
- WhatsApp and other app calls ignore it. App-to-app calls show your account to the other person no matter what your phone's caller ID setting says.
- Some people block private calls outright. If the person you call has block-unknown-numbers switched on, a hidden-number call may not reach them at all. If your call will not go through, that is the most likely reason.
- Hiding is not the same as anonymity. Your carrier still processes the call, and the number is still available to the network and to legally authorised services. Do not use caller ID hiding to harass, threaten, or deceive anyone — that is a separate matter from privacy, and it is not what this setting is for.
If the setting is missing or greyed out
This is the most common dead end, and it is almost never a fault with your phone. Some carriers remove the caller ID switch from the phone's settings entirely and control it at the account level instead.
- First, check you are looking in the right place: on iPhone, the switch is under Show My Caller ID, not under Silence Unknown Callers, which is an incoming-call setting and does something different.
- Check you changed the right SIM if your phone has two.
- Try the per-call code for your carrier and country. If the code works, the carrier supports hiding even though the switch is missing.
- If neither works, contact your carrier and ask for caller ID blocking on your line. This is the account-level option, and it is the most reliable route when the phone setting is locked.
If the goal is the opposite direction — stopping other numbers from reaching you — that is a different setting. Our guide to blocking a number on iPhone and Android covers blocking, and our guide to silencing unknown callers covers sending unknown numbers straight to voicemail.
Turning your number back on
Every method in this guide is reversible from the same place you changed it:
- On iPhone, turn Show My Caller ID back on.
- On Samsung, set Show your caller ID back to Network default or Always.
- On Pixel and other Google Phone app phones, set Caller ID back to Show number or Network default.
- Per-call codes need no reversal at all: the next call you dial without the code shows your number as normal.
If your number still shows as private after you turned the setting back on, make a test call first, then restart the phone — the carrier-side change can lag behind the switch by a call or two.
FAQ
Will the person I call see "No Caller ID" or "Private"?
Usually one of those labels, or Unknown. The exact wording depends on their phone, their carrier, and your region — your phone does not choose the label, their side does.
Does hiding my caller ID hide my number in text messages?
No. Caller ID hiding applies to voice calls only. Anyone you text or message still sees your number, and WhatsApp calls show your account regardless of this setting.
Can I hide my number for one call without changing any setting?
Yes. Dial the per-call code for your country or carrier before the number — *67 in the US and Canada, 141 in the UK, or #31# on many European networks. It hides your number for that call only, and the next call you dial normally shows it again.
Why does my number still show after I turned the setting off?
The most likely causes are the wrong SIM on a dual-SIM phone, a carrier that does not allow caller ID hiding, or a recipient whose system (such as a business or toll-free line) receives caller details anyway. Make a test call to a friend's phone to find out which one applies.
The person you are calling may have block-unknown-numbers switched on, which rejects withheld calls automatically. Turn your caller ID back on for that call, or agree another way to contact them.
How do I show my number again after hiding it for every call?
Reverse the same setting: on iPhone turn Show My Caller ID back on, on Samsung choose Network default or Always, on Pixel choose Show number. Per-call codes reverse themselves — just dial the next number without the code.