You need to make a phone call, but you don’t want to give out your phone number. “How do I hide my number on my iPhone!?” you wonder. In this article, I’ll show you how to hide your number on your iPhone so you can make anonymous phone calls!
How To Hide Your Number On iPhone When Making Calls
There are two ways to hide your number on your iPhone when you make calls. The first way is to go into the Settings app and tap Phone. Next, tap Show My Caller ID and turn off the switch next to Show My Caller ID. You’ll know the switch is off when it’s gray and positioned to the left.
It’s important to note that some wireless carriers don’t give you this option on the iPhone itself, so don’t be surprised if you don’t see Show My Caller ID in the Settings app of your iPhone. Some carriers, such as Verizon and Virgin Mobile, make you set this up online or by calling their support team.
You can also hide your number on your iPhone when making individual calls by dialing the shortcode *67 before dialing an actual phone number.
Getting A Second Phone Number
If hiding your number isn’t enough, you can get a second phone number using the Hushed App. For just $25, you can get a second phone number for life which will help you protect your primary, personal phone number.
To take advantage of this amazing offer, sign up for Hushed and use the code HA25 to get yourself a second phone number. This will help you hide your number on your iPhone for good!
Anonymous Calling Made Easy!
You’ve successfully set up your iPhone to make calls anonymously! Now you know exactly how to hide your number on iPhone or get a second phone number if you desire. Feel free to leave us a comment down below to let us know what you think of Hushed!
There may be times when you want to make an anonymous call – perhaps you are shopping around and don’t want to give a business your number, or maybe you think somebody is avoiding your calls when they see your name come up. Whatever the case, there are a couple of ways you can block your number from showing up on the recipient’s Caller ID. You can either block your number on a call-by-call basis or you can have your number blocked by default and let it be shown on a call-by-call basis. You probably should opt for the former, since many people, including your friends, don’t answer unidentified callers. Here’s how to stop your number from showing up in Caller ID on iPhone:
Method 1 – Block on a per call basis
To stop you number from showing on the recipient’s Caller ID you can simply dial *67 followed by the phone number. This is known as a “vertical service code” or “star code” and it will work for all calls in North America, including those made from landlines. The recipient will see either “No Caller ID” or “Private Number” or something similar.
While Show Caller ID is off, you can override it by dialing *82 before the number. This way you can choose to show your ID on a call-by-call basis.
Now I notice that if I have a missed / answer call it shows up on his notice screen and all my calls show up in his recent call history .
Both phones don’t ring and they don’t need to be near each other or connected by Wi-Fi. We do share an Icloud account a few good years.
We have mac too with yosimta systam.. ( its possible that the mac make this bug? i thing/not for sure its beign when i conncted the mac to our icloud)
the option calls on other devices is off.
So How do I stop sharing call history between the two phones? with the same icloud!(i dont want another apple id)
(the icloud work fine until ios 9)
Posted on Sep 26, 2015 2:47 AM
Helpful answers
I have exactly the same issue. My wife and I share an apple ID and now share the call history since we upgraded to iOS 9.01. Our kids share a different Apple ID and also have the same problem between them. This never existed before iOS 9. Setting up another Apple ID would be a nightmare to manage since my wife and I share everything except contacts and calendars (which I get from my work server).
There doesn’t seem to be any fix, yet. VERY frustrating.
Oct 2, 2015 12:15 PM
Found this in another thread. Fixed it for me:
Settings -> General -> Handoff. Turn this feature off on both handsets.
Oct 3, 2015 9:29 AM
They just came out with iOS 9.0.2 this morning and this DOES fix it. No need to create yet ANOTHER apple ID or even turn off the handoff feature (which will disable that capability on my watch). Thanks for helping, you guys.
Oct 3, 2015 10:12 AM
i found a solution.
i closed the option iCloud drive (general -> iCloud -> iCloud drive)
Oct 3, 2015 12:47 PM
All here in this thread are writing “Don’t share a Apple-ID” and reprimand the users who do this .
I have two phones by my own (one is my company iPhone, the other one is my private one).
Would like to share all my data except the call history on this two phones!
So – is this not a “used case” which makes sense.
Oct 13, 2015 7:51 AM
For us, 9.0.2 does NOT fix the issue with shared calling histories between different iPhones. We both have iPhone 6s’s on iOS 9.0.2. I tried shutting off WiFi phone calls, disabling Handoff on her phone (I need it on my phone) as well as ensuring her phone and devices aren’t selected for “Allow Calls on other devices”.
What worked for me was to disable iCloud Drive on my wife’s iPhone 6s — as suggested above (thanks, ifat) thankfully she doesn’t use any iCloud drive features. I know this isn’t optimal but it works for our situation to preserve the features we need.
I realize people will say use different Apple ID’s but the primary reason we are sharing Apple IDs is to share the iCloud photo library: that way pictures we both take end up in the same library. We both then have access to our 325 GB library with over 15 years of photos, a huge benefit of a cloud shared photo library. For us, Family Sharing isn’t really about sharing purchases.
If Apple would allow Family sharing to also share the iCloud Photo Library that would solve this issue. Ideally, Apple would allow authorized family members to access the shared photo library (configurable per device as I don’t want all my little kid’s photos from their devices). It would also require sharing the full storage plan of the primary account holder (otherwise sharing a huge library doesn’t work), and this could be used to allow iCloud device backups all to the same storage plan.
Until then, I hope Apple realizes many people share the Apple ID for the photos and re-enable the sequestering of the call history to each device. It would make sense for call history to be sync’d among devices selected in the “Allow Calls on other devices” preference.
When you want to make a private call on iPhone, you need to know how to block your number when calling.
When you make a call on your iPhone, Caller ID reveals your phone number to the person you’re calling. If you want to know how to make a private call on your iPhone so your Caller ID doesn’t show up, there are a few ways to accomplish this. Here are three ways to hide your phone number, as well as who can still see your number even with these methods, and a simple way to make your phone number visible again on a call-by-call basis, even if you’ve blocked your number. Let’s get started learning how to block your phone number on your iPhone.
How to Make Number Private: Use a Code to Block Your Number
If you only need to make the occasional anonymous call, there’s a very simple trick to accomplish your goal. To block your number on iPhone from Caller ID, you’ll need to enter a specific star code on your keypad before dialing the number you want to reach. This tip can be used not only on your iPhone, but also on a landline. It works for any call made from one phone to another in North America and it blocks your number when calling someone so that you can keep your phone number private. To block your phone number from caller ID on a call-by-call basis, you’ll need to learn how to use star 67 (*67) to hide your phone number.
- Dial *67 then the area code and phone number of the person or business you’d like to contact.
How to Make an Anonymous Call on iPhone: Block Caller ID Directly
If you’d like to make private calls from your iPhone on a more regular basis, without having to enter a code each time, there’s a setting you can change to accomplish this. This setting isn’t available for some carriers, including Verizon, Straight Talk, and US Cellular customers, but other users can permanently block their number on caller ID by turning off Show My Caller ID in the Settings app. To disable the Show My Caller ID feature on your iPhone and instead make private calls:
- Open the Settings app and tap Phone.
How to Temporarily Share Your Number on Caller ID
Once you’ve toggled off Show My Caller ID, there’s a code you can use if you’d like your caller ID to be visible on a call-by-call basis. Like with *67, the code to temporarily reveal your hidden cellphone number is entered before dialing the recipient’s phone number. To make your number visible for certain phone calls:
- Dial *82, then the area code and phone number you want to contact.
Depending on your phone service provider, you may need to wait for a rapid dial tone after entering *82 and before entering the area code and phone number.
Call Private: Can Your Service Provider Block Caller ID & Hide Your Number?
If you’re a Verizon customer or subscribe to another service provider who doesn’t offer the option to toggle off Show My Caller ID, call them and ask if they offer the option to block caller ID for your number. AT&T offers a free caller ID restricting service. Verizon offers the options below at this link.
Sprint also offers its customers the option to restrict their caller ID information; for more information, click here.
How to Make A Private Call: Is There Anyone I Can’t Block from Seeing My Number?
None of these tips for blocking your phone number will keep Caller ID from working when you call 911, 900 numbers, or toll-free numbers. Also, there are now apps like TrapCall that will reveal anonymous numbers to the call recipient.
I hope this information has helped you to maintain the calling privacy you need; please use it responsibly!
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Author Details
Leanne Hays
Leanne Hays is an SEO Content Strategist and Feature Writer at iPhone Life, and has written hundreds of in-depth how-to and troubleshooting articles. She’s a former Associate Editor for iPhone Life magazine, and has written for the Iowa Source , as well as web content for education marketing. Leanne has an associate’s degree in education, with a focus on curriculum development, as well as a bachelor’s degree in science. She has over nine years of experience with SEO, social media management, and web development and writing. Despite years of web work, Leanne is by no means an early adapter; she’s only owned a smartphone for five years, which makes her highly sympathetic to the learning curve of new iPhone owners. She enjoys making reader’s lives easier and putting her education experience to work by walking them through the most practical ways to use Apple devices, step-by-step.
In off-work hours, Leanne is a mother of two, homesteader, audiobook fanatic, musician, and learning enthusiast.
You can turn on Caller ID Block with the My Verizon app or online to prevent people you call from seeing your mobile number.
My Verizon app:
- Tap the menu in the top left to open it.
- Tap Plans & Devices.
- Find the device you want to add Caller ID Blocking to and tap View details.
- Tap Block specific services.
- Find Caller ID Blocking and tap the switch so it’s green.
My Verizon website:
- Go to the Manage Blocks page in My Verizon.
Note: Only the Account Owner or Account Manager can block or unblock Caller ID. Learn more about account access roles.
Can I block numbers that I choose from calling me?
Yes, you can block calls from specific numbers using our Call and Message Blocking feature in My Verizon, or by subscribing to Verizon Smart Family™. Call and Message Blocking is a temporary feature that lasts up to 90 days. After this period, the block has to be reapplied. For a permanent solution, subscribe to Verizon Smart Family.
To stop frequent spam and robocalls from unknown numbers, Call Filter is our most effective solution because you can use a block list or spam filter to automatically block all unwanted spam calls from reaching you.
Can I block a restricted number from calling me?
Yes, if you subscribe to Verizon Smart Family, you can block a restricted number from calling you. To block a restricted or private number from calling you:
If you want to hide your phone number when calling someone on your iPhone, you have a handful of options available to you. In this post, we’ll go over these options and show you how to hide your caller ID and call someone without showing your number.
Hide your caller ID for all calls
Of the three options we are going to look at today, this is probably the most convenient one. By opening the Settings app on your iPhone, and going to Phone > Show My Caller ID, you can toggle off a button that will make your phone number private, at least until you turn the toggle back on.
For all new calls you place from your iPhone, your phone number will be hidden, even if you call people that are in your contacts.
Use a caller ID block code
If you aren’t looking for a long term solution but would rather call a specific person without showing your number, you can block your caller ID on a per-call basis using a special code as a prefix to the number you want to call.
In the US, that code is *67. In certain European countries, that code is #31#. There are many more codes depending on countries, and unfortunately I wasn’t able to find a list of all codes per country, so your best bet is just to Google something like “caller ID block code in Patagonia” or whatever your country may be.
Once you know your block code, it’s as simple as dialing it, followed by the phone number you want to call.
For instance, in the US, what you would dial would look like *67 408-996-1010.
As mentioned, this is a code you should use on a per-call basis. This is particularly handy if you don’t want to hide your caller ID on all outgoing calls, but rather on a specific call made to a specific recipient.
Make your number private at the carrier level
Depending on your carrier, you might have the option to disable you caller ID at the account level. To find out, you should either call your carrier or visit its website and see if the option is available to you.
However, make sure you inquire about possible fees as some carriers are still charging for this basic feature. For this reason, and because it requires extra work to implement, this is my least favorite method of blocking caller ID, but just know it is an option.
If you have bought a shiny new iPhone and it is automatically adding new contacts, you might wonder why are my phone contacts linked to another iPhone. There are various reasons why this happens with iCloud sync being the Biggy. You can fix this issue using various methods and that is exactly what you are going to learn in the following guide.
Turning off iCloud sync, erasing your device on the iCloud website, and deleting your iCloud account are some of the ways for how to remove my contacts from another phone procedure.
Part 1. Why Are My Phone Contacts Linked to Another iPhone?
Before you apply the fixes to your iPhone, you may want to find out why are my contacts showing up on another iPhone, this section answers that question for you.
A reason why your iPhone shows contacts that you have not added is because there is another Apple device that uses the same iCloud account as you.
Everything that that other user uploads to their contacts shows up on your iPhone. You are both syncing your data with the same iCloud account which is then reflected on your iOS devices.
Part 2. How to Stop My Contacts from Syncing to Another Phone?
Once you have learned why the issue occurs, you may want to find out how to stop my contacts from syncing to another phone. There are actually multiple methods to fix this sync conflict on your iPhone and the following covers those methods for you.
Method 1. Toggle Contacts in iCloud Off
One of the most effective methods to get around the issue is to disable Contacts sync for iCloud on your iPhone. This will prevent your contacts from being synced to your iCloud account which will then not load any unwanted contacts on your device.
- Launch the Settings app on your iPhone.
Tap on your name banner at the top, select iCloud, and turn off the Contacts option.
That should fix the issue for you.
Method 2. Delete the iCloud Account on the iPhone You Want to Unlink
Another way for how to unlink contacts on iPhone is to delete the iCloud account from your iOS device. You will then have to create a new account and link it to your phone to be able to use all iCloud features.
- Launch the Settings app on your iOS device.
Tap on your name banner at the top and tap on Sign Out on the following screen.
You can then link a new iCloud account with your iPhone.
Method 3. Change Your Apple ID Password
If you change your Apple ID password, the other person using your account will have to enter this new password. If they cannot do it, their contacts will not sync with your iCloud account and you will be able to fix the issue you are currently facing on your iPhone.
The following should teach you how do I unsync my phone from another phone.
Open the Settings app, tap on your name, and select Password & Security.
Tap on the option that says Change Password to change your password.
You can then enter a new password for your iCloud account.
Method 4. Erase a Device in Find My iPhone on iCloud.com
iCloud web allows you to erase your iOS devices remotely and you can use this feature to erase everything, including contacts, saved on your iPhone. This should fix the contacts conflict issue you have on your device.
- Head over to the iCloud website and log-in to your account.
Click on Find iPhone on the following screen.
Select the Erase iPhone option to erase your device.
That should fix the issue that phone contacts linked to another iPhone for you.
Part 3. Recommended Free iOS Backup Tool to Backup iPhone Contacts
Regardless of what you do with your backups, it is a good idea to first create a backup of your contacts. While there are several ways to do it, a third-party lets you do it the easiest way.
Enter Tenorshare iCareFone, a software that allows you to transfer items from your iOS device over to your computer. Using this feature, you can have all your contacts backed up to your machine before you make any modifications to them on your device. The following shows how to do that.
- Download the latest version of the software and install it on your computer.
- Plug-in your iPhone to your computer and launch the software.
Click on Backup & Restore at the top of your software interface.
On the following screen, you will be asked what you want to backup. Tick-mark the option for Contacts and click on Backup at the bottom.
When your contacts are backed up, you will see the following message on your screen.
Now that your contacts are safely copied to your machine, you can go ahead and play around with them on your iPhone.
Summary
If you are not sure why are my contacts showing up on my daughters iPhone, chances are you have enabled iCloud sync on all of your devices. The above guide shows how to fix the issue and also shows how you can backup your contacts to avoid losing them in case things go south.
FAQs on iPhone Contacts Linked to Another iPhone
1. Why are my contacts showing up on my daughters iPhone
Your contacts are showing up on your daughter’s iPhone because you are both using the same iCloud account. This way both your phones’ contacts are syncing to each other.
2. How do I stop my iPhone from syncing contacts?
You can head to Settings > [your-name] > iCloud and disable the Contacts toggle to stop your iPhone from syncing contacts. This is the easiest way to do it.
3. How do I unlink my iPhone from another iPhone?
You can unlink your iPhone from another iPhone by changing the iCloud account that you use on your device. Go to Settings, tap on your name, and select Sign Out to unlink your iPhone from your current account. You can then link your iPhone with another account.
“I got a phone call last night which showed “Private” on the phone screen, so what is that?”
“Sometimes when I call someone I don’t want to show them my phone number, so how can I keep my phone number from showing up when I make a phone call?”
“I got some private numbers on my iPhone but I don’t want to keep them. How can I take off private number on iPhone?”
If you have questions like that, you can find out the answer on this article!
- Part 1: How to Take off Private Number on iPhone
- Part 2: Will Private Number Lead to Privacy Leaks?
- Tip 1: What is Private Number on iPhone
- Tip 2: How to Set Your Number as a Private Number
Part 1. How to Take off Private Number on iPhone
Having a private cell phone number is useful in many different ways, but there may be circumstances in which you want your phone number to appear. For instance if you are calling a higher up about a job you desire, you would want to give them an easy way to call you back. In order to make this possible again repeat the same process.
- Go to ‘Settings’
- Next select ‘Phone’
- Scroll through the selections that are available until you find, ‘Show My Caller ID’, select that option.
- Then move the toggle button to the on position.
This will make it so your number will be non-private for any length of time, until you decide there is a need for it to be hidden again.
Part 2. Will Private Number Lead to Privacy Leaks?
Have you ever thought about that the private number you deleted on your iPhone can be recovered again? This means that someone else can easily access your number with some sort of recovery technology or software. So how to take off private number on iPhone to prevent from privacy leaks can certainly be a daunting task.
However, luckily there is a better way, iMyFone Umate Pro for Windows or iMyFone Umate Pro for Mac . It is great if you need to sell your phone at any point and have used a private number for that particular phone. This will make it so the floating is not out there to be found. You don’t want someone knowing your private information, deleting the data is the best way to ensure your privacy is not invaded.
- Keep your private information private by deleting it permanently from your iPhone
- As well as delete and erase call history, text messages, photos & video, browsing data, etc
- Can also 100% wipe 3rd-party apps like WhatsApp, WeChat, Kik, Viber and 10+ more
- Secure private data when selling, recycling or donating your iPhone by erasing your data 100% unrecoverable
Here’s how to take off private number on iPhone permanently:
Step 1. Connect Your iDevice to PC
Please connect your iOS device to computer via cable. If this is the first time you are connecting to the computer, you need to Trust the computer first on your iPhone.
Step 2. Choose Erase Mode and Scan
Note: You can choose either Erase Private Data or Erase Deleted Files, for they both can help with your privacy.
Here let’s take Erase Deleted Files as an example. Click “Scan” and then iMyFone Umate Pro will start to scan the device and list all of the deleted files. This process would take several minutes.
Step 3. Preview and Select Files
After the scanning process is finished, it will list all the deleted files including your private number. You can preview and tick off the file types which you want to erase in the box. Then click “Erase Now” button.
Step 4. Select Security Level and Confirm
Next you should type “delete” into the box to confirm.
After you manually type “delete” into the box to confirm your action, click the Erase Now button to erase all data on your device.
Tip 1. What is Private Number on iPhone
Private number is when you set your phone number as a private number it will show “Private” on the phone screen, which is primarily for privacy and security concerns.
With a private cell phone number, not only will you keep your cell phone number from getting to telemarketers; you also keep people from getting it who you don’t want to have it. Say you have to call a co-worker who you really don’t like. Just set your number as private so they cannot call you back.
Tip 2. How to Set Your Number as a Private Number on iPhone
Having a private number on an iPhone, keeps your phone number from showing up when you make a phone call. Using a private number makes it so when you call someone all they see when they receive the call is the word, ‘Private’.
- To make your iPhone a private number first go to ‘Settings’ on your iPhone. Then scroll down through the selections to ‘Phone’ .
- Click on phone and you will be taken to another screen where you will scroll down slightly.
- There should be a ‘Show My Caller ID’ selection with an arrow.
- This will take you to another screen with ‘Show My Caller ID’ on it, use the toggle button next to it and merely slide it to off.
If you have problem like how to take off private number on iPhone permanently, iMyFone can help you. iMyFone Umate Pro or Umate Pro for Mac is technology which can be utilized to save space as well as to protect your information. This technology is convenient and easy to use. All you need to do is download it and let it find the files you need deleted. iMyFone is grateful for your business and would love to be contacted by you.
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Over the past couple days, my iPhone X will no longer display the phone number of an incoming mobile caller unless that person is in my contacts. It only says “WIRELESS CALLER” with the city so I have no idea who it is. It appears to be some sort of caller ID assist, but I have no idea how to turn it off. It’s incredibly annoying! I just want it turned off! I can’t find a place to turn it off either in my Verizon account online or on my iPhone itself. Help!
iPhone X
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Mine has been doing the same thing! I don’t know how to turn it off.
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Kmuc81, it can be confusing when your incoming calls don’t look the way they used to. We definitely want to help in any way we can so you can feel confident when answering your calls- or choosing not to answer them, whichever the case may be. This sounds like it may be the Caller Name ID feature. To remove this feature, follow these steps:
If that doesn’t resolve this, we can dig in deeper. You mentioned it started in the last few days. Have you made any recent changes on your phone, like a software update or new applications?
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If my response answered your question please click the _Correct Answer_ button under my response. This ensures others can benefit from our conversation. Thanks in advance for your help with this!!
