How to Make Your Number Private on Android

Making your number private blocks your caller ID for your outgoing calls. That is, the receivers of your call will not be able to see your number, but instead, it will be shown as a “Private number” or “Blocked number”. Many business leaders, CEOs, public figures, etc choose to make their phone numbers private to avoid receiving unnecessary callbacks. Of course, there are also people with malicious intent who want to do this as well. But making your number private is not 100% effective and cybercrime officials can easily get to know the original number if they want to. You don’t need to install any app to do this, it is a built-in feature on Android. Here are some ways to make your number private on Android:

Before continuing, make sure that you use the information provided in this article for legal purposes only. We will not be responsible for any troubles it may cause.

A Quick fix to make your number private

If you just need to make your number private now and then, this method would be the best for you! Follow these steps to make your number private on Android temporarily:

1. Launch the phone or dialer app from your home screen.
2. Tap on the keypad button at the bottom(skip this if your number keypad is already open).
3. Dial the number *67 and then dial in the number you want to call. This is a special code that will block your caller ID for this particular call. It should look something like this *67-389-739-9634.
4. Call the number and the receiver will not be able to see your number. Instead “private” or “No caller ID” will be displayed.

Ask your network service provider

This method is about asking your network service provider to make your number private. If you do this all your outgoing calls will be as a private number. Follow these steps to do this right:

1. Launch the phone/dialer app.
2. Open the number keypad and dial 611.
3. Call on this number. It will connect you to your network provider’s customer service.
4. Most likely this will be a customer service bot so you may have to follow certain steps(depends on the automated system) to reach a customer service employee.
5. Request the employee to block your caller ID/make your number private. If they do that all your outgoing calls will be shown as private.

Settings in Google Voice

If you are a Google Voice user, here are the steps you can take to make your number be displayed as private:

1. Launch the Google voice app.
2. Tap on the more/menu icon, it should be on the top left corner of your screen(its icon should be three parallel horizontal lines).
3. From the menu list, tap on the Settings option.
4. There should be a toggle switch next to “Anonymous Caller ID“, turn that on and you are all set.

Make your number private using the dialer app’s setting

1. Tap on the dialer/phone app from your home screen.
2. Select the menu/more option, it should be shown as a three-dot sign on the top right corner of your screen.
3. Tap on the Settings option from the menu’s list.
4. Go to the option of “Calls” or “Call settings”
5. Then scroll down to the bottom of your list and select “Additional settings” or “Supplementary services”.
6. Among the options of call forwarding, voicemail, etc there should be an option of “Caller ID” or “Show Caller ID”
7. Select on “Hide number” from the options presented and you are all done.

Ponts to keep in mind:

• Before you actually make your number private remember that few people do not prefer to pick up calls from an unknown number, for many reasons. So, if it would hamper you in this way it’s best to try other methods.
• Some of your receivers might think it might be a prank caller or something.
• If after making your number private, if you want to undo it, just repeat the steps and choose the appropriate option that will allow you to show your number.
• Most importantly most of these settings cannot completely hide your number from others. Yes, they won’t see your number when you call them but that can easily be solved by asking your or the receiver’s network provider for call logs. There are also other ways by which cybercrime officials can solve this without contacting any such institution. To conclude making your number private with these methods is not as effective as you think.