How to Enable and Disable Private Number / Caller ID on any Phone

You likely found yourself in a position where you needed to hide your Caller ID or phone number while making some calls for privacy or security concerns or perhaps, a toddler playing with your phone set up the hide caller ID feature and you are currently worried about resetting it to default settings where people you call can see your caller ID.

I once found myself in a situation where my caller ID was hidden from people I called. I had no idea how that happened but people either stopped picking up my calls or expressed their displeasure about me calling them with a private number. This posed risks and dissociation from some of my business associates and prospective clients. You may be in just the same situation I found myself in and might be looking for a way out.

HOW TO ENABLE PRIVATE NUMBER / HIDE CALLER ID ON ANY PHONE

METHOD 1: VIA PHONE OR SYSTEM SETTING

The phone or system settings application has features that allow you to hide your caller ID from anyone you call. To use this method, follow the prompts below depending on your SmartPhone’s Operating System.

1. Android devices:
   • Open the settings menu and look for the ‘Call settings’ or ‘Advanced settings’ section.
   • Tap on it to access the call settings options.
   • Look for the option that says ‘Show my caller ID’ or something similar.
   • Tap on it and select the option to hide your caller ID.
   • This will prevent your phone number from being displayed to the person you’re calling.
2. iPhone:
   • Go to the settings menu and tap on ‘Phone’.
   • Scroll down and find the option that says ‘Show My Caller ID’.
   • Tap on it to toggle the feature off.
   • When it’s turned off, your phone number won’t be shown to the recipients of your calls.

METHOD 2: VIA USSD CODE

if your phone settings application does not have features for the first method, then I invite you to use this method. Head to your phone’s dialer and enter *31# then dial it. You will get a success message instantly that the “Hide Outgoing Caller ID Service was enabled.”

Please note that this method disables your CALLER ID on all outgoing calls.

METHOD 3: ADDING A PREFIX TO THE NUMBER

Please note that this method does not work on all mobile network carriers. You might be lucky if it works on your end.

This method allows you to hide your number from only a number you intend to call. To implement this, add *67 as a prefix (before the number) and dial it. If it goes through, then your number will be private on the receiver’s end.

HOW TO DISABLE PRIVATE NUMBER / SHOW CALLER ID ON ANY PHONE

Perhaps you have previously hidden your caller ID, and you are currently stuck on how you can revert to the default settings. This section will put you through and help you display your caller ID on outgoing calls henceforth. There are two methods to accomplish this…

METHOD 1: VIA PHONE OR SYSTEM SETTING

1. Android devices:
   • Open the settings menu and look for the ‘Call settings’ or ‘Advanced settings’ section.
   • Tap on it to access the call settings options.
   • Look for the option that says ‘Show my caller ID’ or something similar.
   • Tap on it and select the option to show your caller ID.
   • This will allow your phone number to be displayed to the person you’re calling.
2. iPhone:
   • Go to the settings menu and tap on ‘Phone’.
   • Scroll down and find the option that says ‘Show My Caller ID’.
   • Tap on it to toggle the feature on.
   • When it’s turned on, your phone number will be shown to the recipients of your calls.

METHOD 2: VIA USSD CODE

if your phone settings application does not have features for the first method, then I invite you to use this method. Head to your phone’s dialer and enter #31# then dial it. You will get a success message instantly that the “Hide Outgoing Caller ID Service was disabled.”

Please note that this method enables your CALLER ID on all outgoing calls and displays your phone number to the receiver.

CONCLUSION

I am very positive that the solutions listed in this article would be helpful to you in terms of hiding and showing your caller ID on outgoing calls. This is because I implemented a practical on my end to ensure it works.

If you are having trouble following the guide, do ask in the comment section below and I will be here to put you through.

Thanks for reading and do have a great day!