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How can I (properly) hide my iPhone number when making calls?

I had a bunch of calls to make, where I don't necessarily want the person at the other end to see my phone number.


So I went to Settings / Phone / Show My Caller ID - and disactivated it.


Then I made a call. It was a business and they needed to call me back, so they read my number back to me, saying it was on their call display!


Is there an additional step I needed to do, to hide my phone number? Needless to say, I haven't yet made my other calls.


Thanks for any insight or suggestions!

iPhone 12, iOS 15

Posted on Aug 1, 2022 1:21 PM

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Posted on Aug 1, 2022 6:29 PM

I've always put *67 before typing out the phone number. If there are certain numbers that you always want to have blocked, save the contact with *67 in front of it so when you touch on the contact name, it'll block the number.

9 replies

Aug 1, 2022 8:20 PM in response to KateMontreal

Hiding Caller ID for the most part only works when calling residential or cellular numbers. Almost any business can see your phone number, especially if that business has a toll-free number. Nothing you can do will prevent that. And this is not specific to iPhones. All businesses, except the very smallest ones, can always see the phone number that is calling them.


Aug 2, 2022 5:27 AM in response to edclange

Thank you for sharing this info! It occurred to me last night when thinking about yesterday's call - which was to a telephone service provider. So they for sure would be able to override my number-hiding effort. :-) As you say: a business, plus, a business having to do with phones. Good to know that Apple's Hiding Caller ID should work on residential / private cell. numbers. Thanks!

Aug 2, 2022 5:59 AM in response to KateMontreal

Apple doesn't have much to do with it. They just pass on your request to hide Caller ID to your carrier. And it's just that: a request. Caller ID is a residential service, and that request specifically blocks Caller ID if it is honored.


Businesses (not just service providers) use an entirely different service called Automatic Number Identification (ANI). Blocking Caller ID does not block ANI. There is no way from a standard residential or cellular phone to block ANI.

Aug 3, 2022 5:17 AM in response to KateMontreal

Re: “… But I didn't know that it still worked in this day and age … “


LOL


Because of it’s sheer enormity and inherent requirement for near-perfect interoperability … the underlying PSTN methods for call setup and switching evolve at a sub-glacial pace.


Plus … those engineers at the “old” AT&T and Western Electric were REALLY, REALLY good at figuring out HOW to do it !!!

Aug 3, 2022 5:42 AM in response to KateMontreal

The only target phones for which Caller ID will go through despite prepending *67 to the phone number are calls to toll free telephone numbers. The reason for this is that toll free numbers are not free at all -- they are automated collect calls and the party paying for the call is entitled to know who is causing him to pay for the call.

How can I (properly) hide my iPhone number when making calls?

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