Privacy is kinda a nightmare these days. Your data is everywhere. Honestly, every time you make a call to a local business or a random Facebook Marketplace seller, you're just handing over your personal digital identity. Your phone number is basically a skeleton key to your life—it’s linked to your bank, your social media, and your Amazon account. Knowing how to hide my number when calling from iPhone isn’t just for people being "sneaky" anymore. It's basic digital hygiene.
Most people think you need some complicated burner app to pull this off. You don't. Apple has built several layers of privacy into iOS, though they don't exactly shout about them from the rooftops. Whether you want to mask your ID for a single call or keep it hidden forever, it takes about ten seconds if you know where to look.
The Quickest Fix: The Star Code Secret
Sometimes you just need a one-off. You’re calling a car dealership and you don't want them blowing up your phone for the next three months. This is where the vertical service codes come in.
In the United States and Canada, the magic number is *67.
Open your Phone app. Type *67 followed by the full number you want to reach. Hit dial. On the recipient's end, they’ll see "Private Listing," "Blocked," or "No Caller ID." It’s a classic move that still works in 2026 because it’s handled at the carrier level, not just by the software on your device.
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If you’re in the UK or Ireland, use 141. In Australia, it's 1831. It’s weirdly localized, but the result is the same. It’s the digital equivalent of wearing a mask for one specific conversation. But keep in mind, this won't work if you're trying to call emergency services like 911 or toll-free numbers like 800-lines. Those systems are designed to bypass blocking for safety and billing reasons.
Changing the Global Settings on Your iPhone
If you want a more permanent solution, you can actually flip a switch in your settings. This is the heavy-duty way to hide my number when calling from iPhone without having to remember a code every time you dial.
Navigate to Settings. Scroll down past the big blocks of apps until you find Phone. Tap that. Inside, you’ll see an option labeled Show My Caller ID.
Toggling this off means every single person you call will see "No Caller ID."
There is a catch, though. Some carriers—especially smaller MVNOs or prepaid services—grey this option out. If it’s greyed out, you’re stuck using the *67 method or calling your carrier to ask them to disable it on their end. Also, a word of warning: a lot of people nowadays have "Silence Unknown Callers" turned on. If your number is hidden, your call might go straight to their voicemail without the phone even ringing. It’s the price of anonymity.
Why Your Number Might Still Leak
Technology is never perfect. Even if you’ve toggled every setting, there are "de-masking" services out there. Apps like TrapCall claim they can unmask blocked numbers by rerouting the call through a toll-free line. It’s a bit of a cat-and-mouse game.
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Also, FaceTime is a different beast entirely. If you’re making a FaceTime Audio call, your iPhone might use your Apple ID email address instead of your phone number. You can check this in Settings > FaceTime. Make sure the "Start New Conversations From" section is set to an email if you’re trying to keep your digits private.
Using a Secondary "Burner" Number
If hiding your ID entirely feels too suspicious—and let's be real, many people just won't pick up a "Private" call—you might want a second line.
Apps like Google Voice, Hushed, or Burner are the gold standard here. Google Voice is particularly great because it’s free for personal use in the US. You get a real, working phone number that you can use to call and text, but it’s completely separate from your actual SIM card. This is the pro move for dating apps or Craigslist. You’re not "hiding" your number; you’re just giving them a number that doesn't lead back to your home address or your bank account.
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The Ethics of Anonymity
There’s a bit of a stigma. Some people think if you're hiding your number, you're up to no good. But in an era where data brokers sell lists of active phone numbers to telemarketers for pennies, guarding your primary contact info is just smart. According to the FCC, illegal robocalls remain a top consumer complaint, and once your number is on a "hot" list, it's almost impossible to get it off. Masking your ID is a preventative measure.
Actionable Next Steps for Better Privacy
Don't just read this and forget it. If you’re serious about your privacy, do these three things right now:
- Test your settings: Dial
*67plus a friend's number (with their permission) to see exactly how your ID appears on their screen. Every carrier handles it slightly differently. - Audit your FaceTime settings: Go to Settings > FaceTime and ensure you aren't accidentally broadcasting your phone number when you'd rather use an iCloud email.
- Consider a secondary line: Download Google Voice or a similar app if you frequently deal with people you don't fully trust. It’s a much more reliable way to manage your "public" versus "private" persona.
If you find that "Show My Caller ID" is greyed out in your settings, don't panic. It just means your carrier doesn't support the software-side toggle. You'll have to rely on the manual code or log into your carrier's web portal (like Verizon or AT&T's site) to change your privacy preferences at the account level.
Stay private. It's your data.