How to Make a Phone Call Private: No *67 Required

There are a ton of reasons as to why you’d want to make your caller ID private. In this ever-rising digital age more and more people have the ability to find out tons of information based on just your name and phone number. The first three digits of your phone number are the area code detailing the general area of where you live- a lot of people don’t want random strangers to know the city they live in, we get it! 

Back when private calls were beginning to hit the zeitgeist, *67 was the most popular option to hide your caller ID. You may have grown up with a landline phone and heard you parents say “make sure to dial *67 before dialing the number!” This allowed your number to come up as “Private Caller” or something similar. It was a great, free way to keep your phone calls private, but what about the other methods out there? In today’s age you would think that there are a few options to make your phone calls private and you’d be right! Here’s how to make a phone call private, no *67 required and why it might be important to keep your caller ID hidden when you make calls.

• Why are private phone calls important?
• What can my caller ID reveal to the other end of the line?
• How to Make a Phone Call Private: No *67 Required

• How to Make a Phone Call Private: For iPhone Users
• How to Make a Phone Call Private: For Android Users
• How to Make a Phone Call Private: For Whatsapp Users
• How to Make a Phone Call Private: Through Your Cell Carrier

• REALLY: The World’s First Fully Encrypted & Private Phone Service

Why are private phone calls important?

Phone calls can reveal a lot of personal data you might not think twice about at first, and that has a lot to do with caller ID (CLID) and caller ID name (CNAM). Caller ID and caller ID name are the two systems used to identify an incoming caller by their name and phone number. Caller ID provides the phone number of the person calling you and caller ID name providers the name associated with that caller ID.

It isn’t all the way accurate though, sometimes the name that pops up isn’t correct or the name doesn’t show up at all as an individual or a company have to set that name to correspond with the correct number, and without it that can lead to a potentially fun exchange between two parties. But for the most part CLID and CNAM helps us determine who is calling us and from where.

Think about the amount of times you’ll get a spam call in a week, your phone starts to ring, you glance down and notice it’s from a random number you don’t recognize along with a name you’ve never heard of before. There’s a number of great benefits when it comes to caller ID and caller ID name, it can keep you from answering a phone call from someone you don’t want to hear from and it’ll keep you away from those pesky spam calls, but with that comes valuable information that you’re not just receiving but you’re handing out each time you call someone. 

CLID and CNAM isn’t just limited to one kind of phone either, landlines, VoIP, and cell phones all offer caller ID services.

One fact you may not know: According to OnSIP, “caller ID is not regulated by a governing body such as the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). Rather, the service is essentially a patched-together network of decentralized databases that frequently operate with outdated information.”

However, there is the Truth in Caller ID Act of 2009, where FCC rules “prohibit anyone from transmitting misleading or inaccurate caller ID information with the intent to defraud, cause harm or wrongly obtain anything of value.”

As we said before, there are many reasons as to why you might want to make a private call, you might want to call a company inquiring about a service but don’t want to deal with potential spam calls after. Then there’s protecting your identity against an unknown individual or you simply just want to keep your name and number anonymous which is totally understandable. 

What can my caller ID reveal to the other end of the line?

Caller ID and caller ID name reveal your phone number and name. And in today’s age there are a lot of things a scammer can do with these two pieces of information.

Specifically with a phone number, there is a number- (hah) of things scammers can do, let’s go over some so you know how important making your phone calls private can be:

• Targeted Calls and Phishing Attacks. Scammers will take to calling you with spam calls and texts telling you a number of things like:

-”Your package is stuck at our facility. Log in to confirm your address.”

-”Your information has been leaked. Please confirm your social security number and other personal information so we can get things right for you.”

-”The “police” are calling you on the manner of your involvement in a case.”

-”We are calling on behalf of x charity, would you be able to donate?”

(If you click on a link that’s sent through a text message you may end up downloading their malware and/or spyware which can be used to read your information and spy on your texts).

• Look to Steal Your Identity. Through your phone number scammers can find out your full name and address through certain websites in minutes which make it easier to steal your identity.
• Spoof your Calls. Scammers will “spoof” your phone number which means they will call from their end and to the person they are calling, a family member or friend perhaps, it will look like you are calling them and they can pretend to be you asking for information or possibly money.
• Hack into Accounts. Think about how often you attach your phone number to a social media account, banking, email- with your phone number they could potentially trick those automated systems asking for a one time password into thinking it’s you.

And these are just some of the things that can happen if your phone number gets into the wrong hands, that’s why more and more people are looking to always have their calls be private.

How to Make a Phone Call Private: No *67 Required

The easiest and quickest way to block your number from being shown is of course dialing *67 before the number you’re trying to call, but for these methods we’re about to discuss you won’t need to worry about remembering to dial *67! The two most popular brands of phone include Android devices and IOS or Apple devices, and each device has its own way to make a phone call privately.

→ How to Make a Phone Call Private: For iPhone Users

First up we have iPhone/IOS users. To get started with hiding your number on an iPhone you’ll want to:

1. Open the ‘Settings’ app
2. Scroll down the list of settings until you see ‘Phone’
3. Then scroll down till you get closer to the bottom of the page where you see ‘Show My Caller ID’
4. Click on ‘Show My Caller ID’
5. Toggle (switch off) the ‘Show My Caller ID’ feature

→ How to Make a Phone Call Private: For Android Users

Next we have Android users, now it’s good to note that there’s a variety with android devices, some settings may look different or some of the steps might be different, so we’ll show you a few different options you might see as an Android user. To get started with hiding your number on an Android device you’ll want to:

1. Open the ‘Phone’ app
2. Click on the three dots in the upper right-hand corner (if you do not have these three dots you may move onto step three).
3. Click on ‘Settings’ and/or ‘Call Settings’ (each will take you to the right place, the settings name might be different depending on the make and model of your phone)
4. Scroll down till you see either of the following: ‘More Settings,’ ‘Other Call Settings,’ ‘Calls,’ or ‘Calling Accounts’ ⇠ click on the respective option

• If you see ‘Show My Caller ID’ click that and then click on ‘Hide Number’
• If you see your SIM Card, click the SIM card number you want to hide, then click ‘Advanced Settings’ then click on ‘Caller ID’ then select ‘Hide Number’
• If you’ve clicked on ‘Calls’ and see ‘Additional Settings’ click on that and then turn off ‘Caller ID’ by toggling off the button (or swiping left)

If you have none of the above options then there’s a chance your device and/or carrier does not support this feature.

→ How to Make a Phone Call Private: For WhatsApp Users

If you don’t use your phone’s built-in phone and texting capabilities and you use the popular instant messaging and voice-over-IP service then you might be wondering if you’re able to make your calls private. 

The short answer is no, WhatsApp doesn’t have a direct feature that allows you to make your phone numbers private- but! There are a few “work around” methods that geniuses online have discovered to make your WhatsApp calls private.

To use WhatsApp you need a valid phone number to sign up for an account- but that doesn’t mean you have to use your real number…

There are a few ways you can get a new number specifically for WhatsApp private calls. Several online services provide a thing called “burner numbers” that you can use to connect to your account. 

• Google Voice is our pick for getting a burner number. It’s for free and you can use this number to make a new WhatsApp account. To great a Google Voice number you’ll need to:

1. Download the Google Voice app or go onto voice.google.com
2. Sign into your Google Account (yes your Google Account and Google Voice number will be connected but don’t worry your Google Voice number won’t be traceable to your Google Account unless it’s Google or the government)
3. Review and accept the Terms of Service and Privacy Policy
4. Then you can search for available numbers via city or area code- (if there aren’t any available numbers from these direct searches, try typing in nearby cities or area codes)
5. Pick a number you want and click ‘Select’
6. Follow the on-screen instructions specific to your new number to verify it

• Important Note on Google Voice Numbers: If you don’t want anyone in your WhatsApp contacts to call through to your phone then you’ll need to not forward your Google Voice phone number to your regular phone number.

The Burner Option

Instead of changing your phone settings or dialing *67, there’s always trying the “burner” option. A burner app allows you to make phone calls and even send text messages all from a burner number. We’ve talked about Google Voice but there are a few other options, some paid, to create and use burner numbers:

• Burner is a paid subscription ($9.99/mo when you download the app directly through the app store and $4.99/mo if you sign up online on desktop) service. This app allows you to create up to three numbers and through their subscription you can make calls, send texts with picture messages, block unwanted callers, and muting capabilities.
• Talkatone is a free service that allows you to get a free number for calling and texting. Plus you can change the number if you need to. There are ads but if you’re using this for a WhatsApp number then it shouldn’t be too big of a deal. If you’re using this as a burner option then the ads may be a slight issue if you don’t like them.
• Hushed is also a paid subscription service ($1.99/mo for the basic “prepaid” plan with an option for a one-time payment for limited text and call bundle or you can choose the $3.99/mo plan which has unlimited calls and texts).

Going back to the WhatsApp method, let’s finish up the steps in order to create your WhatsApp account with your burner number for private calling.

• Before you Start: When WhatsApp asks to “view your SMS messages so it can automatically detect the verification code,” do NOT allow WhatsApp to do this. Type in the code manually and/or ask to have it sent via voice call.

The easiest and most straightforward method to start your WhatsApp private calling is to create a new account and add your verified burner number. 

But if you want to use your current WhatsApp account and would like to change the number then you need to follow a few steps- (this is for Android devices, though it’s good to note that Apple/IOS devices will be able to follow this route with similar steps):

1. Open ‘WhatsApp’
2. Click on ‘More Options’ then ‘Settings’ then ‘Account’ then ‘Change Number’
3. Enter your current number in the top box where it says “Enter your old phone number with country code:” and then enter your burner number in the bottom box where it says “Enter you new phone number with country code:”
4. Click on ‘Next’
5. If you want to let you current contacts know you’ve changed your number there will be an option to do so, if you don’t skip that step
6. Click ‘Done’ to save your new number

There’s some loopholes you have to take in order to make WhatsApp calls private but if you’re a main WhatsApp user, these relatively quick steps shouldn’t be too much of an issue.

→ How to Make a Phone Call Private: Through Your Cell Carrier

If you prefer to talk to someone instead of digging through your settings then you can call your cell phone carrier and they can help you hide your number permanently for all outgoing calls. There may be a small charge for this just be warned. 

REALLY: The World’s First Fully Encrypted & Private Phone Service

Yep you’ve heard that section title right. REALLY is the world’s first phone service that’s fully encrypted and is completely private. There’s no spying, no tracking, and no hacking. REALLY will never sell your data because they don’t have access to it! It’s a phone service for those who are concerned about their data privacy and you can join the waitlist here.

There are many ways to make a phone call private, some more involved than others but each gets the job done. They keep your phone number and name private and you’re less likely to get scammed or have your personal information out there. 

And if you’re interested in other REALLY services like comparing and contrasting any wireless carrier to over 1,200 other phone plans so you know you’re getting the service that’s right for you, then make sure to check out the REALLY compare page which allows you to look at pricing, coverage, what phone plans are available, current deals and steals, and how you can make the most of your potential phone bill.