How to Hide Your Phone Number (UK)

When you place a call in the UK, having your phone number display as "no caller ID," "private number," or "withheld" is easy to do. Whether you're calling from a mobile phone or landline in the UK, hiding your phone number can help you maintain your own privacy and prevent people from calling you back. In this article, we'll teach you how to hide your phone number when making outbound phone calls on your iPhone, Android, or landline, plus other tricks to keep your number private.

Calling with No Caller ID in the UK

To hide your number for one call, dial 141 (or #31# on some networks) before the number you're calling. This code is compatible with most mobile and landline phones in the UK and Ireland. On an iPhone, you can disable call forwarding for all calls in Settings > Apps > Phone > Show my caller ID. On Android, you'll find the option in the Phone app under ⋮ > Settings.

Section 1 of 5:

Hiding for Individual Calls

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Enter 141 before the phone number. Whether you're using a mobile phone or landline, the code to hide your phone number and caller ID info in the UK is usually 141, though some networks use #31# instead.^{[1]
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- This feature is not available through all phone providers.^{[2]
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- Keep in mind that if you're calling somebody who blocks unknown callers, your call will not go through.
Immediately after the code, enter all digits of the phone number as you normally would. When you place the call, your phone number and caller ID information will be withheld, and the person you are calling will see "Blocked", "Private", "No Caller ID", or similar.^{[3]
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Entering 141 is not a permanent way to hide your number. You'll need to enter 141 each time you want to conceal your number.

Section 2 of 5:

Hiding for All Calls (iPhone)

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Open your iPhone's Settings. To hide your phone number for all outgoing calls, go to your iPhone's Settings.
- Not all mobile providers support hiding your phone number for all calls. If you aren't able to turn off caller ID with this method, try asking your mobile phone provider to turn it off for you.
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Open the Phone app. To do so, scroll down and tap Apps at the bottom, then tap Phone.^{[4]
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Tap Show my caller ID. This feature isn't available on all networks. If you don't see it, you won't be able to hide your caller ID with this method.^{[5]
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Toggle off the feature. As long as "Show my caller ID" is turned off, your phone number will be hidden from each outbound phone call you make.
- If you're calling somebody who blocks unknown callers, your call will not go through.

Section 3 of 5:

Hiding for All Calls (Android)

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Open the Phone app on your Android. If you want to hide your phone number for all outgoing calls, you can do so in the Phone app's Settings on most Android phones (including Samsung Galaxy models).^{[6]
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- Not all mobile providers support hiding your phone number for all calls. If you aren't able to turn off caller ID with this method, try asking your mobile phone provider to turn it off for you.
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Tap the menu ⋮. It's usually three vertical or horizontal dots at the top-right corner of the Phone app. A menu will expand.
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Tap Settings. This opens your call settings.^{[7]
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Tap Supplementary services (Samsung) or Calling Accounts (other). It's also possible that this is called Calls on some phones. You'll see one of these options on most Android phones.^{[8]
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- If prompted, select the SIM for which you want to hide your phone number.
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Select More settings or Features. You can skip this on a Samsung phone, but you'll find one of these two options on most other Androids (including Pixel).^{[9]
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Select the Caller ID option. On Samsung, you'll see Show my caller ID, and you might see Caller ID and call waiting on some models.^{[10]
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Select the Hide number option or similar. On some Androids, you may have to go deeper into the menus–if you don't see the option to hide your number or caller ID, look for Additional settings > Caller ID in the current menu.^{[11]
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You can call your provider directly and request that they change your preferences for your phone number. They can also provide assistance with your mobile phone model to help you access the correct menus.

Section 4 of 5:

Hiding Your Number from Publication

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If you want to reduce the number of calls you receive from marketers, sign up for the central opt-out register to prevent companies from making unsolicited calls to your number. To register, visit the TPS registration site and fill out the form.^{[12]
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If you have phone service with BT, you can sign up for ex-directory, which prevents your phone number from being listed in various directories. To sign up, phone 0330 123 4150 between 8.30 am and 5 pm, M-F.ttps://www.bt.com/help/landline/calling-features-and-security/how-do-i-sign-up-to-ex-directory-services-
If you are receiving nuisance calls, you can file a complaint with the Information Commissioner's Office. The ICO investigates companies violating TPS preferences and assists consumers in stopping nuisance calls. Report these calls on ICO's website.^{[13]
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Other Privacy Tricks

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You can use a service that "cloaks" your phone number by assigning you a second number and forwarding calls to your real phone number. Use the alternative number to give to those you might like to receive a call from but don't know or trust well enough to provide your actual phone number. When they call you, the call forwarding service will divert it to your true phone number without the person knowing they were transferred.^{[14]
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Download a disposable number app. There are apps available for Android and iPhones that allow you to create a "disposable" phone number. The number will mask your true phone number and not allow calls to be traced back to your phone. You can get multiple phone numbers and discard them at any time.^{[15]
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- This can be a great way to avoid spam and maintain privacy when you're job hunting or posting your number in online ads or social media sites.
Some service providers allow you to assign a temporary number to be forwarded to your primary landline or mobile number. This is a good option if you want to provide an alternative number to a group of people.^{[16]
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What does "private number" on caller ID mean?

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The person calling you has withheld their number by using 141 before dialling. They could be scammers, but many people use it when calling people for the first time.

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How do I un-hide my number?

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141 only temporarily hides it- after you call using this your number will be shown the next time you call someone.

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How can I hide my mobile number in Facebook Messenger?

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Check the options menu. Make sure you deny Messenger access to your calls and call data.

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Hiding your phone number will not work if you're calling 999 or 112.^{[17]
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If your phone provider doesn't support hiding your phone number in your mobile phone's settings, call them to ask if they can block your number at the network level.

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Don't hide your number to make prank calls or for illegal purposes. It is possible (and very easy) for the authorities to track down your number.

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