Calling anonymously allows you to hide your personal information and the mobile number from showing up on the recipient’s phone. This way, you can call anyone without getting your identity disclosed. For example, if you want to be a little naughty to your friend but without him/her knowing that it is you calling, hiding your identity on the phone call is the best option. Apart from this, this can also be helpful in critical situations. However, anonymous calling is always helpful for several needs.
Never call anyone anonymously for any bad purposes. Even if the calls are anonymous, still you can get caught by government officials. So, don’t try anything stupid. By calling anyone anonymously, you hold complete responsibility for your actions. We do not recommend or support this in any way. This article is just for informational purposes.
Understanding Caller ID and Anonymity
Caller ID is a feature implemented in order to identify the person calling. Usually, this is the phone number assigned by the SIM card provider. This will reveal the identity of the calling party to the receiver, which may not be favorable in certain situations.
Anonymity is what you need in these kinds of situations. Being anonymous, you will be able to hide the Caller ID, making sure that your true identity stays private. When implemented correctly, the receiver will only see the identity of the caller as “Unknown,” “Blocked,” or “Private Number”.
Reasons for Calling Anonymous
As mentioned above, there are several reasons why a person would want to make an anonymous call. Excluding the bad intentions, these are some of the reasons for calling someone anonymously:
- To prank your friends in a harmless manner.
- Call someone to verify their identity without revealing yours.
- Provide useful information to government officials while staying anonymous.
- Avoid getting promotional calls from a service after contacting their support.
- You do not want someone to bother you after a friendly conversation, especially if you are a busy person.
- Record calls anonymously for some good intentions.
Legal Considerations
The legality of making anonymous phone calls will vary in different countries. Even different regions inside the country might have specific laws on the matter. So, it is important to get yourself familiarized with such information before attempting a hidden phone call. While most countries allow you to make anonymous phone calls, there may be some other forms of restrictions.
Some states may not allow you to own a disposable phone number, others may require you to disclose the caller information. Only an experienced lawyer could help you regarding this matter. A good Google search might also come to the rescue.
Methods to Make Anonymous Calls
There have been several discussions on how to call anonymously. Many suggested various methods for it. So, we incorporated all of them in a single place so that our readers could benefit from it. Without further explanation, let’s directly have a look at it. Here are the methods to call anonymously.
1. Use a prepaid phone
If you want to make an anonymous call without using your mobile number, this is one of the best ways to consider. Simply visit the nearest market and find a prepaid phone. Make a call and pay for it. That’s it, no complications and you successfully made an unknown call to the person. Prepaid phones are very common in markets and stores. So, you can easily find them without doing any additional research. So, the next time you wanted to trick your friend, go to the market and find a prepaid phone.
2. Dial *67 as the prefix before the number
Addition *67 before the mobile number will make your call completely anonymous. It will hide all your personal information like name, mobile number, location, etc. from the receiver. Your call will show up on the recipient’s smartphone as “Unknown Caller” or “Block Caller ID.” But be aware that mobile operators and government officials can still listen to your calls. So, as I mentioned at the beginning of this article, don’t use your mobile number for any bad purposes.
3. Use apps to make anonymous calls
There are several apps that serve the purpose of making anonymous calls or chats to anyone. Anonym call is a good example. For us, it worked well, but some users are reporting that it doesn’t work. You could simply do research about such applications that allow blocking the caller’s identity. They are very easy to use. You just have to install them on your device and make calls using the application. The rest will be done by the app to protect your call information.
4. Use websites that allow calling anonymously
Just like the applications, there are several free websites that allow calling. You can just visit such websites, input your mobile number, and make a call. But most of them have a time restriction, like one minute or so. After the period, the call will be disconnected, and you will have to place a new call. Some examples of such websites include Globfone, Ghostcall, etc. There are also premium alternatives available that allow calling anonymously online without any time limitations.
5. Call from a Payphone
Payphones were very common in the last decade. But now, they are hard to find. However, if you can find a Payphone in the market, you could use that for making a call. The recipient will get the number of the Payphone and can call back to this number. But it doesn’t disclose your identity. So, this is also an alternative option if any of the above methods don’t fit your needs.
6. Use Google Voice as a proxy number
Google Voice is a Google service that allows you to make phone calls and receive them. Apart from this, you could utilize this service as a proxy tunnel for your phone calls. This way, you will be able to hide all your personal caller information from the recipient. To get started with Google Voice, you can follow the instructions here. But still, your calls get logged by Google. So, be careful and don’t do anything worse. Always be sure to use the service for good purposes.
7. Use Android settings to set your ID to unknown for outgoing calls (for Android users)
Most modern-day Android smartphones come with an option that allows you to simply turn it on and stop sending the caller information on outgoing calls. But your carrier should support this feature. To enable this, head over to the Settings of your device, find Call settings, and then find something saying Caller ID. Here, you can enable the option to stop sending the caller ID and make your number unknown on Android.
8. Use the iOS feature to hide caller ID (for iOS users)
For iOS users, the same option is available in the settings. The steps are pretty much similar but vary on different iOS versions. But most commonly, the steps are something like Settings > Phone > Show My Caller ID > slide the option to OFF. As already said, the steps may slightly vary from version to version. So, make sure to spend a little more time on it in case you didn’t find it on the first try. You may also follow the steps to make your number unknown on your iPhone.
9. Change the caller ID settings in Windows phone (for Windows phone users)
Like Android and iOS devices, the Windows phone also comes with the same feature to prevent caller ID on outgoing calls. The steps for this will look something like this. Start > Settings > Phone > Caller ID > Provide my caller ID to > No One > Done. Like in the previous sections, the steps may slightly vary but will be almost similar.
Using caller ID blocking will be effective only if your country’s rules and regulations allow it. Otherwise, the call carriers can still show your information in the recipient’s mobile number.
10. Purchase a Private Number
There are ways you can get a private phone number that doesn’t show your caller ID. Just like a regular number, you can recharge this service and get it along with you as long as you want it. So, if such services are available in your country that allows you to own your own private phone number, you can purchase one to make private calls to anyone.
11. Ask your carrier to hide your info
Even though not all carriers allow you to hide your caller information, some of them does. If you are a business customer or subscribed to the premium options the carrier provides, your chances of being able to hide your information while making phone calls is very high. You don’t even have to turn on any settings as the tweak is done by your carrier during the phone call. So, if they have such a feature, the receiver will only see a random number or no number at all.
Comparison Table of Anonymous Calling Methods
| Method | Description | Pros | Cons |
|---|---|---|---|
| Virtual Numbers | Temporary or disposable numbers | No need to reveal the phone number | Requires an internet connection, costs more |
| Caller ID Blocking | Hide caller ID information | Available on most SIM plans | Some recipients may not accept blocked calls |
| Call Forwarding | Diverting calls through a third-party service | Can maintain anonymity while forwarding calls | Requires setup, potential call quality issues |
| VoIP Services | Using Internet-based calling services | Make anonymize calls and enjoy additional features | Requires internet connection, potential latency |
| Anonymous Calling Apps | Utilize mobile apps for anonymous calls | User-friendly interfaces and other features | Require app installation, privacy concerns |
| Prepaid SIM Cards | Use disposable SIM cards for temporary use | Full anonymity, no link to personal identity | Requires SIM card purchase, costs the plan amount |