How to Remove Private Number from Android and iPhone

Are you looking for clear and reliable guidance on how to remove your phone number from appearing as a private number? This guide is designed to help anyone from beginners to tech-savvy users understand the process of removing their number from a private number. You might no longer want your number to show up as private for personal or business reasons. With so many methods available online, it might get confusing to separate effective solutions from risky or unreliable ones. Therefore, in this article, I have mentioned only the best practices for avoiding pitfalls that could waste your time.

To create this guide, I dedicated over 40 hours to researching and validating the most practical ways. I also considered the possible reasons why someone is looking to change their number privacy setting. Hence, I have also suggested VoIP tools that help you keep your number private by providing virtual public numbers. Let us now go through the methods one by one.

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Key Takeaways To remove your number from private number, you can use phone settings. Using codes in front of the recipient’s number and contacting your carrier are also helpful. Third-party apps like Truecaller can help unlist your number from private and block spam. On the other hand, Nextiva offers a virtual number so that you can keep your actual number private. If blocking spam doesn’t stop harassing calls, you can contact local law enforcement. Overall, making your number public can be beneficial in several ways.

Methods to Remove My Number from Private Number

Here, I have included some of the best methods that I tested first-hand. I shall also shed light on the resolutions for the possible challenges that you might face while using these methods.

Method 1: Remove Private Number Using Device Settings

The device settings are built-in free options for smartphones. Most of the time, the phone settings will be enough to do the trick, and you might not have to explore other methods further.

However, a few times, the changes to caller ID settings might not get saved. To tackle this, you can restart your phone and see if the changes are saved or resave the changes after restarting. I have also come across challenges like being unable to locate the caller ID in the settings. This might mean it’s time to update your phone to the latest OS version.

Now, let’s move on to two types of methods for changing your number to public based on the operating system.

How to Remove Private Number on iPhone?

Once you set your number as private, the recipients will not see your caller ID, and you will appear as a “Private Number”. I used the following method to help a friend who had set their number as private by mistake.

Step-by-step guide for iPhone users:

Step 1) Go to your Settings app and scroll to the Apps option, then go to Phone inside the apps. (As per iOS 18 update)

Step 2) Next, tap on Show My Caller ID and toggle it to turn it on. (In case the option is in grey, it might be due to your carrier’s restriction.)

If you want your calls to appear private just temporarily, then you can simply *67 before the number.

How to Remove Private Number on Android?

If you use an Android phone, then you may have to use a slightly different approach. However, it should be done in a few simple steps as well.

Here are the easy steps on how to remove private a number on Android:

Step 1) First, open your Phone app, tap on the three dots menu in the top right corner, and select Settings. (Some Android variations may show Call Settings).

Step 2) If you use dual sim, choose the one that you want to remove from the private number.

Step 3) Next, go to Additional Settings, tap on Caller ID, and select Show Number: Display your number to others. (If your SIM card was bought as a public number, it might display: Use the operator’s default setting to display my number on outgoing calls, in grey.)

I tested it by calling up my friends to see if the changes had been applied. This method works immediately if done right.

Note: If you are wondering how to remove private number on Samsung, then here’s your answer: Android phones such as Samsung, OnePlus, Oppo, Xiaomi, Redmi, etc, use different UI, meaning customized versions of Android. Hence, the steps may vary slightly; however, the settings app and the call app on these phones should help you remove your number from showing as private.

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Method 2: Contact Your Carrier

Many users are unaware that sometimes the career has control over the private number settings. If your number has such an issue, then I suggest contacting the provider. In my previous number, I faced this challenge and contacted my service provider’s support. Here’s how I made the number public.

Step 1) Call your carrier’s customer support.

Step 2) Request them to make the changes.

Step 3) If it is possible within your phone, they will walk you through it. On the contrary, if they can make it public, the changes they make should reflect instantly.

However, I had to pay additional charges as it wasn’t included in my plan. Before you go ahead with this method, you may compare carrier prices to make a better choice.

Method 3: Using Third-party Apps

Using third-party apps is also an excellent option for users who are not sure how to use the above steps or are frustrated with ineffective tools. I tested over 20 apps and shortlisted the following two best caller ID lookup tools for this method.

However, keep in mind that TrueCaller and similar apps store your personal data. If your number still appears on the app even after they have unlisted it, follow up with the support and be patient. Additionally, make sure you are using the built-in official unlisting tool and check if you have used the instructions correctly.

Let us now move on to the apps. The best part about these tools is that they support both iOS and Android devices.

1) Truecaller

Truecaller offers a solution to unlist your number on the app or deactivate your account. Doing so, your name and image will no longer show up except your number. This will help your recipients call you back when they miss your call. It is also helpful if you own a business and do not want to come off as unprofessional or suspicious with a private number.

Truecaller

Here’s how to remove your number from Truecaller:

I shall take you through two options that I mentioned earlier:

First option: Unlist your number

Visit the Truecaller unlisting page, then navigate to No I want to unlist and enter your phone number. Next, tap on the Unlist Phone Number option and Confirm. Your number will be removed from its database within 24 hours.

Second Option: Deactivate your Truecaller account

In the second option, the users who want to deactivate their Truecaller account can go to the Privacy Center in the settings. Just tap on Deactivate Account to stop Truecaller from displaying your name and image.

Your number will no longer be searchable in the app once you complete one of these two options. However, at times, your number might not be removed from its database within 24 hours. In such cases, follow up with customer support and ask them to remove your number.

Link: https://www.truecaller.com/

2) Nextiva

Nextiva is a unique solution, as it offers a virtual number. Using it as your secondary number allows you to keep your personal number private. Simply use the Nextiva number as public for displaying to your leads and clients for better business. Additionally, it will keep your actual number safe from stalkers, telemarketers, retail store spams, etc. It also has a call screening feature that helps identify robocalls and blocks them automatically.

Here is a step-by-step process on how you can get Nextiva virtual number:

Step 1) Go to Play Store (Android) or App Store (iOS) and download the app for your device.

Step 2) Now, enter your details and other required fields to set it up and get your virtual phone number.

Step 3) You can now start using it for your personal and business purposes.

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Method 4: Using Codes to Enable Caller ID

If you do not have time to navigate the settings app and phone app, then use this method instead. Since I have a US number, I use the code *82, but if you are in any of the European countries or reside in Australia, dial #31#.

Adding this code in front of the number of your recipient will override the privacy setting you have turned on. For example, *82+1000000000 or #31#0012345678. This will show your caller ID to a particular recipient. This method is great for frequent travelers and non-tech-savvy users.

However, I noticed that this trick does not work on some carriers. In such cases, contact your SIM support and ask them for the code. I also suggest confirming whether the service provider or the carrier supports such a feature.

Method 5: Contact your local law enforcement

I will suggest this method for users who want to keep their number public, but doing so has led to receiving spam calls. This might happen as displaying your number allows telemarketers and stalkers to see your caller ID or the number, so it gets easy for them to spam.

If it is crucial for you to keep your number public since you have to connect with important clients, then blocking telemarketers or spam filters is the best option. However, if the matter exceeds your control and is related to your safety, contact local authorities for help. This method should be used as a last resort and only if the private calls are harassing or threatening.

Disclaimer: This information is only for general knowledge and guidance. It does not constitute legal or professional advice.

Benefits of Removing Your Number from Private

Let me tell you why showing your Caller ID is a good move:

When you make your caller ID visible, people you want to get in touch with are more likely to call you back.
You can use privacy-focused apps instead since a private number may appear suspicious.
People may block you when you attempt to reach them multiple times by flagging you as spam. Hence, making caller ID visible will help avoid such scenarios.
Disclosing your caller ID is great for your business and networking. You will come off more professional with your company’s name on the caller ID and get more clients to trust you.

Overall, removing your number from a private number ensures smooth communication and allows you to gain trust and build better personal and business relationships.

FAQ:

Blocking a private number can help in preventing some spam calls. However, it won’t stop all the spam calls automatically. You can use third-party apps such as Truecaller or use your phone settings to block spam numbers.

Yes, phone companies often offer private number call-blocking services. You can contact the customer support and inquire if such services are offered.

It is almost impossible to find out who a private number belongs to since the number is masked. This also makes it hard to reverse lookup. However, asking your phone service to assist you could be of some help.

Blocking private numbers means stopping the calls from numbers that appear hidden to keep their identity private. While unknown numbers are just contacts that haven’t been saved on your phone, which is why they appear as unknown. Blocking these two types of numbers can help reduce spam.

Conclusion

Making your number public from private is not difficult. However, it might not be a comfortable transition for some users since I understand that we all love our privacy. Therefore, apps that offer virtual numbers can be a perfect solution. As per my research, using phone settings should help in removing your number from appearing as private. However, Truecaller can also help you if you own an account with it.