If your own calls show up as “Private Number” or “No Caller ID,” go to Settings > Apps > Phone > Show My Caller ID and turn the switch on. Your number shows again on the next call you make. On iOS 17 and earlier, the setting is under Settings > Phone.
If the switch is missing, grayed out, or already on and your number still shows as private, your carrier is hiding it at the account level. In the US and Canada you can dial *82 before a number to show your caller ID on that one call, but a permanent fix has to come from the carrier. If what you actually want is to stop other people’s private calls from ringing, skip to stopping calls from private numbers.
How to stop your number showing as private on iPhone
- Open Settings.
- Scroll to the bottom and tap Apps.
- Tap Phone. The list is alphabetical, or you can type “Phone” in the search field at the top.
- Under Calls, tap Show My Caller ID.
- Turn on the Show My Caller ID switch. It turns green.
That’s it. Call a friend or a second phone to check: they should now see your number, or your name if they’ve saved you as a contact.
On iOS 17 and earlier, the steps are the same except you tap Phone right on the main Settings list instead of going through Apps. To see which version you have, open Settings > General > About.
Show My Caller ID is missing or grayed out
This setting only works when your carrier lets the iPhone control it. Some carriers don’t show the switch at all, and others gray it out because caller ID blocking is set on your line. In either case, changing anything on the iPhone won’t help. Try these instead:
- For a single call (US and Canada): Dial *82, then the full phone number. That call shows your caller ID even when your line blocks it by default.
- For every call: Contact your carrier, or check the privacy or caller ID settings in its app or online account, and ask for caller ID blocking to be removed from your line.
- Outside North America: Codes differ by country and network, so ask your carrier which prefix shows or hides your number for one call.
Note: If the number you’re calling has rejected anonymous calls, your call may not go through at all while your ID is hidden. Showing your caller ID fixes that too.
Other reasons your calls show as “No Caller ID”
- You dial *67 by habit or from a saved contact. In the US and Canada, *67 hides your number for that call. Open the contact and check that the number doesn’t start with *67; if it does, edit the number and remove it.
- You’re calling over Wi-Fi Calling or while roaming. Some networks don’t pass caller ID reliably in these cases. Try the same call on regular cellular to compare.
- The problem is on the other person’s phone. If only one person sees “No Caller ID,” their phone or carrier may be the cause. Ask them to check whether other callers show correctly.
Want to go the other way and hide your number on purpose? We cover that in our guide to blocking your number when you call.
How to stop calls from private numbers on iPhone
You can’t block a private caller the normal way, because there’s no number to add to your block list. What you can do is stop calls from numbers that aren’t in your contacts from ringing. Calls with no caller ID count as unknown callers.
- Open Settings > Apps > Phone.
- Scroll to Screen Unknown Callers.
- Choose Silence to send these calls straight to voicemail, or Ask Reason for Calling to have your iPhone ask the caller who they are before it rings.
Those three options (Never, Ask Reason for Calling and Silence) are in iOS 26 and later, according to Apple’s guide to screening unknown callers. On iOS 18 and earlier there’s a single Silence Unknown Callers switch in the Phone settings instead.
Warning: Silencing affects every number you haven’t saved, not just private ones. Doctors’ offices, delivery drivers and schools may also go to voicemail. Save numbers you don’t want to miss as contacts. If you change your mind later, here’s how to let unknown callers ring again.
If a caller with a visible number keeps bothering you, you can block that specific number from your Recents list.
Can you find out who a private number is?
No. When a caller hides their number, the network doesn’t send it to your iPhone, so there’s nothing for the phone to reveal. Be careful with apps or sites that promise to unmask private callers. If you’re getting threatening or harassing calls from a hidden number, contact your carrier, which can trace calls through its own process, and the police if you feel unsafe.
How to delete a private number from your call history
If “No Caller ID” entries clutter your Recents list, remove them:
- Open the Phone app and go to your recent calls.
- Swipe left on the “No Caller ID” or “Unknown” entry.
- Tap Delete.
This only clears the entry from your iPhone. It doesn’t block future calls or affect your carrier’s records.
Matthew Roberts is the founder and editor of ARS Digitech. He started the site to answer the iPhone questions his friends and family kept asking him, and it has grown into a library of iPhone and iOS how-to guides. Matthew writes and maintains every tutorial on the site, checking steps and menu names against Apple’s official support documentation and updating guides when an iOS release moves a setting.