What Does 'No Caller ID' Mean?+How To Stop Them

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An easy-to-follow guide for figuring out who is behind that "No Caller ID" call and how to stop them from bothering you

Co-authored by Darlene Antonelli, MA Reviewed by Luigi Oppido

Last Updated: July 30, 2024 Fact Checked

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• Silence Unknown Callers
|
• What does "No Caller ID" mean?
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• Who could be calling you?
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• Video
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• Tips

|Show more |Show less

When the phone rings, do you see who it is or do you see "No Caller ID" instead? Not seeing who's calling can be frustrating, but unknown numbers are quickly silenced! This wikiHow article walks you through silencing unknown numbers and figuring out who that caller could be on iPhone.

Things You Should Know

• Silence unknown and callers without ID in "Settings > Phone > Silence Unknown Callers."
• "No Caller ID" calls are from callers who overtly took extra steps to hide their number from you, so you can't see who's calling, and most likely aren't calls that you need to answer.
• Get in touch with your carrier for more blocking options or download a third-party app.

Steps

Section 1 of 3:

Silence Unknown Callers

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1. 1
   Open Settings. Tap the app that looks like gears on a light grey background.

   • This method teaches you how to silence the calls, but the numbers will still be able to leave you messages. If you want to block these calls instead, you can either contact your carrier or download third-party apps that will block callers for you.
2. 2
   Tap Phone. You'll see this next to an icon of a phone receiver on a green background.
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3. 3
   Tap Silence Unknown Callers. Scroll down the Phone menu to find this menu option.
4. 4
   Tap the switch next to "Silence Unknown Callers" to turn it on

   

   . If the switch is green and pointing to the right, the feature is active and any unknown or blocked calls will be redirected to your voicemail.

   • Some people suggest that you can also add the phone number 000-000-0000 to your contact list (name them something like "Do Not Answer") and then block that number.
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Section 2 of 3:

What does "No Caller ID" mean?

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1. It means they purposefully blocked their number from you. In the past, Verizon users found out the hard way that iPhones inherently could keep their number private, even when they were calling their spouse or friends. To hide the iPhone's number, you simply go to Settings > Phone > Show My Caller ID and toggled it off.

   • A code like *67 or #31# entered before a phone number to call would also hide your caller ID, so the person receiving the call would see "No Caller ID."

Section 3 of 3:

Who could be calling you?

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1. Whoever is calling doesn't want you to see their caller information. These callers could be telemarketers trying to sell you something, an organization looking for donations, or a normal person who doesn't want you to see their caller ID.

   • Remember, these callers use a code or system settings in their smartphones that prevents others from seeing their caller ID, so they most likely aren't calls that you'll need to get.
   • If you're still curious as to who the unknown caller was, you can look it up online or in a phone app.
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Tips

• Although iPhone users experienced a lot of caller ID issues (especially with Verizon), the general terminology still applies to Android.
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