What happens when calling in a hidden number?
When you call in a hidden number, what you are going to do is prevent the recipient of the call from seeing your ID. The ID is the phone number itself. The person who receives the call with this functionality activated will not know who you are. the identified it will become a “hidden number” or “private number”. You have surely seen these two words on numerous occasions, especially when calls are made by companies or public bodies. They always try to prevent you from knowing the phone number that makes the call, so that you cannot contact them again. As we say, it is typical in State administrations that do not want to receive direct calls that do not previously go through a switchboard.
This is an option that can be easily activated and deactivated on any mobile device, be it iOS or Android. Without a doubt, it is really comfortable to have this way open to maintain anonymity. In general, in a particular use, it will be used mainly to play prank calls or prevent someone from knowing your contact number.
The ways to do it on iPhone
As in most cases, in order to carry out the process of hiding the phone number, you can choose different ways. Without a doubt, the most comfortable is through the iPhone itself, since with just a few touches you will have the call fully configured to start it instantly. But there are other methods that we are going to tell you next.
Through the call pad
When you are going to make a phone call, it is logical that you have to type the specific number to which you are going to go. This is common, especially when you don’t have that number linked to a contact in your address book. But to be able to make the hidden call to that number, you will have to do a previous step. Simply, you will have to place in front of the number in question the prefix #31#. So if the phone number is 699999999, you will need to type #31#699999999. From that moment on, pressing the green call button will start the communication and the receiving person will not know that it is you, regardless of whether they have you in the added agenda or not.
Obviously, this means that the contact cannot be selected from the iPhone’s own address book. You will always have to copy and paste the specific mobile number by placing this extension in front. This means that if you are going to make many hidden calls to your contacts, it is not a method that will be of particular interest to you. Keep in mind that it is especially aimed at calls that are punctual, and especially when they are from people that you do not have added to your personal agenda.
Accessing device settings
But as we have said before, this is a method that has some relevance problems. And it is that it acted temporarily on a specific phone. But there may be a situation where you need to have this mode activated constantly for all the calls you are going to make at that moment. It has the drawback that sometimes you can forget that you have it activated, and contact someone and appear hidden. But beyond this, it is really relevant to have it activated if you do not want to leave a trace of your calls. In order to activate this option, you will simply have to perform the following steps:
- Go to Settings.
- Go to the Phone option.
- Enter the section Show caller ID.
- Deactivate the only option that appears at the top.
On many occasions this is a process that can take time to appear. You cannot quickly enable or disable this setting option. Previouslythe device must verify that it can do it or not. This is mainly due to the fact that some telephone companies may have this option vetoed, and in this way you always have to consult with the card to know whether or not to allow the user to carry out this action.
Contacting the operator
Keep in mind that the person responsible for hiding the caller ID at the end is the operator that is going to connect you with another mobile line. That is why the last way that exists in this case is to make contact with the operator that you have contracted at that time. It can be done through different ways. The first is through customer service telephone channel. Through this channel and with your personal data you can request that the caller ID be hidden at the moment. But you will always have to call again to deactivate this option.
The other way that exists is through the app or website of the operator. It is already quite common for all users to have access to the virtual platform of each of the operators. In this case, in addition to being able to download the invoices, you will also be able to personalize the experience you have with your line. Among the available options you will find the possibility of hiding the caller ID, along with, for example, blocking MMS or special calls. In this case, each of the operators modifies the design of their platforms, and you will have to search for their exact location.
Is it legal to make hidden calls?
This is one of the big questions that anyone who wants to make a secret call can ask. In this case, it is used in a general way to make prank calls, and there can always be the fear that someone will end up denouncing you for it. A priori you should know what to make calls in this mode, does not commit any type of crime. Also, keep in mind that it will not mean that you have a call that cannot be located, like the ones that can be seen in the movies. What is avoided is that the caller ID is publicly displayed to the other person. But it does not imply that nobody can know from where the signal is being emitted in particular.
That is why you should always know that what can incurring a crime is the content of the call. Any time you make a call, or use this mode to systematically harass a person who has your phone locked, you will face severe consequences. You will always have to avoid making use of this hidden mode to do any criminal activity.
