- *67 and 'hide caller ID' settings apply to phone calls, not text messages.
- There is no per-text hide switch in iOS or Android - it does not exist.
- A burner app shows its second number, but registered your real one first.
- A web sender never knows your number: nothing personal exists to show.
- The recipient sees a sender name or service number, never your own.
Is there a setting that hides my number when texting?
No, there is no setting that hides your number when texting because the hide-caller-ID controls on iPhone and Android apply to voice calls only. SMS carries the sender number as part of routing, so the network attaches it regardless.
Hiding your number from a text means sending from something that is not your number. Phone settings do nothing and leave your real number attached. A burner app shows the recipient a temporary number, but the app registered your real one to create it. The only clean option is sending through a site that never took your personal number, leaving the recipient with nothing of yours to see. You simply compose and send from the site.
Why the call trick does not carry over to SMS
Caller ID tricks for calls do not work on texts since the network treats the sender number in SMS as essential routing data it will not hide. On a voice call the number is just presentation information that carriers can blank out when you request it through dialing codes or the show caller ID toggle.
An SMS works as a store and forward message, so the originating number serves as the return address the network actually uses for delivery and replies. Carriers provide no suppress option for that address. This is why every search through your phone settings comes up empty. The feature is not hidden somewhere in a menu. It is absent because SMS was never designed with a per message hide switch.
The three real options, sorted
Once the missing switch is accepted, the real options fall into three buckets that differ mainly in what the recipient sees and what got registered along the way.
That difference decides whether your number stays completely out of the picture. The catch is that anything launched from your handset still registers your real line somewhere along the way. Pick the option where the registration trail matches how hidden you actually need to stay.
| Option | What the recipient sees | What got registered |
|---|---|---|
| Device settings / *67 | Your number, unchanged | Nothing - because nothing happened |
| Burner-number app | The second number | Your real number, during app setup |
| Web sender, email signup | A sender name or service number | An email address only |
Sending a text that never shows your number
You send from a site that never took your phone number, so the text leaves on the service's connections with nothing of yours attached.
This matters because the trail stays empty of personal details: signup needs only an email and no identity documents ever. The catch is shifting away from your handset app to a browser. Decide on this when every other path still registers a real line somewhere along the way.
- Open the sender in a browserphone or computer, nothing installed
- Sign up with an email addressyour phone number is never asked
- Write the text, enter their numberfree test credits cover the first send
- Delivery confirms on screenrecipient sees a sender name or service number
What hiding your number does and does not do
Hiding your number when texting only conceals it from the recipient. Carriers still route and log the message like any SMS, so the network side sees everything it normally would.
Message content alone decides if a text is lawful or not. Hide the number if you need to, and keep the message decent. That split is the whole story on privacy toward one person versus full processing by the carriers. Nothing else changes about delivery or the records they keep. You write a clean body and the other person never sees your line, yet the networks handle it as standard SMS traffic throughout.
Technical details
device settings / *67: on their screen (the trick changed nothing)
burner-number app: in the app's records, behind the second number
web sender: nowhere - the service never asked for it
every route: carriers route and log the message itselfFrequently asked questions
Does *67 work for text messages?
No. Caller ID hiding codes that work for voice calls are ignored by SMS. Many phones refuse to send a text if you prepend the usual hide prefix, and even when they do the sender number still rides along as required routing data. Dual-SIM devices and VoLTE lines show no exception to this rule.
How do I text someone without them seeing my number on iPhone?
There is no iOS setting that hides your number when texting. Show My Caller ID only affects voice calls. The working routes are a second number from a burner app or a web sender that texts from a sender name, leaving your personal number completely out. Custom alphanumeric ID are available on request where the destination supports them.
Can a hidden text be traced back to me?
The recipient cannot see your number, but whatever service you used holds what you gave it. A burner app holds your real number; an email-only web sender holds an email address. Choose by what you are comfortable existing. Message content itself forms an exception if it reveals personal details that point back to you.
Is it legal to hide your number when texting?
Sending without showing your number is generally lawful. What the message says decides everything. Harassment and threats are illegal from any number, hidden or not. Rules are covered in the can-I-send-SMS-anonymously guide. The service includes STOP-keyword handling and suppression lists so opt-outs stay enforced.
No number to hide: sign up with an email address and the text arrives from a sender name, never from you.
Send your first textthe rules first? can I send SMS anonymously - what's allowed