How to Make an Anonymous Phone Call

Our cell phone numbers can hold the key to some of the most secure, private details of our lives — like two-factor authentication codes and one-time passwords for our accounts — and there are situations where we need to prevent these digits from falling into the hands of people with bad intentions.

It’s often the smarter, safer choice to make an anonymous phone call—not because you have anything to hide, but because you don’t want to expose your regular phone number.

Making an anonymous phone call doesn’t mean you’re doing anything sketchy or illegal. Sometimes making an anonymous phone call is what’s necessary to protect yourself and keep your identity safe.

Today, we’re breaking down exactly how to get your own discreet, untraceable phone number so you can make an anonymous phone call anytime you need …

If I make an anonymous call, will it actually be anonymous?

When you’re planning to make an anonymous phone call, the worst-case scenario is that something fails and the call isn’t actually anonymous, right?

Don’t use your real number (even if you think it’s blocked)

Sure, there are codes and tricks that work sometimes. But what if you misdial the code at the beginning of the call, you think your number is blocked, but it isn’t? Yikes!

Use a different phone number to make an anonymous call

Instead of looking for ways to mask your phone number, wouldn’t it be a better solution to just … not use your real number at all? Dial from a completely different platform, that has nothing to do with your regular phone number?

Luckily, getting a secondary phone number doesn’t require (A) a second phone, (B) going to a phone carrier, or (C) more than a couple bucks.

VoIP technology lets you make calls anonymously

When you use a secondary phone number using VoIP technology (fancy way of saying “a phone call that runs over the internet, not over a phone carrier”), you can dial within a private app, like Hushed. This means the call isn’t connected to your regular phone number in any way.

Make calls, and never see them on a phone bill

Your cell phone carrier probably sends you a monthly bill (paper or PDF) that includes a full call log of all incoming and outgoing calls, even if you’ve decided to make an anonymous call the previous month. That’s not anonymous, if there’s a physical record of it.

Maintain complete anonymity for private calls

For the times when you want to make an anonymous call and not reveal your real cell phone number (or your name), it’s easy to use a secondary phone number and keep those calls completely separate.

How to make an anonymous call

1. Download the free Hushed app (available in the App Store and Google Play)

2. Create an account (nothing’s required except an email address)

3. Choose a phone number (300+ area codes)

4. Pick a phone plan (starts at $2.99 USD)

5. Start calling or texting from your new number

Want to make an anonymous phone call online instead?

If you feel nervous using your cell phone to make an anonymous call, that’s no problem at all. You can always download Hushed on a compatible tablet, and use that instead. No phone required!

Pssst! You can also use a really old phone

If you don’t want this anonymous call to have anything to do with your regular cell phone (or even your tablet), you can grab one of those dusty old phones you’ve got tucked away in a drawer/closet/storage bin. (It’s hard to know what to do with old phones, isn’t it?) As long as it can download Hushed (and it probably can), you can use it!

You can even make a anonymous phone call completely free

If you only need to make an anonymous phone call once or twice, you might not want to pay for a Hushed phone plan. That’s okay. We get it! Luckily, we offer a free trial for new customers, so you can take advantage of that and try Hushed free for three days.

Here’s how to snag a short-term anonymous phone number:

1. Download the Hushed app (it’s totally free)

2. From the main menu, tap ‘Add Number’

3. Select the ‘Get a Free 3 Day Number’ option

4. Pick an area code and choose a free phone number

5. Tap ‘Claim’ to create a subscription

(You can cancel anytime within the first three days, right in your iTunes or Google Play account, and then you won’t be charged anything.)

How will the anonymous call display?

If you’re curious how an anonymous call will look on the other person’s phone, let us reassure you for a sec, okay?

• It’s not going to say your name
• It’s not going to say your real phone number

So what will the Caller ID screen say if you’re making a call from your Hushed phone number? It will show your Hushed phone number. And remember, you can choose any area code, so you could pick something halfway across the country, or even in another country.

Looking for apps to make anonymous phone calls?

Look no further! Hushed is your OG app for getting secondary phone numbers that can be used for lots of things, including making anonymous phone calls.

• Choose from 300+ area codes (your own, or any one you choose)
• Keep it as long as you want it (an hour, a week, your whole life, IDK?)
• Call and text on your terms (with no link back to your regular number)