Fed up with seeing the dreaded “Restricted” phrase on your caller ID? You aren’t alone — people across the country want to kiss goodbye to restricted phone calls for good. And we’re going to show you how.
Regardless of your device, there are a plethora of ways to stop restricted numbers from ruining your day. In the following sections, we’ll go over why restricted calls happen, how to find out who’s on the other end of the line, and what you can do to take control of your privacy. You won’t want to miss these insider secrets!
People use restricted calls when they don’t want to divulge their phone numbers as it stops their number from being displayed on the recipient’s caller ID. By restricted their calls, they’re practically untraceable unless law enforcement is involved. Because of this, many scammers and cold callers use such numbers to hide their true identities and reach people who would otherwise ignore their communications.
5 Common Reasons for Restricted Phone Calls
Scams are the most common restricted phone calls, but other reasons include:
- Business and professional privacy — Doctors, lawyers, and other professionals use restricted calls to block their personal numbers.
- Telemarketing and sales — Illegitimate telemarketers and salespeople use restricted calls to prevent you from tracing the calls back to them.
- Law enforcement and security — Lawyers and collectors utilize restricted phone numbers to boost security. After all, they’re often involved in intense cases and need to prevent stalking.
- Improving security — Anonymity strengthens personal/professional security. Many people/businesses make restricted calls to ensure their information is secure and stop nefarious beings from tracking them.
- Maintaining privacy — Calling without giving away your information helps you avoid malicious individuals. This is especially useful when calling a new friend, lover, or a stranger.
How to Make a Restricted Phone Call
If you want to restrict your number on a per-call basis, you can dial *67 before the number you wish to call. This method works for landlines and smartphones, allowing you to hide your number for one call only.
However, if you want to restrict your number permanently, follow these steps:
| iPhone | Android |
| Go to Settings. Tap Phone. Hit Show My Caller ID until it switches to hide your number. Make restricted calls! | Open Phone. Hit the Menu. Click Settings > Call settings. Select Additional settings. Choose Caller ID > Hide Number. Make restricted calls! |
Why Do People Avoid Restricted Calls?
People avoid restricted calls for various reasons — scams being the most common.
While they aren’t all bad, the people who’re making such calls don’t always have the best intentions. The feature is fantastic for security and privacy, but this same positive can be used for less legitimate uses. Unethical individuals, for instance, use it to take advantage of people. Thus, many people avoid answering the phone when “Restricted” appears.
Should You Answer Restricted Calls?
Receiving restricted calls can be confusing — should you or should you not answer it? That is the question.
It’s important to remember that it isn’t always scammers or telemarketers calling you while hiding their identities. Law enforcement and doctors may use these numbers to protect their privacy. The call may be made with good intentions.
However, ignoring it is generally your safest option. If it’s a legitimate call, they will leave a voicemail. That way, you can call them back knowing you’re speaking to a good-natured individual/entity.
How to Call a Restricted Number Back
Generally speaking, you won’t know the number of the person calling you when “Restricted” appears. However, there are a few ways that will help you call these numbers, such as:
#1 Using *69
While many people believe the *69 feature doesn’t work, they are mistaken — you can utilize this handy trick to call a restricted number back. Whether you’re on a cell phone or a landline, simply dial *69 to call the most recent restricted number in your call log. Normally, there’s a 30-minute time window for calling a restricted number back on a cell phone.
Keep in mind that the restricted number must be the last call on your device for this to work. Otherwise, you may end up calling a different phone number.
#2 Using Third-Party Mobile Apps
There are a few third-party applications available on the Apple App Store and the Google Play Store that unveil the number behind the restricted call. Such apps reveal the number and the name registered to it. Depending on the specific application you download, it may even give you the caller’s address, alongside a blacklist option to prevent future phone calls.
Some of the best apps for calling a restricted number back include:
- TrapCall — This app lets you know who’s behind the restricted number and works to stop spam calls from telemarketers. You can try it free for a week before paying the subscription fee.
- TrueCaller — Marketed as “the world’s best caller ID and spam blocking app,” TrueCaller gives you full control over who can call you. And, of course, it also lets you call restricted numbers back.
#3 Using Call Logs
Last but not least, you can retrieve your phone call logs from your service provider to view your history. Sometimes, such logs will reveal the phone numbers behind restricted calls. So, if you know the date and time of the specific call, you can easily filter the log to pick out the number and call it back.
Managing and Blocking Restricted Calls
You don’t have to settle for constant restricted calls. Follow the steps outlined below to stop them:
Landline
Blocking restricted numbers on a landline is wonderfully simple. All you need to do is dial *77 and wait until you hear three beeps or a confirmation message. Afterward, any restricted calls will go straight to an automated message!
Alternatively, you can use the Federal Trade Commission’s service — the National Do Not Call Registry. It’s a national protection aid that aims to help you receive fewer unwanted sales phone calls. Upon adding your number to the registry, registered telemarketers won’t be able to call it.
The downside, however, is that the Do Not Call Registry only works with registered telemarketers that choose to follow this law. Debt collectors, charities, political parties, and surveyors don’t have to abide by it.
Cell Phone
Depending on your phone provider, you can choose to decline restricted calls. However, this feature may incur an extra monthly charge.
To avoid paying fees, you can use built-in functions on your iOS or Android device by following the steps below:
| Android | iPhone |
| Go to the dial pad. Hit Settings. Select Blocklist. Press the “+” icon to add the restricted contact to your blocklist. | Open the Phone app. Head to Favorites, Voicemail, or Recents. Select the “i” icon next to the number you want to block. Scroll down and tap Block this Caller. |
Cloud Phone
As soon as your cloud phone receives a restricted caller, you can block the contact. Many virtual phone systems provide this option, making it wonderfully easy to eradicate restricted calls from your life.
Using Call Blocker Apps to Prevent Restricted Calls
Call blocker apps are a near-foolproof way of preventing restricted calls. Some of the best include:
- Hiya Spam Blocker — Boasting auto-blocking and reverse phone search, it works a treat for blocking restricted numbers. You can get it on both Android and iOS devices.
- Nomorobo — After a 14-day free trial, you need to pay for this premium app, but it’s wealth of positive reviews speaks for itself. It blocks both spam calls and texts.
- Call Control — This one is the most widely used platform for blocking restricted numbers and robocalls.
How to Report Nuisance Restricted Calls
If, despite your best efforts, you’re still receiving nuisance restricted calls, you can file a report online with the Information Commissioner’s Office. The Office uses the information you offer to investigate and take action against the individuals or companies responsible. However, they don’t respond to each complaint individually.
Simply head to the ICO’s form and follow the instructions.
How to Unblock Restricted Calls
As we covered earlier, some legitimate sources use restricted numbers. If you’ve accidentally blocked an important number, you can unblock them by follow these guidelines:
- Landline — Call *87 from your landline and wait for the beeps or confirmation message to stop. You’ll begin receiving restricted calls again.
- Cell phone — You can ask your carrier to unblock restricted calls or head to your phone’s block list and unblock the numbers you want to accept calls from.
- Cloud phones/call blocking apps — Head to the call block list in the app’s/phone’s settings and search the number you wish to unblock. Select the number and choose the “Unblock” option in the menu.
The Bottom Line
Getting restricted calls can be frustrating and even scary. After all, there’s no way of knowing who’s calling you.
While many such calls are harmless, scams can happen. Therefore, you need to be careful and follow the steps above to safeguard yourself and your information. You can finally wave goodbye to restricted calls. Let us know how it goes!