How to block private numbers

Blocking private numbers is different from blocking regular numbers.

The reason is quite obvious: you can’t block a private number because your phone doesn’t know which number to block.

What you can do instead is block all private calls.

And we’re about to show you how.

Updated on: March 13, 2025

NOTE: You can’t block individual private numbers—you can only set your phone to block all calls coming from private and unknown numbers. 

That means there are some consequences. Your phone will block all calls that come from either:

• unknown numbers (not stored in your contacts)
• private numbers (with a hidden caller ID) 

How to block unknown numbers on an iPhone

If you’re looking for “block private calls” functionality on your iPhone, you’re going to leave empty handed.

On an iPhone, you can’t “block private callers,” you can only “silence unknown callers” instead.

There’s a key difference between blocking unknown and private numbers.

• “Unknown” refers to all numbers that aren’t saved in your contact list.
• “Private” means numbers that have their caller ID hidden.

Here’s how to block private numbers on an iPhone:

1. Go to your phone’s settings.
2. Scroll down and tap “phone.”
3. Scroll down and tap “silence unknown callers.”
4. Toggle “silence unknown callers” on.

If you want to see alternative solutions, head over to our in-depth tutorial.

How to block private phone numbers on a Samsung

Here’s how to block private numbers on a Samsung phone:

1. Open your Phone app (also known as dialer).
2. Tap the three dots in the top-right corner of your screen.
3. Navigate to “settings” > “block numbers.”
4. Enable the “block unknown/private numbers” option.

For additional solutions, please visit our detailed tutorial here.

How to block private calls on a Huawei

Here’s how to block private numbers on a Huawei phone:

1. Open your Phone app (also known as dialer).
2. Tap the four dots arranged in a square in the top-right corner.
3. Navigate to “blocked” > “block rules” > “call block rules.”
4. Turn on the “block private/withheld numbers” feature.

You can also enable the “block unknown numbers” option—this will block all incoming calls from numbers not saved in your contacts. 

This means that both private numbers and those you haven’t saved in your contacts will be blocked.

To discover alternate methods, see our tutorial here.

How to block private numbers on Android devices

To block calls from private numbers on an Android:

1. Open your Phone app.
2. Go to the in-app settings (usually indicated by three dots in the top-right corner).
3. Look for options related to blocking e.g., “block numbers.”
4. Enable “block unknown/private numbers” or a similar option.

If you’re looking for other options, check out our guide here.

Apps to block private numbers automatically

Here are two apps you can use to block private calls:

• Should I Answer? for Android and iOS
• Call Control for Android and iOS

But—

Bear in mind that all call-blocking apps require some level of invasion of your privacy to work effectively.

In the best-case scenario, they’ll just read your contacts and messages, and monitor incoming calls.

The majority, however, go much further, accessing your files, photos, personal info, location, financial data, and more.

Some even include “people search site” functionality—effectively, making them data brokers.

As advocates of online privacy, we recommend steering clear of these apps.

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