Why Does My Phone Say Restricted When I Call Someone?

You have probably wondered and searched for the question why does my phone say restricted when I call someone? There are many articles out there that revolve around this particular question – the problem is, the right solution is hard to find.

Luckily for you, we have gathered all the significant data and information about it!

The reason why it says restricted because you didn’t enable the caller ID feature from your carrier. We have outlined a couple of steps to fix this particular concern.

But, before we dive deeper into that, let’s take a closer look at what “restricted” means.

What Does it Mean When a Phone Number is Restricted? 

In the simplest and most basic terms, a restricted number is a phone number that people use if they don’t want other people to see what the number is.

Should you receive a restricted phone number, the caller intends that you don’t call them back.

Even if you check the records from your carrier, it would not be possible to see and check what the number is.

Do Telemarketers Use Restricted Numbers?

Yes, as a matter of fact, they do this for you to not have the capability to block them. Meaning, they will always have a way to connect to the line with you on the other end.

Oftentimes, telemarketers who are shady, or those that do not have appropriate businesses tend to use restricted numbers so the recipient won’t have the idea who the person is.

Do Police Call from Restricted Numbers?

There is no written rule that the police should only use numbers that can be displayed.

They can most certainly use private and restricted numbers so that they’re not bombarded with calls.

Unlike telemarketers, though, their reason is for their security and protection. It’s not their goal to scam other people.

Is it Safe to Answer Restricted Numbers?

Since most people aren’t even aware of what it means, the person on the other end of the line might not even be dangerous.

It could be someone you know, who accidentally had their caller IDs blocked; it could be someone from the feds trying to reach you – it could be anyone.

Answering it will be your choice.

The majority of people decide not to answer it for the sake of their peace. They will just leave the call out and wait for someone to contact them differently.

But, if you are anticipating an important call, there’s no harm in answering it. The worst-case scenario would be if that person is a telemarketer or a person from the sales department of a company.

Why Does My Phone Say Restricted When I Call Someone?

Now, you probably have experienced this at least once, and the other person you’re trying to be in contact with was the one who told you about it.

If you notice that your number shows “restricted” when you call, then that means you are not allowing the caller ID to be shown when you make a call.

You can also perform a test or an experiment to see if it does show restricted.

Try calling another phone within your family line or an extra phone near you. When it rings, see if it’s displaying restricted instead of your number.

Some of the most common reasons why your number says restricted could be:

• Defaulted by your service provider.
• Accidentally toggled caller ID blocking.
• You are dialing *67 before the number you are calling.
• You have accidentally toggled the caller ID block on your smartphone.

These are some of the common reasons why your number appears restricted when you try dialing someone.

How Do I Remove the Restricted Option Off of My Number?

As we said above, there are a couple of reasons why your number is appearing as restricted to the line.

Therefore, we can’t have just one solution to this. So, instead, we will tackle all possible solutions that could help in removing the restriction on your number.

Defaulted By Your Service Provider

The most common scenario of why your phone says restricted is because your service provider has blocked caller ID on your phone.

What this does is cause your calls to be made from a “restricted number”. By doing this, the people you are calling would not know who you are because it’ll pop as “restricted” to them.

So, to fix this, you need to contact your carrier or your phone provider and tell them to lift the caller ID blocking.

If they tell you that caller ID is turned on and activated, then you might have to check your phone’s settings. And that brings us to the next step, which is…

Toggled Caller ID Blocking on Phone

What you want to do next is to turn off or disable the caller ID block on your phone.

Android

Here is how you can turn caller ID on or off on your Android device:

Step #1. Go to the Voice App or the Phone App.
Step #2. Click the three-dotted vertical line on the top-right part or the Menu button.
Step #3. Go to Supplementary Services > Show Caller ID.
Step #4. Choose whether you want to display it through the network’s default settings, hide number, or Show number. 

iPhone

If you are using an iPhone, on the other hand, here is the step-by-step process on how you can do it:

Step #1. Go to Settings > Phone.
Step #2. From there, scroll down and tap on Show My Caller ID.
Step #3. By default, it’s going to be switched on – you can toggle according to your desire. 

So, that’s how you can show or display your number every time you call!

In case you are worried about it, contact your carrier first because there have been settings where some numbers have caller IDs blocked by default.

You can then simultaneously check the setting on your phone.

Read Next: How to check if a phone is paid off?

Conclusion

Are you just tired of trying to find the answer to the question why does my phone say restricted when I call someone?

Do you want to indefinitely remove the restricted title whenever you try to reach people?

Today’s your lucky day! With this guide, your problems will finally be over!