What’s the Difference Between Unknown Caller and No Caller ID?

When a recipient gets a call flashing “Unknown” on the phone screen, you are getting a call from an Unknown Caller ID.

The “Unknown Caller” label indicates that your phone service provider does not recognize who is trying to contact you.

Receiving unknown calls happens for various reasons, and a few of them are listed below:

• Network Issues/Technical Issues: When there is a network or technical issue, your phone service provider fails to recognize the caller.
• International Calls: If someone is trying to reach you from a foreign country, you may receive an unknown label while receiving a call. Your service provider can’t identify the caller due to the difference in the telecommunication system.
• System Limitations: If there are system limitations, your service provider will fail to acknowledge the caller trying to contact you.

When you see a “No Caller ID” labeled call on your screen, the caller doesn’t want you to know whose number it is.

The “No Caller ID” label suggests you are getting a call from someone who has intentionally hidden their identity.

Some reasons that you are receiving a “No Caller ID” can be:

• The callers deliberately block their information as they might be stalkers, frauds, and scammers.
• Another reason callers hide their identities is the nature of their work. Some business companies and individuals lock up their phone numbers to restrict return calls.

“Unknown Caller” occurs when the phone carrier cannot identify the caller, often due to technical issues, network constraints, or international calling protocols. Conversely, “No Caller ID” appears when the caller deliberately. The table below better shows the difference between no Caller ID and Unknown Caller.

Identifying callers who use “No Caller ID” or appear as “Unknown” can be challenging, as these features are often used to maintain anonymity. However, there are a few methods to identify unknown callers.

• Dialing *69 reveals the number of the last person who called you, even if it’s an unknown number.
• If *69 doesn’t work, contact your phone service provider and ask them to access call detail records (CDRs) to find out more about the caller.
• Several apps like Truecaller offer reverse phone lookup services. Whenever you receive an unknown call, the app shows the number, and sometimes, the caller’s name.
• If you suspect that the call was a scam, you can report it to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC). They investigate and identify callers who mask their IDs to commit fraud.

Receiving “Unknown” and “No Caller ID” calls frequently can be quite frustrating. You can block such calls on your phone.

Unfortunately, if you are an iPhone user, you cannot completely block “Unknown” and “No Caller ID” unless you use third-party applications.

However, one special feature on the iPhone helps you to silence unwanted calls. Follow the steps below to silence unknown calls on your iPhone.

1. Go to the “Settings”.
2. Select the “Phones” option.
3. Select the “Silence Unknown Callers” option.
4. Slide the toggle to the right.

When you enable “Silence Unknown Callers” on your iOS device, it automatically blocks all the unsaved numbers. Check your voice messages and missed call lists to stay informed about such calls.

Android Users can easily block unwanted calls that they are getting continuously. To block “Unknown” or “No Caller ID” calls, follow the steps below:
 

1. Go to your “Phone” application.
2. Tap on the three vertical dots on your screen’s top right side.
3. Select the “Settings” option.
4. Click on the “Block Numbers” options.
5. Turn on the “Block Unknown/Private Caller” option.
    

When dealing with “Unknown” and “No Caller ID” calls, Calilio can significantly enhance your experience. Beyond call blocking, our cloud phone system comes with caller ID, and call screening features which allow you to understand who is calling before you answer. Sign up today to identify and manage calls efficiently.

Dial *69 immediately after the call to find out and call back the last caller. You can also use third-party apps like Truecaller to identify the number of a No Caller ID.

Receiving a No Caller ID call does not mean the caller is in your contacts. It simply means the caller has blocked their number from appearing on caller ID, regardless of whether they are in your contact list.

Receiving a No Caller ID call does not necessarily mean the caller is someone you blocked. It indicates that the caller has used privacy settings to hide their number from appearing on your phone.

Tracing a No Caller ID call is challenging because the caller has hidden their number. However, you can dial *69 to see if you can call them back.

Directly calling back a No Caller ID is not typically possible since the number is hidden. However, you can use *69 to call back the last number that called you.

When you call someone with your number set to no caller ID, your number will not appear on their phone. Instead, they’ll see labels like “No Caller ID,” or “Private.” Many people choose not to answer these calls due to concerns over spam or privacy.

An “Unknown Caller” typically appears when technical issues prevent the caller’s number from being identified by your network, often due to international calling or system limitations. A “Private Caller” or “No Caller ID” appears when the caller has intentionally blocked their number to hide their identity.