What is a Restricted Phone Call? A Complete Guide

A restricted phone call is a type of call in which all the information of a caller, like phone number and contact name, is hidden. Businesses generally use this technique when making calls to their clients because it is untraceable, and a third party cannot see the caller's phone number.
 

When your phone rings and the caller ID displays ”Restricted” or “Unknown,” you can say someone is making restricted phone calls on your device.
 

Restricted calls are widely used for security because they add an extra layer of security to your phone system. On the other hand, some of them misuse it by making spam and bluff calls. As a result, these threats and fraud negatively impact people's mindsets. Nowadays, people rarely take restricted calls because they fear scamming.

The restricted phone number isn’t an actual number but a term that enables the caller ID to be hidden while making a call. So, when someone calls with a restricted number, their exact number is hidden. You can see “restricted,” “private number,” or “no caller ID” on the screen while receiving a call.

Calling back a restricted number is challenging because you have to call a number that is unavailable in the first place. It is tentatively impossible, but here are some steps to help you call back a restricted number.
 

Use a Call Return Feature

This is one of the features that enables you to redial the restricted number from your device. It is only applicable for the most recent restricted call. In the US, dialing the *69 code helps to return a call to the last number that you received.
 

Call Your Phone Carrier

If you receive restricted calls with harassing or spammy intentions, you should report them to your phone carrier. They can trace the source call and offer you the best solution.

It is generally recommended to avoid receiving the restricted call for safety reasons.  Restricted calls are also considered to be the cause of scams and frauds. But it doesn’t mean all the incoming restricted calls must be spammy.
 

Businesses nowadays restrict their phone numbers for business communication because of their untraceable nature, making them perfect for making confidential calls. In such a case, if you avoid all the restricted calls, you could also miss a call from a company and lose the opportunity. 

Every mobile phone has additional settings to enable the call restriction and make your number private. Both Android and iOS have different procedures for making restricted calls.

To make a restricted call on Android, you must follow the following steps:

Step 1: Open “Settings” on your mobile
Step 2: Hit “Apps” and click the “System app settings” option again.
Step 3: Now search for “Call settings” and open it.
Step 4: Search for “Advanced settings” and open it
Step 5: After you see your “Caller ID” option and enable the feature, you can now make a restricted call.

To make a restricted call on iOS, you must follow the following steps:

Step 1: Open the “Settings icon” on your mobile
Step 2: Navigate to the “Phone option” and click it. 
Step 3: Now, you can see the “Show my caller ID” option. You just need to click that option
Step 4: You can disable the “Show my caller ID" feature and make a restricted call.
 

People use restricted calls for different purposes, like privacy and security. Generally, they are initiated by a business to make confidential calls. Restricted calls help to make a call, which allows the user to conceal information like caller ID and phone numbers. They are untraceable, meaning your conversation on a restricted call is safer than a traditional phone call.

Getting a repetitive restricted call could be annoying for everyone. However, the good part is that you can easily block these calls. Here’s how to stop unwanted calls on your device.

Blocking restricted calls on landlines is quite easy and requires a few steps to follow:
 

Step 1: Reach your “landline dial code”.

Step 2: Press the *60 code in your landline dial code.

Step 3: After dialing the code number, wait until the call blocker system responds.

Step 4: Follow the guidelines provided by the system. Block calls with restricted caller IDs and waits for confirmation.

Step 5: After the system confirms the number has been successfully blocked, you can hang up the call.
 

Note: This code may vary depending on your service provider.

Unlike landline call settings, Android has different procedures to follow to block restricted phone calls.

Step 1: Open “Settings” on your Android device.

Step 2: Navigate to “Call settings” and tap the “Blocked numbers” option.

Step 3: After opening the Blocked number, you can see the “Block calls from Unknown numbers” option. Enable it. You have successfully blocked the incoming restricted calls on your Android device.
 

Note: These steps may vary for different Android smartphones.
 

Here's what won't work:

Blocking a number from your call history or manually inputting the specific number in the blocklist doesn't block the restricted calls because they don't show the number.
Using a third-party blocking app is also impractical for blocking restricted calls on Android and iOS.

The working mechanism of iOS is far different from that of Android. iPhones don't have built-in specific options for blocking restricted calls. However, you can try an alternative method to minimize restricted calls.
 

Step 1: Open “Settings” on your iPhone.
Step 2:  Click on the “Phone” option.
Step 3: Activate the “Silence Unknown Caller Option”. You have successfully disabled incoming unknown calls.

You can contact your service provider if you constantly receive a high volume of unwanted calls (Restricted calls). They might offer additional solutions, track the source of calls, and offer more advanced blocking features.

Receiving a restricted call means someone is calling you and intentionally hiding their identity, such as phone number and caller ID information, from you. It may be either spam calls or confidential calls.

Call barring is a feature most mobile service providers provide that allows you to control incoming and outgoing calls on your phone. It helps you customize calls and lets you choose what kind of call to receive and which one to block.

If you answer restricted calls, you may be at risk of being scammed or facing phishing attacks. Most scammers try to extract people's banking details. Some also lure people by talking about lotteries and pretending to be authoritative.