WhatsApp has become one of the most popular messaging apps, with over 2 billion users worldwide. One of the reasons for its popularity is that it uses your existing phone number as your ID on the platform. However, having your phone number visible to all your WhatsApp contacts also raises privacy concerns. If you want to avoid sharing your personal phone number with everyone on WhatsApp, the platform does give you a few options to hide it.
Why would you want to hide your phone number on WhatsApp?
Here are some common reasons why people want to hide their phone numbers on WhatsApp:
- Avoid spammers and unwanted contacts – Giving out your number on WhatsApp means anyone can message or call you easily. Hiding it can reduce unwanted contact from strangers or spammers.
- Keep business and personal communication separate – If you use WhatsApp for both personal chats and business communication, hiding your number can help keep those two worlds separate.
- Extra privacy from contacts – You may not want even some of your WhatsApp contacts to have your personal number stored on their phones.
- Avoid being added to unwanted groups – Group admins can add anyone to a group if they have your number. Hiding it prevents that.
- Break off contact with someone – If you want to avoid further contact with a particular WhatsApp user, hiding your number will prevent them from seeing it.
Method 1 – Use WhatsApp’s Hide Number setting
The simplest way to hide your phone number on WhatsApp is to use the Hide Number setting under your privacy settings:
- Open WhatsApp and tap on the 3-dot menu button in the top right corner.
- Go to Settings > Account > Privacy.
- Enable the “Nobody” option under Who can see my personal info?
This will hide your phone number from everyone on WhatsApp. Your profile and messages will show your name instead of number.
However, this method has a major limitation – if you want to verify your account on a new device later, your number will be visible again during the verification process. So it doesn’t completely hide your number on WhatsApp forever.
Method 2 – Use a virtual phone number
A more effective way to completely hide your real phone number on WhatsApp is by using a virtual phone number app. These apps generate a virtual number that forwards calls and messages to your real number behind the scenes.
Here are some recommended virtual number apps:
Google Voice
- Free virtual numbers for US and Canada
- Messages and calls get forwarded to your real number
- App available for iOS and Android
- Numbers keep working even if you switch devices
Sideline
- Paid service but offers virtual numbers in over 40 countries
- Separate work and personal numbers
- 30-day free trial available
- Advanced call & text blocking and forwarding
Burner
- Short-term temporary numbers
- Easy to buy and dispose numbers as you want
- Works in the United States and Canada
- 7-day free trial available
To use a virtual number on WhatsApp:
- Get a virtual number from any of the apps above.
- Install WhatsApp and verify your virtual number during setup.
- You can give out this virtual number to WhatsApp contacts instead of your real number.
The major advantage is that even if you reinstall WhatsApp on a new device, your actual number remains hidden during verification.
Method 3 – Register with an alternative phone number
Another option is to get a secondary phone number and register your WhatsApp account with that. Here are two ways to get an alternative number:
Use a secondary SIM
- Get a prepaid SIM for cheap
- Most carriers allow multiple SIMs
- Switch between your primary and secondary SIMs
- Inconvenient to manage two physical SIM cards
Use a SIM swapping service
- Get an eSIM number along with your primary SIM
- eSIMs are digital SIMs easily managed via an app
- Swapping between primary and eSIM is easy
- eSIM plans are available on leading carrier networks
The steps to use an alternate number on WhatsApp:
- Get a secondary SIM or eSIM with a new phone number.
- Install and verify WhatsApp with this new number.
- Use this number exclusively for WhatsApp.
- Keep your primary SIM number private.
This prevents anyone from having your real phone number saved on their phones. The disadvantage is you’ll have to carry around two physical SIM cards.
Other ways to increase WhatsApp privacy
In addition to hiding your phone number, some other tips to boost your privacy on WhatsApp:
- Turn on two-step verification for account security.
- Disable “Last Seen” time stamp and blue ticks for read receipts.
- Turn off auto-download for media files so nothing gets saved without permission.
- Change privacy settings to control who can see your profile photo and status.
- Be cautious about joining public groups since your number will be visible.
Implementing these WhatsApp privacy tips along with hiding your phone number will give you much better control over your account and personal information.
Key Takeaways
- You can hide your phone number on WhatsApp using the privacy setting to show your name instead.
- For complete number hiding, use a virtual number from apps like Google Voice or Sideline.
- Alternatively, verify your account with a secondary SIM card or eSIM number.
- Enable other privacy settings like disabling read receipts for better account security.
Conclusion
WhatsApp may require your phone number for registration, but you do have options to hide your real number from being visible on the platform. Using a virtual number or secondary SIM are the most effective ways to keep your primary number private.
Along with hiding your phone number, be sure to use all of WhatsApp’s other available privacy controls. With a few simple steps, you can securely use WhatsApp while keeping your personal information and number private from other users.