To hide your phone number in Signal, open the app and go to Settings > Privacy > Phone Number, then set both "Who can see my number" and "Who can find me by number" to Nobody. This stops your number from appearing in your profile and prevents others from discovering your account by searching for your phone number.
Why you might want to hide your phone number in Signal
Protecting personal information is a primary reason to hide your number. By using Settings > Privacy > Phone Number and turning on the tighter privacy options, you keep your contact details out of your visible profile. Enhanced anonymity is another benefit: pairing phone-number privacy with a username lets contacts reach you without your number ever being shared. Avoiding unwanted contacts is straightforward when you set Who can find me by number to Nobody, which stops strangers or spam accounts from finding you. For professional or business use, the same controls let you maintain a boundary between personal and work communication. Geopolitical or societal factors may also make hiding your number a necessary safety measure in certain regions or situations.
How to hide your phone number in Signal
Follow these exact steps on iPhone or Android:
- Open Signal.
- Go to Settings > Privacy > Phone Number.
- Set Who can see my number to Nobody if you do not want your number visible in your profile.
- Set Who can find me by number to Nobody if you do not want people to discover your account by entering your phone number.
- Set up a username in Signal so people can still reach you without your number.
These controls are documented for the mobile app on iPhone and Android. No separate iPad, Android tablet, desktop, or carrier-specific version is documented for this feature, and no minimum iOS or Android version is listed. Registration Lock prevents anyone from registering your phone number on a new device without your PIN.
Setting up a Signal username so people can still reach you
Signal documents usernames as the way to let people contact you without using your phone number. If Who can find me by my phone number is set to Nobody, someone must know your exact, unique username to connect with you. This means you can still receive messages and calls from people who have your username, even though your phone number is hidden and undiscoverable. No carrier setting, carrier limit, or price is documented for this feature. A Signal PIN creates a unique identifier separate from your phone number. Signal Profiles let you create a public profile with a username for communication without disclosing your phone number.
What happens after you hide your number
Once you set both options to Nobody, people cannot find you by your phone number, and your number is not visible in your profile. The documented limit is that another person needs your exact, unique username to find and contact you on Signal. Your existing conversations continue to work, but new contacts must use your username to reach you.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can people see my number on Signal?
Signal documents Who can see my number under Settings > Privacy > Phone Number; setting it to Nobody hides it in your profile.
Can people find me by my number?
Signal documents Who can find me by number; setting it to Nobody stops discovery by phone number.
Do I need a username?
Signal's help pages say someone needs your exact username if phone-number discovery is turned off, so a username is the documented fallback for staying reachable.
Will hiding my number affect my existing contacts?
Existing contacts who already have you in their Signal app can still message you. The change only prevents new discovery by phone number and hides your number from your profile.
Can I still use Signal without a username?
Yes, but if you set Who can find me by number to Nobody and do not set up a username, new people will have no way to find and contact you on Signal.
Does hiding my number in Signal also hide it from the phone's dialer?
No. These settings only control visibility and discoverability within the Signal app. Your phone number remains visible to your mobile carrier and in your device's system settings.
For the wider topic, see call back in 5 easy ways.
