If you landed on this page after trying *67 before a text message, here is the first thing you need to know: it does not work for SMS. That code is voice-only. Your number was still visible to the recipient, and typing it into a text field just sent those characters as part of your message.
That misconception is everywhere, so you are not alone. This guide covers every method that actually works for hiding your number when texting — along with an honest breakdown of what each one truly hides, and what it does not.
Why *67 Does Not Work for Text Messages
*67 is a vertical service code built for voice calls. When you dial it before a phone number, it instructs the carrier’s voice network to suppress your caller ID for that single call. The recipient sees “Blocked,” “Unknown,” or “Private” instead of your number.
SMS and MMS use a completely different protocol. Text messages travel as data packets, and your phone number is embedded directly in the message header before it ever leaves your device. The carrier’s voice blocking system has no authority over that header. No version of *67, *82, or any other prefix changes how SMS metadata is handled.
If you type *67 before a number in your messages app and hit send, the recipient receives a text from your real number — and the *67 characters may or may not appear as part of the message body, depending on how your carrier routes it. Either way, your number is fully visible.
Now that we have cleared that up, here are the methods that do work.
Method 1: VoIP Apps With a Secondary Number
Apps like Google Voice, TextNow, and Hushed assign you a second phone number that is entirely separate from your real SIM. When you send a text through one of these apps, the recipient sees the app’s assigned number — not the number tied to your carrier account.
How it works
- Download the app and create an account
- You are assigned (or you choose) a virtual number
- All texts sent through the app display that virtual number to the recipient
- Replies come back to the app, not your main number
What it hides — and what it does not
Your real SIM number is hidden from the person you are texting. That is the upside. The downside is that your real identity is still fully known to the service. Google Voice requires a Google account. TextNow requires an email address. Hushed requires payment. Every one of these services has a terms-of-service policy that allows them to respond to lawful subpoenas and data requests.
For casual privacy — keeping your personal number off a contact’s screen — VoIP apps work well. For situations where you need the service itself to have no record of who you are, these apps fall short.
Method 2: Burner Apps
Burner apps like Burner and CoverMe operate similarly to VoIP services but are designed specifically around the idea of disposable numbers. You get a temporary number, use it, and discard it when you are done. The recipient never sees your real number.
The privacy ceiling on burner apps
The word “burner” implies a clean break, but the identity record these apps create is more durable than most users realize. To use almost any burner app, you must:
- Provide an email address at sign-up
- Pay with a credit or debit card (which links your real name and billing address)
- Sometimes verify with your real phone number
That means even after you “burn” the number, the service retains a record tying your account to your payment method and email. If the service is ever subject to a legal request or a data breach, that record exists. For most everyday use cases — avoiding telemarketers, keeping a work and personal life separate, signing up for a service without giving out your main number — burner apps are practical and convenient. For genuine anonymity, the payment trail is a meaningful weakness.
Method 3: Crypto-Paid Anonymous SMS Services
This is where the distinction between hiding your number from the recipient and hiding your identity from the service becomes most important.
Crypto-paid SMS services like smsusdt.com are built around eliminating both layers of exposure simultaneously. The recipient never sees your real number — they receive a message from a system-assigned or masked number. And because payment is made in cryptocurrency (USDT, Bitcoin, and similar), there is no credit card on file, no billing address, and no name attached to the transaction.
How this differs from other methods
- No account required: Many crypto-paid services require no registration at all, or only a minimal session-based identifier that expires
- No payment trail: Crypto transactions do not carry personal billing information the way card payments do
- No linked email: No email verification means no back-channel identity connection
- Recipient sees no real number: The message arrives without your actual phone number in the header
This combination is what separates crypto-paid services from every other method on this list. VoIP apps hide your number from the recipient but not from the platform. Burner apps hide your number from the recipient but store your payment and email. Crypto-paid services remove both points of exposure when used correctly.
For a deeper look at how these platforms compare, see our anonymous SMS services that accept crypto review.
Quick Comparison: Which Method Hides What
- *67: Hides number on voice calls only. Has zero effect on SMS. Do not use this for texting.
- VoIP apps (Google Voice, TextNow, Hushed): Hides your real number from the recipient. Your identity is known to the service and tied to your account.
- Burner apps: Hides your real number from the recipient. Payment method and email create an identity record with the service.
- Crypto-paid anonymous SMS: Hides your real number from the recipient. No card, email, or name required — no identity record at the service level.
Which Method Is Right for Your Situation
The right choice depends entirely on what you are trying to protect and from whom.
If you just want to keep your personal number off someone’s contact list — a date, a marketplace listing, a business inquiry — any VoIP app handles this well. Google Voice is free, stable, and widely used for exactly this purpose.
If you want a temporary number you can discard — signing up for a website, running a short-term project, avoiding a specific contact — a burner app is the most convenient option. Accept that a payment record exists and factor that into your decision.
If you need the message to be unconnected to your identity at every level — the recipient does not know your number, and the service has no record of who you are — a crypto-paid anonymous SMS service is the only option on this list that satisfies both requirements.
A Note on Legal Use
Every method described here is legal when used responsibly. Hiding your number when texting is a legitimate privacy practice with many valid applications: protecting your personal number from unknown contacts, maintaining professional separation, reducing your digital footprint, or communicating in contexts where privacy is genuinely important.
None of these tools change the legal consequences of what you send. Harassment, threats, and fraud remain illegal regardless of which number appears on the recipient’s screen. Use these tools the same way you would use any privacy technology — thoughtfully and within the law.
The Bottom Line
The fastest answer to “how do I send a text without my number showing” is: use a VoIP app or a crypto-paid SMS service, depending on how much anonymity you actually need.
The most complete answer is: understand what each method hides. Hiding your number from a recipient is not the same as being anonymous to the platform. If the platform knows who you are, that information exists somewhere — and someone with the right access can reach it.
For a full walkthrough of how anonymous texting works across all these methods, read our complete guide to anonymous texting. Or, if you are ready to send a message now without leaving a trail, you can send anonymous SMS directly from the homepage.
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