Fancy yourself as an agony aunt? Add your answer to this question! A
female
reader, Sweet-thing  +, writes (20 June 2012):
 Usually the factory settings will turn on "caller ID" and you have to manually turn it off. It can't just accidentally happen. It has to be turned on or off intentionally.
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reader, anonymous, writes (20 June 2012): You would know OP, it doesn't just happen by accident and only a fool answers private calls so they'd definitely figure it out pretty quickly when they text people to ask why they haven't answered.
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male
reader, The Realist  +, writes (19 June 2012):
 If a family member is police or government all of their numbers could be private. My question to you is why don't you answer the phone when someone is calling you over and over. There must have at least been one time where you were free to do so. Then you could find out who it is and ask why their number is private.
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male
reader, Sageoldguy1465  +, writes (19 June 2012):
 Yes. It's also "possible" that, if you dial 10 numbers, at random, you'll get the White House.....
Possible, but not likely.....
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female
reader, Superwoman95  +, writes (19 June 2012):
Normally, you can set this setting manually on more or less any type of phone by going into settings then onto the call option then selecting hidden number. I don't think that someone would not know their number was private and im sure that if he was trying to call anyone else they would have let him know. Have you spoke since you last saw him?
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female
reader, Daisy_Daisy +, writes (19 June 2012):
 It may be that he's calling you not from his mobile but from somewhere else like his parents or from his place of work ( a bit of a long shot but it's possible - maybe he has no credit on his phone?). If I phone from where I work (a hospital) it comes up as blocked or private on the persons phone. But if he is calling from his mobile and deliberately blocking his number, I'm sure he's aware of it and it's a bit odd, particularly since he's not leaving a message.
Good luck x
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female
reader, Lic +, writes (19 June 2012):
Sometimes your number is just automatically set to private I remember when no one was answering my calls and I asked them why and I found out my number was set to private, it can happen
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female
reader, anonymous, writes (19 June 2012): Are you certain he is calling you from a mobile phone and not a landline that is set to private? Some businesses (telemarketing/financial services/survey companies) set outgoing calls to 'private.'
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female
reader, chigirl  +, writes (19 June 2012):
 Im fairly certain you would know. You'd either have to get someone to set you up with a hidden number, or you'd have to enter all sorts of settings (given that your phone even has such an option). It's not something that happens if you accidentally sit on your phone.
They more probably purposefully have it on private. If the guy you are trying to connect with has it on private then.. well, either he's got his reasons, or he's a paranoid person? But I am fairly sure he's aware his number is hidden.
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male
reader, anonymous, writes (19 June 2012): Most mobiles can have their number set to private. Its the outgoing signal thats set to private, not the person he phones up. Its either private to everyone or no one.
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female
reader, So_Very_Confused +, writes (19 June 2012):
 I don't think you wouldn't know... but I'm not sure.
if the private number calls and you don't answer and does not leave a message then the private number is not worth your attention.
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