Caller ID wrong or anonymous

On a free trial?

During the free trial, only your own hosted numbers can be used as caller ID. See Your free trial.

Symptom

• People you call see the wrong number, “private”, “no caller ID” or “unknown”.
• Or calls you receive, or calls forwarded to your mobile, show a number you don’t expect.

Quick checks

1. Make a test call to your own mobile from the affected user and note what it shows.
2. Check the user’s Default caller ID in the User settings on the PBX tab.
3. If you use the Webphone, check which number is selected as your caller ID before dialling.

Outgoing calls

1. No caller ID is set, or it’s set to Anonymous

With no caller ID, calls are anonymous.

Fix: open the User, choose a number in Default caller ID, click Save and Apply configuration. Only numbers you’ve bought can be used. Toll-free and shared cost numbers can’t be used as caller ID.

2. The Webphone is using a different number

If the user has Additional caller IDs, they can choose which number to show in the Webphone. The last choice may still be selected.

Fix: pick the right number under Your caller ID displays as: on the Webphone dialpad before dialling. To limit the choice, remove numbers from Additional caller IDs on the User.

3. A desk phone has its own caller ID

A SIP device’s own Caller ID (under Advanced parameters in PBX › Devices) is used when its user’s caller ID is set to Anonymous.

Fix: clear or change the device’s caller ID if the user’s caller ID is Anonymous.

4. The number was hidden for one call

Dialling 1831 before a number hides your caller ID for that call. Dial without the prefix to show it. Built-in Australian dial plans, such as Australia - VIC, TAS (03), include a rule for this prefix.

5. The caller ID name is wrong

The caller ID name comes from the Name of the Inbound number object that contains the number. Rename that object, save and apply.

Whether a name is shown at all depends on the phone and network of the person you call.

6. Calls through a SIP trunk show no number

With Keep originator’s caller ID on a SIP trunk, the trunk passes on the number your other PBX sends. If it sends none, the call is anonymous.

Fix: set the caller ID in your other PBX, or choose a fixed Caller ID on the SIP trunk.

7. Numbers being ported

You can use a number that’s being ported as your caller ID once its porting request has been submitted. See Prepare for porting cutover.

8. Your number shows as spam or scam

If the number shows correctly but people’s phones label it as spam, see Number shows as spam.

Incoming and forwarded calls

• Incoming calls show as anonymous: the caller has hidden their number. To reject these calls, turn on Block anonymous calls in a Blocklist or the Global blocklist.
• Forwarded calls on your mobile show the caller’s number, and you can’t tell they’re business calls: add Set caller ID before the Call diversion to show one of your numbers instead. To show both where the call came from and who’s calling, use Caller ID prefix for users on the PBX.
• Transferred calls on a Yealink phone show your colleague’s number instead of the caller’s: see Caller ID on transferred calls.

When to contact support

Create a support ticket with:

• the user or device that made the call, and the number you expected to show;
• the number called and what it showed (a screenshot from the receiving phone helps);
• the date and time of a test call (with your time zone);
• the device type (Webphone, desk phone model, softphone or SIP trunk).