Cloaked phone numbers are private, working phone numbers you can use instead of your real number to protect your personal contact information.
You can call, text, and receive messages normally, while keeping your real phone number hidden.
This guide explains how Cloaked phone numbers work, including how calls and texts are routed, how forwarding behaves, why you may see routing numbers, and answers to common questions.
What Cloaked Phone Numbers Are
Cloaked phone numbers are real, working phone numbers that let you call and text while keeping your personal number private.
You can use Cloaked phone numbers for:
Account signups and verification
Calls and text messages
Dating, deliveries, subscriptions, and everyday use
You can call and text using:
Your phone’s native Phone and Messages apps
The Cloaked mobile app
Your personal phone number is not shown to the other person.
Important: generating a Cloaked number doesn’t automatically “intercept” communications. You’re protected when you use your Cloaked number in place of your real one.
How Incoming Calls and Texts Work
When someone calls or texts your Cloaked phone number, the communication is routed through Cloaked and associated with the identity that number belongs to.
Forwarding controls whether calls and texts are also delivered to your personal phone, or whether they stay inside Cloaked.
Forwarding Behavior
Forwarding determines whether calls and texts sent to a Cloaked identity are delivered to your personal phone.
When forwarding is enabled:
Calls ring your chosen forwarding number
Texts can be delivered to your chosen forwarding number
Calls and messages still remain associated with the Cloaked identity in the Cloaked app
When forwarding is disabled:
Calls and texts can still be accessed through Cloaked
Calls will not ring your personal phone (nor can you answer calls)
Note: you can always view identity activity in the Cloaked app (and if forwarding is enabled, you may also see call or message activity in your phone’s native history).
What Is the Cloaked Routing Number
To help protect your privacy, Cloaked may use a routing number behind the scenes when you call or text.
The routing number is the number you may see in your phone’s call or message history. It acts as a secure bridge that keeps your real number private.
In the Cloaked app, you can always see who a call or message is actually from and which identity it belongs to. You can open the contact from the identity page to view details, and on the web dashboard you can open the contact menu to view the original number when available.
For clarity and organization, we recommend naming your Cloaked contacts so you can easily recognize who each conversation belongs to.
Why You Might See Different Numbers
Cloaked uses a unique routing number for each sender-to-identity pairing. That means:
The same person contacting two different identities may appear as two different numbers
You can save routing numbers in your contacts
You can tell which identity a call or text is associated with in the Cloaked app
Starting a Text Conversation From Mobile
On mobile, what you can do depends on whether the other person has texted your Cloaked number before:
If they have texted you first: you can reply from the Cloaked app.
If they have not texted you before: Cloaked will open your phone’s native Messages app to send the first message.
Either way, the recipient still sees your Cloaked phone number (not your personal number).
Once they reply, you can continue the conversation in the Cloaked app if you prefer.
Making Calls With a Cloaked Identity
Open the identity you want to call from
Tap Call
Enter the phone number you want to call
Follow the prompt to place the call
The recipient sees your Cloaked phone number, not your real number.
Note: Calling is only possible on the mobile app.
Sending Text Messages With a Cloaked Identity
From the mobile app:
Open the identity you want to text from
Tap Text
Enter the recipient’s phone number
Send your message (you may be taken to your phone’s native Messages app if you’re starting the conversation)
From the web dashboard:
You can send and receive text messages directly from the Cloaked web dashboard.
Viewing Call and Text Activity
Calls and texts made or received through Cloaked are associated with the identity used for that interaction.
To view activity:
Select the relevant identity
Click into your identity’s Inbox
From there, you can review:
Calls and timestamps
Text conversations
Voicemails (when available)
The routing number used for the interaction
Handling Verification Codes
Cloaked phone numbers can receive verification texts and one-time passcodes from many services.
If forwarding is disabled, codes appear inside Cloaked.
If forwarding is enabled, codes may also arrive on your personal phone.
Some services block VoIP numbers. This behavior is controlled by the service, not Cloaked.
How Long You Keep a Cloaked Number
Cloaked numbers are intended to remain yours long-term. However, numbers that are inactive for an extended period may be released.
Why Some Sites Reject Cloaked Numbers
Cloaked numbers use VoIP technology. Some services, especially those with strict fraud controls, may reject VoIP numbers.
Many services detect and reject VoIP numbers at the verification stage. This is not a Cloaked bug — it is an industry-wide restriction that applies to all VoIP providers equally.
Some known services that reject VoIP numbers are:
Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, Threads, Discord, Tinder, Match, POF, Truth Social, Viber, PayPal, Venmo, CashApp, Uber, Bank of America, AMEX, NerdWallet, Amazon, FedEx, 7-Eleven, ExxonMobil, Google Voice, WebEx, Anthropic (Claude AI), Steam, Epic Games.
Using Cloaked eSIM for Stricter Sites
For services that don’t accept VoIP numbers, Cloaked offers an eSIM option with a carrier-backed phone number (paid add-on, in beta). eSIM numbers are more likely to be accepted by banks, financial institutions, and insurance providers.
Reach out to support for this feature.