Verify Your Own Number as Caller ID

Normally, people you call see a number from CallTuv's shared pool on their screen. If you'd rather they see your own number - so your family recognizes you instantly, and can call you back on your regular phone - you can set that up once, and it applies to every call afterwards.

The setup is called verification: a short, free, automated phone call that proves the number really belongs to you. It takes about a minute. Here's the whole thing, slowly. (For the bigger picture of why calling with your own number matters, we have a page on exactly that.)

What you'll need

• The phone itself. You'll receive a call on the number you're verifying, so have that phone next to you, switched on, with normal reception. If it's the same phone you run the CallTuv app on - that's fine, no second device needed.
• A little credit on your account. Verification itself is free, but the account needs a positive balance to begin - see How to Top Up Your Balance if yours is empty.
• Your number in international format. That means starting with a plus sign and the country code - for example +14155552671 for a US number or +972501234567 for an Israeli one. If you normally write your number starting with 0, drop that 0 and put the country code in front instead.

The verification, step by step

1. Open the caller ID settings:
   • On the website: open the Call page and click the caller ID selector, then choose Custom caller ID.
   • In the app: tap Settings, then Caller ID, then add your number.
2. Type your phone number in international format (with the +) and press Call me now.
3. Two things happen at once: a 6-digit code appears on your CallTuv screen - leave that screen open! - and within a few seconds your phone rings. The incoming call comes from +1 415 723 4000.
4. Answer the call. A voice asks you to enter the verification code.
5. On your phone's keypad (the number buttons you'd use to dial), type the 6 digits shown on your CallTuv screen.
6. That's it - the call ends, CallTuv confirms the number is verified, and it becomes your caller ID immediately. Everyone you call from now on sees your number.

If your phone never rang, don't worry - it's usually a spam-blocking app quietly intercepting the call, and it's easy to fix: Didn't Receive the Verification Call?

Limits, so nothing surprises you

• One verified number per account. Want a different one later? Remove the current number first.
• Five verification calls per hour. If several attempts fail in a row, take a break and try again later.
• Each attempt's code is valid for 30 minutes - after that, simply start again.
• After removing a number, that same number is locked for 24 hours before it can be verified again - so don't remove it just to "refresh" things.

After verifying

Your number now shows on calls from the website, the app, and the extension alike - it's an account-wide setting, set once. You can switch back to Shared Numbers any time without losing the verification, and switch forward again just as easily - see Switching or Removing Your Caller ID.

Two honest footnotes:

• Using your own caller ID may change the per-minute price for some destinations. Nothing hidden: the dialer always shows the exact price that applies before you press call.
• On rare routes, the receiving phone company may still hide or re-label your number - it can show as "Private" or get a spam label. That's the carrier's doing, not a problem with your verification - explained in Verified Number Showing as Private or Spam.