It is with deep sadness that we are announcing that MaskOff – our app that reveals hidden caller IDs – is no longer supported in the United Kingdom effective 1 July 2025. We just finished clicking the buttons to remove it from sale there, so you will not see it on the App Store or Play Store any longer.
(Please note that this is only for the United Kingdom. MaskOff is alive and well in the United States and Israel)
We are working on a solution to help cancel current subscriptions, but you should feel free to cancel it yourself if you want. If you just signed up, please feel free to request a refund and we will do what we can to get Apple to approve it.
So, what happened? Well, the UK government, specifically its regulator Ofcom, told us that we are no longer able to do what we do. In the last few years, in the name of privacy, UK law has enshrined the right to block or hide your caller ID. There are exceptions for law enforcement or for telecom operators, but sadly we do not qualify as either of them.
It’s really that simple. We no longer have any technical means to provide you with our promised solution in the United Kingdom, so we have to shut down. We do not take this lightly – we and previous teams have spent years of our lives and money building this amazing app, and in the UK we were so excited to see and hear the stories of how MaskOff was able to help. Time and time again, we heard from you about how we provided the critical key, or perfect log of calls – masked or unmasked – which helped show a pattern of harassment or abuse and put an end to it.
We spent three days exploring every possible solution and searching for workarounds, but right now we cannot sell you an app that doesn’t work. We will continue monitoring the relevant laws for any changes.
What you need to do:
- Cancel your subscription if you want (we’re working on an automated solution)
- Request a refund if you just signed up – we’ll help get Apple to approve it
- Reach out to [email protected] with any questions
How to try unmasking withheld numbers going forward:
The same rule outlawing our service also gives your network provider the ability to provide the blocked caller’s number in the case of “malicious or nuisance calls”
Our suggestion would be to contact your network provider and tell them that you are experiencing malicious or nuisance calls, and that you would like to know the caller who called at X time on Y date.
I’m sorry it has come to this, and I’m sorry that we couldn’t find a way to keep serving you in the UK. We really thought we could make it work.
Sincerely, Erik @ MaskOff
