Caller identification for SkypeOut now available for some countries
Yesterday, we finally quietly rolled out an update to our systems that’s been among the most anticipated ones for the past, oh, two years or so.
If you have a SkypeIn number in one of the permitted countries, you can now choose to show this number as your “Caller ID” when calling other people with SkypeOut.
I like this update because it’s done in the classic “Skype style”. It’s easy to use and just works. All you have to do is to go to [Your Account](http://www.skype.com/go/myaccount) and then look for the “Caller Identification” bit. Click the “Change” link to set it up. See also the [FAQ](http://www.skype.com/go/help.faq.cli) for more information.
The prompts say that activation may take some time. At least when I tried yesterday with some colleagues, it worked fairly instantly. When I called my Estonian mobile with SkypeOut, my Estonian SkypeIn number happily showed up as the caller.
There’s one downside. It’s a pretty complicated area where our legal people continue to be busy working with our partners and governments, and it boils down to this: Caller ID is available only for some “SkypeIn countries”. As of this writing, you can use your SkypeIn number as SkypeOut caller ID if the number is from UK, Sweden, Denmark, Japan, Hong Kong, Estonia and Poland. There are some other countries where you cannot currently use SkypeIn number as SkypeOut caller ID. And this list will continue changing. You can always get the most up-to-date information simply by going to Your Account page and seeing what’s the current situation there.
Since this is a server-side update, it works regardless of what platform or device you are using for SkypeOut. It may be the Skype for Windows desktop client, it may be a cordless Skype phone or even a WiFi phone. All you have to do is simply go online and configure it once in Your Account, and then it works.
Is the USA in the approved country list? I have skype out and skype in and when I login I see the Caller Identification that goes to the FAQ, but no change link beside it.
-Randy
Yes, please make it simpler to realize that the US is not available yet. It’s not clear on the site. I have “Caller Identification” and a FAQ, but it took quite a bit of searching to find this blog entry.
Oh, and what are the legal issues with the US? Is this something that is “just around the corner”, or “never going to happen” in America. It’d be nice to know whether to get our hopes up or not.
Great news, it would be great if the service will be available in the USA soon. My friends have been unhappy with the unknown caller id (skype-in number). They are asking me to switch to a different internet phone provider.
-sbuy
From my “My Account” page it seems that Caller Identification for SkypeOut calls is available to me in my Brazilian account, but when I call my mobile it shows a completely different number (albeit local, with the right prefix) to my SkypeIn number. What gives?
*Please* make it simpler to figure out that caller identification might not be available in some countries. The Caller Identification link which just takes us to the documentation is very very confusing. Seriously.
I think that it is very rude for the author of a blog entry to not reply to posts made by their blog….
This is currently not available in the US and I’m sorry I can’t give you a time or probability estimate when it will be. Keep checking back.
Thanks for all the feedback. We are continuously working to improve our documentation in knowledge base and other communications. If you have specific questions about how to use our products, please contact our customer support who will be happy to help.
hi guys, does somebody know how to make the free call today
OK, so it’s not yet available in the USA. Our skypein numbers don’t show when we skypeout.
I wonder if this is the reason behind the fact that, even though I have given my bank my skypein number as my home phone number, when I call the customer serrvice at my bank, they can’t identify me and often take me to their security department and ask me several questions before transfering me to the customer service. This is incredibly inconvenient. Do I have to switch back my phone number to my landline number and start calling my bank from my landline phone?
Thanks for wasting nearly my entire morning trying to figure out how to get Caller ID to function! The reason I bought a phone number and unlimited calling in advanced is because you advertised that feature. Now that I’m in, you’re going to tell me I can’t have it!!!!!?????
Thanks for wasting nearly my entire morning trying to figure out how to get Caller ID to function! The reason I bought a phone number and unlimited calling in advanced is because you advertised that feature. Now that I’m in, you’re going to tell me I can’t have it!!!!!?????
Unbelievable! Me too! It appeared to me that calling international numbers from the US would not bring up the caller ID info, but I was certain that it would work in the US. I wish I had visited the forums first. Where do I go to cancel the skype in service? There’s no point in using this if people I call can’t tell who’s calling. Few people answer “Blocked caller ID” or “unknown” anymore!
What’s infuriating is that the company itself must realize this is unclear (notice all the posts on the forum from infuriated customers!!!!!) and they don’t choose to make it absolutely clear before one signs up. Poor customer service. I’m also irritated because I love to defend new companies that break in where monopolies exist and bring great technologies to consumers. Skype is a company that is succeeding in many ways but angering customers unnecessarily along the way! Too bad!
It’s odd that this has taken so long considering Yahoo Voice already shows the caller ID.
So far, I’m happy with the call quality, and certainly the dollar value. But getting clear info on this website is an absolute pain and a massive time eater.
Like the users above it took me hours of hunting around to find out this service limitation. I kept thinking perhaps the site was functioning improperly. However, it’s just poorly executed.
Shame, really. Now I’ll start trying to find out clear information on how the voicemail works.
I agree with most of the people above me there should be clear documentation on what features are available and where they are available. Though, I didn’t waste hours trying to activate the CLI feature, but it sure was confusing since clicking on the feature takes you to support pages, they should better inform the customer that the feature is not available on US numbers instead of bumping us over to the support pages.
Agreed. If only the “skype style” of being as easy to use and transparent as possible also applied to the Skype website.
I don’t know if I was looking the wrong place, but I couldn’t see how to make this feature work with SkypeIn numbers that are assigned through the Skype Business Panel?
Any advice? If it is not currently possible will it be possible in the future, and then when?
Generally – as other commenter above also mentioned – it would be great if the people behind the Skype blogs engaged in dialogue with those who posts questions or comments.
I would really like to have some idea if Skype will ever introduce this in the US. Jaanus, Can you give us a clue? Either – yes SkypeOut caller id will probably be introduced in US, or no it probably will never be introduced to the US.
You don’t need to tell me when it will be introduced, just if it eventually will be. Thanks.
Can you let me know if this feature is available in Australia, and if not when?
Thanks
It would be nice if someone from Skype would at least say “Yes, we are trying to be able to enable it eventually,” or “No, we’re never going to enable it for the US, Australia, Germany, etc.”
If I knew off the bat that my number would not be seen by recipients I would have NEVER purchased service.
Skype seemed to be so reliable and functional but that aspect is CRUCIAL to using Skype for anything important.
If this isn’t resolved I will take my business elsewhere.
I don’t understand what is the hold up. I have switched to another voip with this feature but still would like it if Skype would add this as I have a history here. But if they keep dragging their feet I will definitely have to make my “home” with my other provider. I like being able to pass out my phone number knowing my relatives and friends will be able to attach it to me and not screen out my calls.
I have SkypeIn numbers from the US and Romania, as well as SkypeOut credits and SkypePro, yet I do not see the Change link on my account page. And I don’t see the gift certificates thing in the menu either!
I believe this is false advertising. It is not clear that there are some countries (ESPECIALLY the U.S.) that can’t use their Skypein number for their outgoing caller id. I just signed up for Skypein mostly for this so that my outgoing calls are not ignored. Then to top it off, Skype has cost me and many other people about 45 minutes just to track down the information that it isn’t offered….. Very bad business. I like your service, but your treatment on the web site is not right. Please let us know if it’s going to be weeks, months or years for the caller id for the U.S.
So let me recap.. from which countries is caller id available from? The UK, Sweden, Denmark, Japan, Hong Kong, Estonia and Poland…
ESTONIA?? POLAND???
However, not Germany, not France, not Australia, not even the U.S.A??
Skype is supposed to be the premier VOIP service, yet they cannot even provide something as simple as caller ID is the USA? I’m sure most people who live in the US will agree that if no caller ID is available when placing a call to a landline phone 9 out of 10 people will not pick up. Why? Because blocked caller id’s are typically associated with telemarketers, collection agencies, and other “unsavory” persons.
I will be cancelling my account a.s.a.p and switching back to my old VOIP provider, which provided this feature at a fraction of the cost of Skype.
SKYPE is junk… and I suggest a boycott of the service until this is resolved!
It’s July 23, nobody from SKYPE has fixed the caller ID support pages that kept popping on set-up page since May? It took me more than 30 minutes looking for that stupid caller ID toggle switch! And you never see anything that says Caller ID doesn’t work in the USA before you buy your skypeOUT credits! And it’s no use trying to email support because the website automatically directs you to those stupid caller ID support page when you put caller ID on any of your email message! I thought I had an internet browser problem! SKYPE, what are you guys, doing? At least fix that broken link! Oh, by the way, we are sending this to PC Magazine! There goes your revenue SKYPE!
Ha! Ha! Funny. I, too, have spent too long on more than one occasion today looking for the ‘CallerID’ for a US SkypeOut. Then I happened upon this forum to find that it is not available. I would suspect that is largely due to the IP to Telco arrangements in the Central Office offering the DSL setup. All the Telco knows is your IP address. That Skype is able to provide a telephone number to you is not a function of the phone company which is routing your call through their Telco facility. The phone company couldn’t care less who you, your ISP, your IP address or what the free telephone number you have is.
Welcome to the U.S. It’s not the Queen’s cup o’ tea, but then, she figured that out a couple hundred years ago.
Thanks for this posting. I, too, spend many frustrating minutes on the continous loop of insufficient instructions. Why can’t SKYPE just add a simple “check to see if this feature is available for your country”???
I absolutely agree with everyone else that this is very confusing. Please fix the help page that users are sent to so that it lists all the countries in which this is available!
Willysit, I’m not sure what you say about the Central Office is true. I would assume that Skype has connectivity to big packet-to-TDM gateways with some LD carrier in the US: maybe Sprint or L3. As part of that, Skype should also be plugging into the SS#7 network, which would automatically give Skype caller id capability. But since Skype doesn’t have caller id, I’m wondering if they’re doing something – that would explain a lot, but it would really call into question how serious Skype is in providing phone service.
To simon.riddick1: Well, it happens that there are tons of users of Skype in Poland, and I assume in Estonia too. Difficult to imagine, but we’re not living in caves.
Anyway, as I’m in the US now, I’d really like to see caller ID coming asap. Any update Skype team?
Thanks.
I think it’s interesting that prices have nearly doubled for certain areas and we still don’t have caller id. Companies like Skype (with major share in their industry) often think they can take advantage of their other customers. It wouldn’t be so bad if their smaller competitors haven’t already implemented this and are even cheaper (yahoo, gizmo). We don’t even get a timeline.
Ok, just bought a Skype-In bumber in Hong Kong, so I can at least make calls with caller ID. Only problem, there is NO OPTION to set Caller ID in Skype version 3.2.0.175 under the ‘account overview’ or any other tab. Anyone else having a problem with a supposed working Caller ID country?
This is my second post – I CANNOT UNDERSTAND WHY THERE IS NOT A REPRESENTATIVE FROM SKYPE COMMENTING HERE !!. all i’m wanting is an explanation as to why I cannot get it in Australia (I assume the same will hold true for other countries). Just some feedback would be what I expect !
I rarely make comments but many people are spot on about this being extremely frustrating. I spent about 45 minutes trying to turn it on only to find out that it will not work in the US.
I also feel that this is a bit of bait and switch since it is not made clear that there are very few countries that this will work in.
You would save a lot of people time if you would just put a list of countries that this works in on your FAQ page:
http://support.skype.com/index.php?_a=knowledgebase&_j=rate&_i=1263&type=no
I just drank the koolaid and I am enjoying Sykpe, but this has slowed down my excitement a bit.
Seriously doubt that you ever even read these comments, Jaanus. I like Skype a lot but you have some REALLY rough edges. You claim, “It’s easy to use and just works.” THAT IS SIMPLY NOT TRUE. I just wasted a precious hour of my time trying to figure out how to activate Caller ID. Finally searched the web only to learn that it’s not available. Please send me a surface mail address so that I can send you a bill for my time.
I have had skypeout and skype in credit for a few years. I have always been happy w/ the service but have always been unhappy that caller ID was not available. I recently logged in to skype and searched for caller ID. To my satisfaction… It said it was available. After searching for 5 minutes for setting to enable this feature. I finally attempted to contact Skype. Once I did I found the “USA NOT AVAILABLE” Faq. You would think this would be a priority to have USA Caller ID Available. I have had nothing but irreatations from relatives saying that they are not happy that my number does not appear on there machine and sometimes they refuse to answer. I was very disappointed when I just found out that caller ID is finally available but is not available to USA. Please … the blog here should be enough for you guys to realise that not getting this setup in the USA is not helping you.
I too was “a victim of the game”, I started my day with the purchase of a one year SkypeOut account only to use it and realize that the called parties were not picking up due to the lack of Caller ID. I then searched the skype website to determine what had to be done ensure that my called party would receive caller ID, sure enough I read in their press release that caller ID worked if you had a SkypeIn account. I then purchased a one year SkypeIn account only for the purposes of caller ID. Unfortunately when it continued to not work, I found this forum and am now the next “Victim of the misinformation game”.
Ditto to what everyone else is saying. What’s the holdup in the US? That’s my one major issue w/ Skype.
Can anyone recommend another VOIP service to switch to that will disclose outgoing numbers? Chance of this post being deleted: 100%. However, if a few people could respond before they do so, that would be great! I’ve heard that Yahoo’s service offers this feature… any others?
I hear you all!!! This is not cool at all!!! I only paid for the 3 months in & out, but I paid $150 for the phone!!! Now my mom or brother don’t pick up the phone when I call!!! Why… just guess… YES… CALLER ID!!! and YES I lost over 1/2 hour to find out I CAN’T GET CALLER ID… maybe I’ll take my phone back to Fry’s and get someone else…
I do have 1 ???, can you get caller ID on in coming calls on skype or landline? Thanks.
Come on guys, it’s been months and months since this thread started. When is caller ID going to be introduced in the US?
I can’t over emphasize how critical this feature is to my enjoyment of the skype service
Yes, they should make the information on the website more readily available so that their customers are able to easily find what they want, however for the people that claim they purhased it only to later find that it was unavailable, perhaps they should have done more research prior to signing up. It isn’t good business for them to mislead customers, but maybe if you put a little more thought in to it before you handed over your money you wouldn’t be so irate now; you can’t simply trust that a company is going to offer you the world on a string just because an ad says so. Their service is good, reliable, and while it is frustrating to not have a caller ID, there are a lot worse things to not have. Another note, is that not having it in the USA is a large problem, but a large portion of their customers aren’t from the USA… stop acting like the USA is the only important nation in the world. They’re probably trying to get something worked out, but it’s your own fault for making an unknowledgale choice in signing up for their service.
@ previous post, I know you are correct about USA not being the ONLY important nation in the world,… But… Don’t you think it’s funny that MOST of the people on here are complaining about USA and NOT other areas??
WTF! How do I get my friggin money back for my $60 SkypeIn number that doesn’t have caller ID available?Anyone been successful at getting a refund? If not, does anyone else see a CLASS ACTION suit in the near future?
Wow.. I’ve used SkypeOut ALL the time for a year or so… and everyone I know picks up when they see 0001234567 because the only time they see that is when it’s me… And if they didn’t pickup, I’d leave a message and then call back later. No big deal.
Folks, Skype is a REALLY inexpensive service, so don’t be so picky. I’m betting that Caller ID is more a legal/political issue with individual countries and companies, not a technical issue. It might be that you ought to all be yelling at someone such as the FCC, not Skype. I’m sure that if it were strictly a technical issue, it would have been dealt with by now.
The only reason I ran across this thread is I just bought a SkypeIn number and I wanted to make certain that Caller ID didn’t kick-in. I’m using Skype as transfer-in line and to call out to clients and I didn’t want them to start calling my SkypeIn number. Ironically, I found this thread because I really don’t want ID now.
I’m new to skype but am already favorable for class action lawsuit. Their business practices are terrible, intentionnely misleading for profit purposes
A company that provides phone service but have no phone contact for customer service…A company that avertizes product they cannot deliver…We have many ingredients here, just to name a few for class action setup. If skype is an internet toy they should state that clearly and not try to mislead their customers looking for a tool they could really use. You actually spent more time serching for answers to questions they already know.
It’s frustrating; a less Skype could let us know that caller ID is not available in USA. I found this website, which is legal, spoof Card, I try to call my own NO, using they software, and I got caller id in my wifi net gear Skype phone. You choose what number you want to showing in the phone’s of the person that you calling. The point is, if this software works in my phone, them Skype could soon provided us with caller id. The link: link:http://www.spoofcard.com/home/halloween.php
I hope to see Caller ID function available for US numbers coming out with the next Skype version…………….its about time Skype, I know many others love using your program, just like myself…………please give us that one vital feature(CALLER ID) to continue that desire in using and paying for Skype!!!