Caller ID: your name on outbound calls
Caller ID works in both directions in Ody: you can register a business name that shows on other phones when you call out (CNAM), and incoming calls are labeled with the best name Ody knows — your saved contact name first, then the carrier's caller ID, then the number.
Set your outbound caller ID
Click Settings in the left sidebar, then Numbers.
On the number's card, click Caller ID.
Enter your Business name — up to 15 characters, letters, digits, and spaces only (e.g.
Acme Plumbing).Click Save caller ID. The name is registered with carriers; expect a few days before other phones start showing it.
On iPhone and Android: Settings → Numbers, tap the number, and use the Outbound caller ID section. The line under the field tells you live whether the name passes the carrier rule (and counts the 15 characters); when it does, tap Save. You'll see Submitted — carriers take a few days to show it under the field and a confirmation at the bottom of the screen. If carriers or Ody refuse the name, the reason appears in red in the same spot. Only workspace owners and admins can change the caller ID — members see the current name read-only.
To remove the listing, clear the field and save — receiving phones fall back to showing just your number.
Carrier rules to know
- US numbers only. Carriers outside the US don't accept CNAM listings, so the editor is unavailable on non-US numbers.
- 15-character limit, letters/digits/spaces, and it must contain at least one letter — that's the carrier database format, not an Ody limit.
- Propagation is slow and uneven. Each receiving carrier refreshes its caller-ID database on its own schedule; a few (and many cell plans) don't display CNAM at all. This is true of every phone provider, not just Ody.
How incoming callers are named
For every incoming call — the ringing banner, the in-call screen, the Calls tab, and iPhone CallKit — Ody picks the first available of:
- Your contact's name — if the caller's number matches a contact in your workspace, that name wins, always.
- Carrier caller ID (CNAM) — the name the caller's own provider publishes.
- The raw number — when no name is available.
There's nothing to configure — add the people you talk to as contacts and their names show everywhere. See Add and edit contacts.
Troubleshooting
- "Caller ID names (CNAM) are only supported on US numbers" — the listing can't be created for non-US numbers; this is a carrier restriction.
- Name rejected on save / Save stays greyed out — check it's 1–15 characters, only
letters/digits/spaces, with at least one letter. Apostrophes (
Joe's), periods (Inc.),&and accented letters are the usual culprits — on a phone, autocorrect may also have swapped in a curly quote; retype it without punctuation (Joes Plumbing). - No Save button in the app — your role is member. Ask a workspace owner or admin to change the caller ID.
- Callee sees a different name than you set — their carrier hasn't refreshed yet, or it substitutes its own database entry. Give it up to a week before worrying.
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Frequently asked questions
How do I make my business name show when I call someone?
Open Settings → Numbers, pick the number, click Caller ID, and enter your business name (up to 15 letters, digits, and spaces). Carriers take a few days to start showing it.
Why does my caller ID still show the old name (or just the number)?
Carrier caller-ID databases update on their own schedules — a new or changed name typically takes several days to propagate, and a few carriers don't display CNAM at all.
Why won't Save work (or stay greyed out) when I type my caller ID name in the app?
Carriers only accept letters, digits, and spaces — no apostrophes, periods, ampersands, or accents, and your phone's keyboard often turns a straight apostrophe into a curly one. The rule line under the field tells you what to fix; once the name passes, Save lights up. Only workspace owners and admins can change it.
How does Ody decide what name to show for an incoming call?
If the caller's number matches one of your contacts, you see the contact's name. Otherwise Ody shows the carrier-provided caller ID name when there is one, and the raw number as a last resort.