1471: How BT's Last Number Recall Works

What 1471 does

1471 is one of the most familiar features on a British landline. Dialling those four digits prompts the network to play back the number of the most recent incoming call, usually with the date and time, and to offer the option of returning that call by pressing 3. It draws on the same Calling Line Identification signalling that drives caller display, so the number it reads is the one the calling network presented when the call arrived.

The service was designed for a simple purpose: to let someone who missed a call find out who had been trying to reach them. Because it stores only the single most recent caller, dialling 1471 after a later call has come in will report that later caller instead. It is a one-deep memory, not a call log, and it is held by the network rather than by the handset. That distinction matters in practice. A handset's own missed-call list is built from CLI delivered to the phone and can hold many entries, whereas 1471 is a network-side announcement that exists independently of whether the handset captured anything. If the phone was unplugged, off, or simply did not store the call, 1471 can still recall the last number because the record sits in the exchange or, on a digital service, in the provider's platform.

It is worth understanding that 1471 reports a number, not a name. The network does not look up who owns the number, so the announcement gives the digits and leaves identification to the listener. Anyone wanting to attach a name must check the number against their own records or a directory. This is a deliberate design point rather than a shortcoming: presenting an identity would require a reverse-lookup against directory data, and the CLI mechanism that 1471 relies on carries only the calling number, not the subscriber's name. The time and date stamp included in the announcement is generated by the network clock, so it reflects when the call reached the exchange rather than any time set on the user's own handset.

Why 1471 sometimes does not reveal a number

There are two main reasons the service withholds a number. The first is that the caller deliberately withheld their CLI, typically by dialling a prefix such as 141 before the destination number, or because their line is permanently configured to present no number. In that case 1471 reports that the caller withheld their number rather than reading any digits. Withholding is a settable feature: a caller can suppress the number on a single call with the 141 prefix, or arrange line-wide withholding so that every outgoing call presents no CLI. Either way, the receiving network respects the instruction and 1471 cannot override it.

The second reason is that the call arrived from a network or route that did not pass a usable number through. International calls are the classic example: many overseas networks do not deliver a CLI that the UK network can present, so the service announces that the caller's number is not available. The same can happen with certain switchboard and corporate lines that present a main number, a non-geographic number, or nothing at all. A business private branch exchange may, for instance, route outbound calls so that they all show a single published number regardless of which extension placed the call, which is why a return call placed through 1471 might reach a main switchboard rather than the individual who rang.

Ofcom's CLI guidance recognises that withholding a number is a legitimate privacy choice, which is why the network honours it rather than overriding it for 1471. The service is therefore only ever as informative as the signalling it receives, and a missing number reflects how the call was made rather than any fault on the receiving line. It is worth distinguishing between two pieces of information that travel with a call: the network number, used for routing and held even when a caller withholds, and the presentation number, which is what the caller has agreed can be shown. 1471 works from the presentation number, so when that is suppressed or absent the announcement falls back to reporting that the number is withheld or unavailable.

1471 service details and limitations

The table below sets out the key behaviours of the service and where its limits fall. The dialling codes shown are the common BT defaults and may differ on other providers.

Whether 1471 works after PSTN switch-off

The retirement of the traditional Public Switched Telephone Network does not mean the end of last-number recall. According to Openreach's published timeline, the network is moving to all-IP by 2027, so voice calls travel over a digital connection rather than the legacy copper exchange, but the familiar calling features are carried across. Providers offering digital voice generally continue to support 1471, because customers expect the service and because the underlying CLI signalling still exists in the IP world. Ofcom's guidance on migrating landlines to digital technology sets the expectation that established calling features should continue to be available to customers after they move, and last-number recall is one of those everyday features.

What changes is where the feature lives. On the old network the announcement was generated by the exchange. On a digital voice service it is generated by the provider's platform, and on some setups the equivalent information may also appear in an online account or app. The four-digit code typically still works, but anyone moving to digital voice should confirm with their provider how last-number recall is presented on the new service. Because each provider implements its own platform, small differences can appear: the exact wording of the announcement, whether the date and time are read out, and how a return call is initiated can all vary slightly between one digital voice product and another, even though the 1471 code itself is preserved.

For households relying on a phone plugged into a broadband router, it is also worth noting that the feature depends on power and connectivity. If the router loses power, the digital line and its features go down with it, which is a wider consideration for the switch-off rather than a limitation of 1471 specifically. Ofcom has set out that providers must offer a solution that allows people to contact the emergency services during a power cut, and the same backup arrangements that keep emergency calling alive will, in practice, be what keeps everyday features such as 1471 working when the mains supply fails.

The cost of using 1471 and the return-call option

Listening to the 1471 announcement is generally free on most tariffs, since it is a short automated message rather than a connected call. The position can differ between providers, so the safest approach is to check the tariff's call-features section if there is any doubt about a charge for the recall itself. Because the announcement does not connect a call to another subscriber, it does not consume an inclusive call allowance, which is part of why most tariffs treat the recall itself as free of charge.

The return-call option, where the caller presses 3 to dial the announced number, is a different matter. That action places an outgoing call to the number, and it is charged at the normal rate for a call to that destination under the relevant tariff. A return call to a premium or non-geographic number could therefore cost considerably more than a call to a standard landline, so it is worth listening to the full number before deciding to return the call. Numbers beginning 09, for instance, are premium-rate services and a return call to one would attract both a service charge set by the organisation and an access charge set by the phone provider, which is a markedly different cost from returning a call to an ordinary 01 or 02 landline. Listening to the whole announcement before pressing 3 lets the listener judge the likely cost rather than committing to a return call blind.

How 1471 relates to 1571 voicemail

1471 is often confused with 1571, but they do different jobs. 1571 is the network voicemail service: when a call goes unanswered or the line is engaged, the caller can leave a recorded message, and the customer retrieves it by dialling 1571. A stutter dial tone or a message-waiting indicator usually signals that a message is waiting. The voicemail is stored centrally on the network, not on the handset, which is why a message can be retrieved even if the phone was switched off or unplugged when the message was left.

The two services complement each other. 1471 tells you who called, while 1571 lets you hear what they wanted to say if they chose to leave a message. Neither service overrides a withheld number, so a caller who hides their CLI will still appear as withheld on 1471 even if they leave a 1571 message. Availability and any charges for 1571 depend on the provider's package. Like 1471, the 1571 service is carried across to digital voice in most provider implementations, though the storage limits, how long messages are kept, and the exact retrieval steps can differ from the legacy network and from one provider to another.

Using 1471 alongside call-blocking features

1471 sits within a wider set of landline call-management features, and it interacts with them in ways worth understanding. Anonymous call rejection, for example, intercepts calls from withheld numbers before they ring, so a caller who has hidden their CLI may never reach the line at all rather than appearing as withheld on a later 1471 check. Call-barring features that block specific number ranges work on the same CLI information that 1471 reads back, which is why the quality of the presentation number affects every one of these tools, not just last-number recall.

For someone troubled by unwanted calls, 1471 is often the starting point for identifying a number before deciding what to do with it, but it is not itself a blocking tool. The number read back can be noted and added to a blocklist on the handset or through a network call-protection service, and Ofcom's work on nuisance and scam calls has encouraged providers to offer such protections as standard. The practical workflow is to use 1471 to capture the number, check it against known contacts, and then apply a blocking or screening feature if the call is unwanted, keeping in mind that a determined nuisance caller who withholds CLI will not leave a number for 1471 to report.

Frequently Asked Questions

What does 1471 do?

Dialling 1471 plays back the number of the most recent caller to your landline, usually with the date and time, and offers to return the call by pressing 3. It stores only the single last caller and reports a number rather than a name. The record sits on the network, so it can be recalled even if the handset did not store the call.

Why does 1471 sometimes not show a number?

A number is not revealed when the caller withheld their CLI, for example by dialling 141 first, or when the call came from a network that did not pass a usable number through. International calls and some switchboards frequently report the number as unavailable for this reason. The service can only read back the presentation number it was given.

Does 1471 work after PSTN switch-off?

Yes. According to Openreach's published timeline the network is moving to all-IP by 2027, and providers generally carry last-number recall across to digital voice services. The four-digit code typically still works, though the announcement is produced by the provider's platform rather than the legacy exchange, so small differences in wording can appear.

Is 1471 free to use?

Listening to the announcement is generally free on most tariffs. Choosing to return the call by pressing 3 places an outgoing call that is charged at the normal rate for that number, which can be higher for premium or non-geographic destinations such as numbers beginning 09. Checking the full number before returning the call helps avoid an unexpected charge.

What is 1571?

1571 is the network voicemail service. When a call is unanswered or the line is busy, the caller can leave a recorded message that the customer retrieves by dialling 1571. It is separate from 1471, which only reports the last caller's number. Messages are stored on the network, so they survive the handset being switched off.