It used to be that everyone had a landline phone in their home and locating a phone number or address simply required opening the yellow pages and finding the name. This has become more complicated now that cell phones are in common use and many people do not even have home phones, and if they do their number may be unpublished.

Even with the widespread use of caller ID on most landlines, some numbers may appear without an identifying name and there are ways for callers to prevent their details from showing up. Reverse phone lookup providers have responded to these changing demands to offer a very valuable service to modern phone users.

There are two typical functions for lookup directories.

Searching for Names

If you are receiving calls from someone and only a number shows on your caller ID, or you need to figure out cellular phone callers, reverse phone lookup services can assist in finding the name listed to the number in question. Just by entering the phone number you will have access to whoever is behind those phone calls in question.

People in search of such services include those who need to identify a number often texting their spouse or teenager's cell phone, since there is no phone book for cell phone numbers. Other people may use this when they need to know a name connected to a landline that is unpublished. If you have a phone number but aren't sure who it belongs to, a reverse phone lookup directory can help.

Finding Addresses

another typical use is to locate an address for someone, whether you know the name of the person or not. Once you plug into the information linked with a certain phone number most services will give other sorts of data as well, which may include the address of the home phone or an address listed to a cell phone number.

This may not be a typical need for most people, but it does have its uses in quite a few situations. For example, take a parent in a rush to track down a teenager who has run away or is still out long after curfew. If they can come up with numbers from the teenager's belongings or cell phone a reverse phone lookup could quickly reveal addresses and names of locations the teenager may be located.

More common situations may be searching for addresses to send out party invitations to your child's classmates. If you have their phone number you can get their address and mail out the invitation without calling and tracking down other busy family.

These services can also deliver access to other sorts of data, like income brackets and previous addresses, and one site even gives a map with an estimated pinpoint of the most current location.

There will be a nominal price for any up to date reverse phone lookup website, but if your business or personal life demands certain data it is worth the money in the end. The fee is required because this kind of information is not simple or free to research, collect, and save, so issuing it on demand to others like you must also collect a charge to make up for such working costs.

There likely will never be a public directory for cell phone numbers, and even if they were compiled it is probable the majority of the numbers would be unpublished as is the case with many home phone numbers today. The only way to obtain access to these phone numbers is to give a nominal charge either to complete a one time phone number search or to join a lookup directory if you will be using the directory long term.