Regulators do everything they can to stop spam or robocalls, and it’s always an uphill battle, and some of these will inevitably end up on your phone.
Fortunately, both Manjana as Google The respective mobile platforms have provided features to help you manage unwanted calls. From manually blocking specific numbers to intelligently filtering calls that might be spam, there’s a lot your iPhone or Android phone can do to prevent unwanted calls from disrupting your day.
The two companies take slightly different approaches to this problem. Google has built its own spam filtering system into the Android OS, which does a solid job automatically, while Apple does the heavy lifting by letting you block unknown numbers or rely on third-party apps. Detect unwanted calls.
Here we’ve provided options available on both platforms to increase the chances that your phone will only ring with someone you actually want to talk to.
You may also be interested to know How to call with hidden numberOne How to Know if Your Cell Phone Has Been Hacked.
How to Block Unknown Calls on iPhone
Although this is a bit extreme approach, one of the easiest ways to avoid spam calls is to block all calls from unknown numbers. This is where most spam calls come from, so it’s an easy way to avoid them altogether, but you also run the risk of blocking people who call you for legitimate and legitimate reasons. Apple provides an easy way to turn this on, and it’s very clever at determining whether a number is “known” or not.
Numbers in your contact list and any number you’ve made an outgoing call to are eligible. However, your iPhone will also check your Messages and Mail apps to see if you’ve exchanged text messages with someone or shared your phone number in an email. Here’s how you set it up:
Step 1: Open the Settings app on your iPhone.
Step 2: Scroll down and select Phone.
Step 3: Select Mute Unknown Callers.
Step 4: To enable the switch on the next screen, toggle it.
The description below the settings notes that calls from unknown numbers will be “silent”, but this is a bit misleading as you won’t be able to see the incoming call. Instead, the person calling you should immediately leave a voicemail, usually without even hearing a ring on their end.
However, muted calls will still appear in your recent calls list, and if the caller leaves a voicemail, it will usually appear in your visual voicemail. Basically, it looks like a missed call, except your iPhone never rings. This is different from how calls are handled when you explicitly block a number, which is why Apple uses the term “block” to describe this feature.
How to block calls from specific numbers on iPhone
If telemarketers or callers have been harassing you from a particular number, you can block that number to prevent future calls to you. Thus:
Step 1: Open the Phone app and select the Recents button at the bottom.
Step 2: Find the number you want to block and select the blue info button on the right.
Step 3: Select Block this caller.
Step 4: In the pop-up that appears, select Block contact to confirm.
This will block incoming cell calls, FaceTime calls and text messages from the selected number. Unlike blocked calls, calls from blocked numbers will not appear in your recent calls list. When a caller is sent to voicemail, any messages they send are saved in the “Blocked Messages” folder at the bottom of your display voicemail list.
You can view and manage your list of blocked numbers by going to Settings > Phone > Blocked Contacts.
How to Filter and Detect Spam Calls on iPhone
Unfortunately, Apple doesn’t offer any built-in call spam filter on its iPhones, but it does offer hooks for third-party apps to help fill the gap.
Searching for call filtering apps in the App Store will yield many options, including carrier-specific apps like Call Filter from Verizon, full-featured security suites like Malwarebytes, and a whole suite of small apps dedicated to blocking calls. Spammers and vendors. If you choose one of these, please read their privacy policies carefully. Some They have been caught sharing your contact list and sending other personal data to third parties, so choose one you can trust.
Once you install at least one of these apps, a new section Call blocking and identification Inside Settings > Phone, Used to allow them to block calls and provide caller ID information. Individual preferences are specific to each app, with many offering the option to block suspicious calls entirely or allow them with a tag to detect unwanted calls and avoid answering them. You can install various call screening applications and set the order in which they are used to check unknown caller numbers.
How to Block Unwanted Calls on Android Phone
Unlike Apple, Google offers a spam filtering system in the Android phone app that helps identify spam calls. While it’s not perfect, it’s less extreme than blocking all unknown numbers from ringing your phone. We explain how to set it up.
Step 1: Opens the Phone app on your device.
Step 2: Select the three-dot button in the upper-right corner to open the menu.
Step 3: Select Settings.
Step 4: Select Caller ID & Spam.
Step 5: From here, you have two options:
- Toggle the switch next to Caller ID and Spam to flag incoming spam calls.
- To block suspected spam calls altogether, toggle the switch next to Filter spam calls.
If “View Caller ID and Spam” is enabled, all incoming calls will ring on your phone; Spam will be clearly identified as spam on the incoming calls screen and in your recent calls list. You will also receive a warning if you try to call a suspected spam number. If you choose to “Filter Junk Calls”, they will be sent directly to your voicemail.
How to Block Calls from Specific Numbers on Android Phone
Calls from a telemarketer or a Spammer It still bypasses Google’s spam call filters, and you can block it directly and optionally report it as spam.
Step 1: Open the Phone app on your device.
Step 2: Touch and hold the number you want to block.
Step 3: In the pop-up menu that appears, select Block/Report Spam.
Step 4: In the confirmation dialog, select Block to confirm that you want to block the number and report it as spam.
Alternatively, you can uncheck the “Report call as spam” button if you want to block the number, but don’t want to report it to Google’s antispam service.
From here you can manage the list of blocked numbers Phone > (three-dot menu) > Settings > Blocked numbers.
How to Block Unknown Calls on Android Phone
Unfortunately, Android doesn’t offer any way to silence calls from all unknown numbers like the iPhone does. Although this is redundant with Google’s sophisticated antispam features, it’s still a good option for those who don’t want to be bothered by calls from people they don’t know.
However, you can choose to block calls from “unknown” numbers, people who don’t have a phone number associated with them. This is usually the result of your caller ID being blocked, but can sometimes happen with international calls or with older phone networks or VoIP services that don’t display caller ID correctly.
Step 1: Open the Phone app on your device.
Step 2: Select the three-dot button in the upper-right corner to open the menu.
Step 3: Select blocked numbers.
Step 4: Move the switch to Unknown to enable.
Once enabled, all incoming calls without a valid caller ID will be sent to voicemail, just like calls from numbers you’ve specifically blocked.
Other Tools to Stop Spam Calls on Android
Just like the iPhone, there are a significant number of third-party apps that help filter out unwanted calls. However, unlike the iPhone, you don’t need any of this unless you’re using a version of Android that doesn’t support spam filtering.
Google’s antispam filtering does a pretty good job of detecting spam calls, so it should be good enough for most people. As we mentioned earlier when we discussed third-party call screening apps on iPhone, using third-party apps can have privacy issues, so if you choose to do so, read the developer’s policies on sharing your information carefully. Choose something you can trust.
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