Spam and scam calls are a fact of life, but you don’t have to answer every one of them. Both iPhone and Android phones have built-in tools that can screen, silence or filter calls from numbers you don’t know, and they take about two minutes to set up.
Here’s where to find them, plus what to do about the calls that still get through.
On an iPhone
Apple puts its call screening options in the Phone settings:
- Open Settings, tap Apps, then tap Phone.
- Scroll to Screen Unknown Callers and pick an option: Never (unknown numbers ring as usual), Ask Reason for Calling (the caller is asked why they’re calling before your phone rings), or Silence (the call is silenced and sent to voicemail).
- Under Call Filtering in the same screen, you can turn on Unknown Callers to move missed calls and voicemails from unknown numbers into a separate list, and turn on your spam filter.
- For FaceTime calls, go to Settings > Apps > FaceTime and turn on Silence Unknown Callers.
Before you switch on silencing, save numbers you can’t afford to miss, such as your doctor’s office, pharmacy, kids’ school and anyone you’re expecting to hear from, to Contacts. Apple notes that calls aren’t screened while you’re roaming, and that screening switches off for 24 hours after you call emergency services.
On Android
These steps are for the Phone by Google app, which comes on Pixel phones and many others. If your phone uses its maker’s own dialer, look for similar settings or check the manufacturer’s help pages.
- Open the Phone app, tap More options (the three dots), then Settings > Caller ID and spam.
- Make sure See caller ID & spam is on (it is by default).
- Turn on Filter spam calls. Filtered calls won’t ring or send missed-call notifications, but they still show up in your call history. On phones with automatic Call Screen, you’ll find spam blocking among the Call Screen options instead.
To block a specific number, open the Phone app, tap Home, tap the call (or tap and hold it) and choose Block or Report spam. If you block someone by mistake, tap the call in Recent calls, then Not spam and Unblock.
Beyond Your Phone
- Ask your carrier. The FTC says phone companies offer call-blocking or call-labeling services. Some are free, some cost extra.
- Join the Do Not Call Registry. It won’t stop scammers, but it should cut sales calls from companies that follow the law, which makes the remaining scam calls easier to spot.
- Report what gets through. If you didn’t lose money, report the call at DoNotCall.gov. If you did, use ReportFraud.ftc.gov. Note the number that called, the caller ID shown, any callback number and the date and time.
One last habit beats any setting: if a caller pressures you to pay, share a code or “verify” your account, hang up and call the company back on a number you look up yourself.
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