How to Detect and Block Spam Calls

Receiving spam calls on your phone can be irritating and even worrisome. Luckily, there are ways for you to identify and block spam calls - regardless if you're an iOS or Android user!

iPhone iOS

spam control settings for apple iphone

If you have iOS 13 and up, you're able to avoid getting calls from unknown people simply by turning on the Silence Unknown Callers option in settings. Doing so will block phone numbers that you don't have saved or haven't been in contact with. Someone you've previously contacted or someone that has shared their number with you will be able to call. To turn on Silence Unknown Callers, go to Settings > Phone, scroll down, tap Silence Unknown Callers, to turn on the feature. Calls from unknown numbers are silenced and sent to your voicemail, and appear in your recent calls list. Learn more about Silencing Unknown Callers here.

You can also set up an app to filter and detect spam calls. Simply go to the App Store and download an app, of your choice, that detects and blocks spam phone calls. Then, go to Settings > Phone, tap Call Blocking & Identification. Under Allow These Apps to Block Calls and Provide Caller ID, tap to turn the app on or off. How does it work? When a call comes in, your device will proceed to check the caller's number with the list of phone numbers in your selected spam apps. If a match is found, the number will be identified as spam, and if in the app, the phone call will be blocked automatically.

Android phones

spam control settings for android step 1

spam control settings for android step 2

On Androids, Caller ID and Spam Protection is on by default, however, you can choose to turn it off. You can change the settings by opening the Phone app > tap the three dots for more options > Settings > Spam and Call > tap to turn the Caller ID and Spam ID on or off. If you would like to block spam calls on your phone, you can turn on "Filter spam calls”. Learn more here.

Samsung Galaxy Android phones

spam control settings for Samsung Galaxy

If you have a Samsung Galaxy phone, you can utilize its Smart Call feature. Smart Call not only recognizes numbers that are not in your contact list, but also gives you the option of blocking or reporting calls from those numbers. Learn more about Smart Call here.

Carrier solutions

Cell phone carriers such as AT&T, Verizon, and T-Mobile provide their customers with access to spam protection apps.

AT&T customers

If you are an AT&T customer, the AT&T ActiveArmor app provides 24/7 automatic fraud call blocking by detecting and blocking fraudulent calls before your phone even rings. AT&T also provides its customers access to the AT&T Mobile Security app with ActiveArmor which helps protect your phone from malware, viruses and other mobile threats. You can learn how to set up the AT&T ActiveArmor and AT&T Mobile Security apps here.

Verizon customers

If you are a Verizon customer, the Verizon Call Filter app can help you take the guesswork out of answering random phone calls by auto blocking high-risk spam calls and sending them to voicemail. This app not only allows local call blocking, but international as well.

T-Mobile customers

If you are a T-Mobile customer, the T-Mobile Scam Shield app gives you access over anti-scam protections such as Scam ID, Scam Block and Caller ID. This app analyzes each call using AI, machine learning and patented technologies. Scam Shield's defenses update every six minutes to stay ahead of scammers.