How to screen calls on an iPhone

Life’s engaged capable without wasting clip connected calls that are trying to scam you oregon merchantability to you. Unfortunately, stats from Hiya amusement that 28 percent of the calls you get are going to beryllium suspected spam oregon fraud. 

On an iPhone, you don’t person the enactment to person an AI adjunct reply calls for you, as you tin connected Android — astatine slightest not yet. But determination are ways to surface calls to immoderate grade and chopped down connected the fig of scammers, sellers, and robots you person to speech to.

These guidelines person been written utilizing an iPhone 15 Pro Max moving iOS 18.2.

Identify incoming calls

A bully spot to commencement erstwhile it comes to avoiding unwanted calls is to emblem calls from numbers that aren’t successful your contacts list. It’s not a cleanable mode of spotting spam but volition drawback rather a batch of it.

From Settings connected your iPhone:

Any calls that aren’t from a registered interaction won’t marque a dependable oregon make a buzz connected your iPhone and volition beryllium sent consecutive to voicemail. They volition amusement up connected the caller calls list. You volition inactive get notified successful the mean mode for calls from contacts, from numbers you’ve precocious rung (in lawsuit they’re calling back), and from numbers identified by Siri Suggestions (maybe a fig Siri has seen successful your email, for example).

If your bearer supports the feature, underneath Silence Unknown Callers, you’ll spot a Call Blocking & Identification option. Tap this to alteration Business Call Identification (which looks up chartless numbers and tries to lucifer them to companies) and Silence Junk Callers (known junk callers are sent consecutive to voicemail).

Use Live Voicemail

If you travel the steps above, you’ll beryllium sending perchance dodgy calls consecutive to voicemail. iPhones connection a Live Voicemail diagnostic that transcribes the audio onscreen successful existent time, truthful you tin prime up the telephone if it’s important.

From Settings:

You tin usage Live Voicemail with anyone, not conscionable suspected fraudsters and scammers. If you privation to articulation the telephone portion the connection is being left, pat Accept. To perceive messages and work transcripts aft a telephone has ended, caput to the Voicemail tab successful the Phone app.

Block numbers

By blocking contacts connected your iPhone, you tin guarantee you’re not bothered by them again — assuming they don’t withhold their fig oregon usage a antithetic 1 successful the future.

To artifact a caller caller from the Phone app:

You tin find a database of numbers you’ve blocked by heading to the main iOS Settings surface and choosing Apps > Phone > Blocked Contacts. Numbers tin beryllium unblocked from present if needed, and you tin adhd caller ones to the database arsenic well.

Install third-party apps

There are respective third-party iOS apps that volition effort to place spammers and scammers and prevention you the occupation of talking to them. One I’ve tested retired is Truecaller, which checks incoming calls against its database of millions of atrocious actors truthful you tin marque an informed determination astir whether to prime up.

The unrecorded ID cheque (as the telephone is coming in) is simply a premium feature, though — it’ll outgo you $4.49 a month. You tin look up numbers manually for free, and the app besides comes with escaped SMS / MMS filtering tools arsenic well.

Another enactment I’ve tried connected my ain iPhone is Call Blocker. The thought is precise akin to Truecaller, successful that Call Blocker volition cheque numbers connected incoming calls and pass you if they’re associated with fraudulent activities oregon spam.

With this app, you get the telephone recognition for free, but paying for a premium plan, for $6.99 a month, lets you automatically artifact suspicious numbers arsenic they travel in. (It’ll besides region the ads and springiness you entree to a much up-to-date database.)

It’s besides worthy checking with your carrier, who whitethorn good person a telephone spam filtering app disposable that you tin use. AT&T has ActiveArmor, Verizon has Call Filter, and T-Mobile has ScamShield, for illustration — cheque to spot what features your carrier’s app is offering and however overmuch it’ll outgo you.