Protecting Your Personal Phone Number from Unwanted Calls

Receiving unwanted calls on your personal phone can be both frustrating and intrusive. Fortunately, there are several effective strategies to protect your number from spam and robocalls.

Why Are Unwanted Calls So Common?

Unwanted calls, including spam and robocalls, have become increasingly prevalent due to the low cost and ease of making automated calls. Scammers often use caller ID spoofing to disguise their identity, making it challenging to identify and block these calls. In 2025, Americans received over 52.5 billion robocalls, averaging roughly 13–15 spam calls per person per month. (antivirus.com)

How Can I Block Spam Calls on My iPhone?

Apple provides built-in features to help manage unwanted calls:

• Silence Unknown Callers: This feature silences calls from numbers not in your contacts, recent calls, or Siri suggestions. To activate it:

1. Go to Settings > Phone.
2. Toggle on Silence Unknown Callers.

While this method effectively reduces interruptions, it may also silence calls from legitimate contacts not saved in your phone. (techradar.com)

How Can I Block Spam Calls on My Android Phone?

Android devices offer several options to block unwanted calls:

• Google Phone App: Many Android phones come with the Google Phone app, which includes a built-in spam filter. To enable it:

1. Open the Phone app.
2. Tap the three-dot menu > Settings > Caller ID & Spam.
3. Toggle on See caller & spam ID and Filter spam calls.

This feature helps identify and block potential spam calls automatically. (whocalledus.net)

What Carrier Services Are Available to Block Spam Calls?

Major U.S. carriers offer services to help block unwanted calls:

• AT&T: Offers Call Protect, which displays a “V” for verified calls and blocks potentially fraudulent calls. To activate:

1. Log in to your myAT&T account.
2. Navigate to Phone Features > Call Protect and follow the prompts.

• Verizon: Provides Call Filter, which detects and blocks spam calls. To activate:

1. Open the Call Filter app.
2. Tap Account > Subscription Status > Subscribe Now.

• T-Mobile: Offers Scam ID and Scam Block. To activate:
• Scam ID: Dial #ONI# (#664#) and press the call button.
• Scam Block: Dial #ONB# (#662#) and press the call button.

These services help identify and block potential spam calls at the network level. (consumerreports.org)

What Are the Best Third-Party Call Blocking Apps?

Several third-party apps offer advanced features to block unwanted calls:

• RoboKiller: Blocks 99% of robocalls and uses AI-powered answer bots to waste scammers' time. (whocalledus.net)

• Truecaller: Identifies unknown callers and blocks spam calls using a large community-based spam list. (nooranweb.com)

• Hiya: Provides caller ID and spam blocking features, identifying and blocking robocalls, telemarketers, and fraud calls. (mobilemarketingreads.com)

• Nomorobo: Blocks robocalls and telemarketers, offering a free service for VoIP users and a paid service for mobile phones. (whocalledus.net)

How Can I Report Spam Calls?

Reporting spam calls helps authorities track and combat fraudulent activities:

• Federal Trade Commission (FTC): File a complaint at donotcall.gov.

• Federal Communications Commission (FCC): Report unwanted calls at consumercomplaints.fcc.gov.

Conclusion

Protecting your personal phone number from unwanted calls involves a combination of built-in features, carrier services, and third-party apps. By implementing these strategies, you can significantly reduce interruptions and safeguard your privacy.

Highlights:

• How to block spam calls on iPhone, Published on Saturday, August 23