Stop spam calls on your phone: the settings that work
Stop spam calls on your phone with the built-in iPhone and Android filters, carrier blocking and the Do Not Call list, in the right order.
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- Turn on the spam filter in your Phone app first, on iPhone and Android.
- Silence unknown callers on iPhone, or filter spam calls on Android.
- Add your carrier's free blocking, then register on the Do Not Call list.
- Never say yes, press a key, or share a code on a call you did not expect.
How to stop spam calls on your phone
A spam call is an unwanted sales call, a robocall, or a scam call. A robocall plays a recorded message. A scam call comes from someone pretending to be a bank, a courier or a government office. Your phone can stop most of them before they ring, because it checks each caller against a list of known spam numbers. That list comes from your phone maker, your carrier and reports from other people.
No single switch stops every spam call. Spammers change numbers, and they can fake the number on your screen, which is called spoofing. That is why this guide uses three layers: the phone filter, silence or screening for unknown callers, and your carrier's blocking. Each layer catches calls the others miss.
Start with the filter, because it is the least likely to block a real caller. Then add silencing for unknown numbers if spam still gets through. Then add carrier blocking and the Do Not Call list. Check the spam list in your Phone app once a week at first, so you can rescue a real call that was filtered by mistake. Calls inside WhatsApp and other apps bypass these phone filters, because they do not use the phone network. Block and report the caller inside that app instead.
| At a glance | Answer |
|---|---|
| First step | Phone spam filter on |
| iPhone path | Settings > Apps > Phone |
| Android path | Phone > Settings > Caller ID |
| Do Not Call wait | Up to 31 days |
| Report spam texts | Forward to 7726 |
| Scam report site | ReportFraud.ftc.gov |
Start with the phone's own spam filter
On iPhone, the filter lives in the Phone settings. On recent iPhones, open Settings, tap Apps, then tap Phone. On earlier iOS, the path is Settings, then Phone. Scroll to Call Filtering and turn on Spam. Calls your carrier flags as potential spam or fraud are silenced, sent to voicemail and moved to the Spam list. Turn on Unknown Callers in the same place, so calls from unsaved numbers leave your main call list and sit in their own list.
Also turn on call identification. In Settings, tap Apps, then Phone, then Call Blocking & Identification, and turn on the options your carrier or an installed app offers. That lets your phone label a call as spam before you pick up. To see filtered calls, open the Phone app, tap the filter icon in your call list, then tap Unknown Callers or Spam.
On Android, the path depends on your Phone app. Pixels and many other Android phones use Phone by Google. Open the Phone app, tap the three dots, then Settings, then Caller ID and spam. Leave See caller ID & spam on, and turn on Filter spam calls. Filtered calls do not ring, and you get no missed call alert, but they stay in your call history. To block one number, open your call history, tap the number and choose Block or Report spam. On iPhone, tap the i beside a number in Recents, then tap Block Caller.
Silence unknown callers on iPhone
Silence Unknown Callers sends calls from numbers not saved in your contacts straight to voicemail. Your saved contacts still ring as normal, and so do numbers you called recently or that Siri suggests from your mail and messages. That makes it the strongest single switch on iPhone, and the one most likely to catch a call you wanted.
Tap Screen Unknown Callers in the Phone settings and choose one of three options. Never means unknown numbers ring as normal. Ask Reason for Calling means your iPhone asks the caller for a name and a reason before your phone rings. It then shows you the answer, so you can decide. Silence means unknown numbers never ring and go to voicemail.
Pick Ask Reason for Calling if you get real calls from new numbers, such as a clinic, a school or a delivery driver. Pick Silence if most unknown calls are spam. On older iPhones the path is shorter: Settings, then Phone, then Silence Unknown Callers, with a single switch. If you call emergency services, call screening turns off for 24 hours, so a return call is not blocked.
- iPhone: Settings > Apps > Phone > Call Filtering > Spam on.
- Google Phone: Phone > Settings > Caller ID and spam > Filter spam calls on.
- Samsung: Phone > Settings > Caller ID and spam protection > Block spam and scam calls on.
- Open Settings, tap Apps, then tap Phone.
- Tap Screen Unknown Callers and pick Silence or Ask Reason for Calling.
- Scroll to Call Filtering and turn on Unknown Callers and Spam.
Block spam calls on Android: Pixel and Samsung
On a Pixel, Call Screen can answer a suspicious call for you. Open the Phone app, tap the three dots, then Settings, then Spam and Call Screen. Tap Call Screen and choose a protection level: Maximum, Medium or Basic. With automatic screening on, your phone asks the caller who they are and why they are calling. It shows you a live transcript, and hangs up on calls it detects as spam.
Automatic Call Screen works in a handful of countries including the US, UK, Canada and Australia. Manual screening, where you tap Screen call, works in many more places. Check Google's Call Screen support page for your country and language. Manual screening works in more places: tap Screen call when a call comes in, and your phone asks the caller for you. Google advises against automatic screening if you use call forwarding, because screened calls are not forwarded. Screening also does not work while you are roaming.
On a Samsung Galaxy, open the Phone app, tap the three dots, then Settings, then Caller ID and spam protection. Turn it on and agree to the terms if asked. Turn on Block spam and scam calls. Then choose Block all spam and scam calls, or Only block high-risk scam calls if you want ordinary sales calls to ring. Samsung notes that this feature may not be available on all carriers or models. If your phone uses a different dialer app, look for a spam or block setting in that app's settings, because the menus in this guide follow Phone by Google and Samsung's Phone app.
| Phone | Where to find it | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| Pixel, Phone by Google | Phone > Settings > Caller ID and spam | Filters flagged spam, never rings |
| Pixel, Call Screen | Phone > Settings > Spam and Call Screen | Answers and screens unknown callers |
| Samsung Galaxy | Phone > Settings > Caller ID and spam protection | Blocks spam and scam calls |
Add your carrier's free blocking and the Do Not Call list
Your carrier, the company that runs your mobile network, can block spam calls before they reach your phone. Most carriers offer this free. T-Mobile calls it Scam Shield, and Scam Block stops calls labelled Scam Likely before they ring. Dial #662# to turn Scam Block on, #632# to turn it off, and #787# to check whether it is on. AT&T offers Call Protect, and Verizon offers Call Filter, as free apps from your carrier.
Register on the National Do Not Call Registry as well. Go to DoNotCall.gov, or call 1-888-382-1222 from the phone you want to register. Registration is free. Your number is on the list shortly after you confirm registration, and telemarketers have up to 31 days to stop calling. Give it a full month before you judge it. The list covers live sales calls from firms that follow the law. It does not stop political calls, charity calls, surveys, debt collection calls or purely informational calls. These steps are for a mobile phone. A home landline has no app filter, so use your carrier's landline blocking if it offers one, and the Do Not Call list still applies.
Report the calls that still get through, because reports feed the lists your filter uses. Report unwanted sales calls and robocalls at DoNotCall.gov. Report a scam, or a call where you lost money, at ReportFraud.ftc.gov. Report a spam text by forwarding it to 7726, which spells SPAM on a keypad. The FTC says it does not resolve single reports one by one, but the reports feed enforcement and carrier blocking.
Myths you can ignore about spam calls
One common belief is that answering a spam call once puts you on a list for more calls. There is no proof of that in the sources used here. Spammers dial numbers in bulk, and they do not need you to answer to keep dialling. Hang up on a spam call, block the number and move on. Do not call the number back, because a return call can confirm the number is live.
Another belief is that a call from your own area code must be local and safe. Spoofing makes that false. A scammer can show any number they like, including one that looks local, or your own number. Judge the call by what the caller asks for, not by the number on the screen. A real bank never asks for a one-time code, a password or a card number on a call you did not expect.
A third belief is that a call-blocking app will fix everything. Apps such as Truecaller, Hiya and RoboKiller can label or block calls your phone misses, because they check numbers against their own spam lists. They ask for access to your contacts and call history, and some show ads. Try the free tools on your phone and from your carrier first. Add an app only if spam still gets through after a week with those on.
Quick answers
If I silence unknown callers, will I miss voicemails from real people?
No. A blocked number can still leave a voicemail in many cases, and silenced calls go to voicemail too. Check voicemail and the spam or unknown callers list in the Phone app, so a real caller is not missed for long.
Can a spam call still ring even with the filter on?
Yes, if the caller uses a real number that has not been flagged yet. Filters work from lists of known spam numbers, so a new number rings once. Block and report that number, and the filter learns from the report.
Does the Do Not Call list stop all spam calls?
No. It covers live sales calls from firms that follow the law, and only after your number has been on the list for 31 days. Scammers ignore the law, so the list cuts sales calls but does not stop scams. Keep the phone filters on as well.
What should I do if I answered a scam call by mistake?
Hang up, then block the number in your call history and report it. If you shared a code, a password or card details, change the password and call your bank on the number on your card. Report the scam at ReportFraud.ftc.gov.
Can I silence unknown callers and still get calls I want?
Yes, in the sense that you choose who gets through. Save the numbers that matter in your contacts first, then pick Ask Reason for Calling on iPhone if you get real calls from new numbers. On Android, use Filter spam calls, which only blocks numbers flagged as spam.