In 2020, consumers in the United States received almost four billion robocalls per month. Despite efforts to crack down on spam calls, many iPhone users still receive them on a daily basis. In this article, I’ll explain how to block spam calls on your iPhone!
If you’d rather watch than read, check out our YouTube video about blocking iPhone spam calls!
Silence Unknown Callers
Silence Unknown Callers is an iPhone setting that silences calls from any number not in your Contacts, Siri Suggestions, or recent outgoing calls. While this will silence robocalls, you may miss important phone calls from people not saved in your contacts. If you’re expecting an important phone call from someone like your doctor, we recommend adding that person as a contact.
Open Settings and tap Phone -> Silence Unknown Callers. Turn on the switch next to Silence Unknown Callers.
Silence Junk Callers
Some wireless carriers can detect spam calls on your iPhone. This is why you’ll sometimes see “Potential Spam” or “Scam Likely” as the caller ID when you receive a phone call.
Open Settings and tap Phone. Then, look for Call Blocking & Identification. If the option is there in Settings, tap on it, then turn on the switch next to Silence Junk Callers.
Not every carrier has built-in spam detection, so if you don’t see these Settings on your iPhone, move onto the next step.
Join The Do Not Call Registry
The Federal Trade Commission opened the Do Not Call Registry in 2003 to help reduce the number of calls consumers get from telemarketers. Adding your number to the Do Not Call Registry is easy to do and should help reduce the number of spam calls you receive on your iPhone.
Visit https://www.donotcall.gov in a web browser on your iPhone, tablet, or computer. Then, click Register Your Phone.
Click Verify Here if you’re not sure if you’ve registered your phone number before. Click Register Here if you haven’t added your number before.
When registering a new phone number, type in that phone number as well as an email address. You’ll need that email address later to confirm your registration. Click Submit.
Confirm your information is correct. Then, check your email for a confirmation link from the Do Not Call Registry. Click the link within seventy-two hours to complete the process of adding your number to the Registry.
Spam Blocking Apps
There are several spam blocking apps you can install to help stop iPhone spam calls. Two of the most popular apps are RoboKiller and Truecaller.
Several wireless carriers — including AT&T, T-Mobile, and Verizon — offer spam blocking apps too. However, we recommend trying a different third-party app before going to your wireless carrier.
Carriers are great at getting you to give them your money. Rather than paying your carrier, see if you can get the features you need for free from a third-party app.
First, download a spam-blocking app like RoboKiller or Truecaller. Then, open Settings and tap Phone -> Call Blocking & Identification. Turn on the switches next to the name of the app you installed under the Call Identification Apps.
Contact Your Wireless Carrier
If you’ve completed the steps above, but you’re still getting overwhelmed by spam calls on your iPhone, consider reaching out to your wireless carrier for help. There may be something they can do to help reduce the amount of spam calls you receive.
Google the customer support number of your wireless carrier and give them a call. Carriers are often very responsive on Twitter, too!
So Long, Spam Calls!
We hope the steps in this article help reduce the number of iPhone spam calls you receive. Make sure to share this article with friends and family who are sick of spam calls too. Leave a comment down below if you have any other questions about your iPhone!
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