Ammon News - According to Truecaller’s 2024 U.S. Spam & Scam Report, 56.2 million Americans were affected by spam and scam calls in 2023. The report further states that 41% of 65-year-olds have stopped answering unknown calls as a result — a wise defensive measure, but one that can cause legitimate calls to get lost.

In this guide, we’ll explore how to block and filter potential spam calls on iPhone, Android, and landlines, what to do if you accidentally answer one, and how advanced spam protection tools can add an extra layer of security.

How to block spam calls on iPhone
iPhone users have several ways to stop spam calls: you can silence all unknown callers, manually block specific numbers, or use iOS 26’s new call screening feature.

Use your iPhone’s “Call Screening” feature
If you enable the new Call Screening feature, your iPhone will automatically ask anyone who calls from an unsaved number why they’re calling and send you a transcript of the conversation. Then, you decide whether to let the call go through. So far, users have been impressed with the efficacy of this new feature.

Here’s how you can enable Call Screening on iPhones running iOS 26 or later:

Open the Settings app on your iPhone.
Scroll down and tap Phone.
Go to Screen Unknown Callers.
Choose Ask Reason for Calling.
Use your iPhone’s “Silence Unknown Callers” feature
iPhone’s “Silence Unknown Callers” feature automatically sends any call from an unknown number straight to voicemail. This is a great safety measure if you’re getting a lot of spam calls in the aftermath of a data breach.

Here’s how you can enable this feature to block all spam calls on iPhone:

Open Settings.
Scroll down and tap Phone.
Tap the Silence Unknown Callers toggle to switch it on.
Keep in mind that this won’t just silence spam risk calls but also legitimate calls from unsaved numbers, such as delivery drivers or new contacts, so you’ll need to check your voicemail regularly.

Pro tip: Temporarily disable call screening if you’re expecting important calls from unknown numbers, such as when a family member is hospitalized, or during job searches when recruiters might be calling.

Steps for how to silence unknown callers on iPhone.
Block individual numbers manually
Blocking individual numbers manually is ideal if you’re getting repeated calls or robocalls from specific spam numbers.

Here’s how to block a number on iPhone:

Open the Phone app and go to Recents.
Tap the “i” icon next to the number you want to block.
Scroll down and tap Block Caller.
Tap Block Contact to confirm.
Once blocked, you won’t receive calls, messages, or FaceTime calls from that number. You can unblock numbers anytime by going to Settings > Phone > Blocked Contacts.

Note that blocking a number on iPhone doesn’t block it on messaging apps like WhatsApp or Messenger. You’ll need to block it separately within each app to prevent all contact.

Steps for how to block individual numbers on iPhone.
How to block spam calls on Android
Android devices come with several built-in features to help you block unwanted calls. This includes manual blocking, marking calls as spam, and using caller ID to screen callers before answering a call.

Some Android devices, such as Google Pixel phones, also offer a call screening service similar to iOS 26. This feature, available in select countries, is particularly useful if you’re dealing with robocalls or you’re being targeted by vishing scams.

Use Android’s “Spam Protection”
Android’s caller ID and spam protection features give you warnings about potential spam callers before you answer. These are usually on by default, but here’s how you can toggle them on or off. These instructions are for a Google Pixel phone, but the process should be similar on other Android devices.

Open the Phone app and tap Settings.
Under Call Assist, go to Caller ID & spam.
Toggle on See caller and spam ID.
Now, you’ll be able to see if a call is likely a scam and block it before it reaches your phone. This feature will also let you know if the call is from a business registered in its system.