How to Block Spam Calls on iPhone, Android, and Landline ?

Have you ever found yourself waiting for that one important call—maybe from a partner, family member, or friend—only for the phone to ring with yet another spam call?

No matter where you are how private you choose to remain, the spam callers will find your number and will bother you. 

This article will explore how to Block Spam Calls on iPhone, Android, and Landline so that the next time your phone rings, you know it’s one you want to receive. 

Reclaim your peace and your privacy!!

Understanding Spam Calls

Spam calls are unnecessary calls that disturb you from your daily routine. These calls can be of any type, ranging from telemarketing, robocalls, and fraudulent schemes. 

Telemarketing refers to the calls made by legitimate businesses that try to promote their products by calling potential customers. Robocalls, on the other hand, refer to automated messages used in both marketing and scam attempts. 

Fraudulent calls aim to deceive you into sharing sensitive information like bank details and personal identification numbers. These calls lead to financial loss or theft. 

With time, spam texts and calls have started to become increasingly sophisticated so understanding the types of spam calls and how they can harm you will help you protect against potential risks and safeguard personal information. 

Why Are You Getting Spam Calls? 

Have you been tired of repeated calls by people you don’t want to converse with? If so, then your number might have reached one of those spammers who will continue to bother you until you take any action. 

Let’s look at how you got yourself in that situation and how you can get out of it: 

1. Caller ID Spoofing 

Caller ID spoofing is one of the main reasons behind getting spam calls. It is a tactic where the number is masked to trick you into thinking that the call is from a trusted source. It is highly frustrating because you can’t block the spam number since it is masked.

Although many spam-blocking apps have developed a system to detect these patterns to block likely spoofed calls, it still is one of the highly problematic problems you might have to face. Try using a call-blocking app that is up-to-date in its detection methods. 

2. Data Breaches and Leakages

Since your phone number is stored in the databases of many companies, you are always prone to data breaches. Billions of phone numbers are breached by cybercriminals annually. These breaches might subject your phone numbers into the hands of a scammer or robocall. 

To avoid these issues, share your numbers with only the sources that you trust. Social media accounts can also be compromised, leaving your number exposed. Use tools that keep your data secure so that you do not have to worry about your number reaching the wrong hands. 

3. Lead Sharing Among Companies

Businesses often engage in lead sharing. Lead sharing refers to the process of passing customer contact information to partner companies. While businesses profit from this exchange as they get more potential customers, this may be irritating to you. 

The terms and conditions many companies often ask for consent to this practice, and unknowingly, people agree to the point. So, reading the privacy policy before agreeing to the terms can be an effective way to save yourself from Lead sharing. 

4. Robocalls

Robocalls refer to automated calls. They are mainly used by large corporations for promotional campaigns or by political leaders for their voting campaigns. They are tough to block because they come from different numbers each time. Phone providers and spam-blocking apps nowadays come with features that can filter robocalls. 

These apps look for robocall numbers or suspicious patterns to block robocalls effectively. Since the phone numbers of robocalls change frequently, traditional call blocking doesn’t work with robocalls. 

5. Telemarketing

Even though telemarketing calls are almost always coming from legitimate businesses trying to promote their products, it can be overwhelming quickly. Telemarketers sometimes go as far as to purchase potential consumer contact lists, making you more prone to receive texts and calls. 

To reduce telemarketing spam by registering on the National Do Not Call Registry in the US. There are also a lot of call-blocking apps that allow you to filter calls from unknown numbers. 

How to Block Spam Calls on iPhone?

iPhone prioritizes a lot on user security and privacy and hence has offered users a lot of options to stay clear of spam or unwanted calls. With the right tools and settings turned on, blocking or avoiding unwanted calls can be a walk in the park with an iPhone. 

Let’s explore the options you have:

I. Turn on Call Identification

Apple offers you a feature to identify incoming calls, which might be a way to steer clear of spam calls. You can identify the numbers using information from Apple Business Connect, your carrier, or identifying apps that support caller identification. 

Let’s look at the steps.:

• Go to Settings > Apps > Phone

• Press Call Blocking & Identification, then choose from these options:

• Business Connect ID: It identifies caller info through Apple Business Connect
• Carrier Call ID: It Identifies callers by using data provided by the supported carriers
• Call Identification Apps: It uses third-party apps that support caller Identification to identify incoming callers.

II. Block Specific Contacts or Numbers

If someone in particular is bothering you, you can gain complete control over who can contact you by blocking specific contact numbers. This powerful feature allows you to get rid of that one contact that is always bombarding you with spam calls. 

Let’s look at how you’d go about blocking a specific person: 

• Open the Phone app.
• Go to Favorites, Recents, or Voicemail.
• Select the contact or number, scroll down, and tap Block Caller.
  

III. Send Unknown and Spam Callers to Voicemail

If you don’t want to receive notifications from unknown phone numbers or potential scams, the iPhone allows you to send incoming spam calls directly to your voicemail. 

• Go to Settings > Apps > Phone.
• Tap Silence Unknown Callers to only get notifications for known contacts or recent outgoing calls.
• Alternatively, under Call Blocking & Identification, enable Silence Junk Callers. 

Note: The Silence Junk Callers feature is available with certain carriers only. It primarily serves the purpose of automatically silencing potential spam and fraudulent calls. 

IV. Unblock a Blocked Contact 

Sometimes, you might mistakenly block a number you didn’t intend to. For such cases, the iPhone also has a feature to unblock a contact that you previously blocked. 

• Go to Settings > Apps > Phone.
• Tap Blocked Contacts, select Edit, then tap the Remove button next to the contact you want to unblock.

How to Block Spam Calls on Android? 

If you are using an Android device and you are tired of getting regular spam calls, then you might need to follow these steps to get rid of those calls. 

I. Enable Caller ID and Spam Protection

Android phones allow you to locate caller IDs and filter spam calls. Follow these steps to turn them on in the settings: 

1. Open the Phone app.
2. Tap the three-dot icon in the top-right corner and select Settings.
3. In Settings, locate Caller ID & Spam (usually under Assistive settings).
4. Toggle on See caller and spam ID and Filter spam calls.

II. Block Individual Numbers

If you are tired of that one number repeatedly bothering you with never-ending calls and text messages, then this setting is for you. You can selectively block individual numbers in any Android device. 

1. Open the Phone app and go to Recents.
2. Tap on the caller’s avatar of the number you want to block.
3. Select the three-dot icon in the top-right corner, then tap Block numbers.
4. Check the box for Report as spam if available, then confirm by tapping Block.
   

III. Use Carrier-Based Blocking Options

Mobile phone carriers often offer you additional tools for spam protection. You can use this feature to stay clear of any suspected spam calls. 

For Example: You can dial #662# as T-Mobile users to block all suspected spam calls on Android devices. 

IV. Unblock a Blocked Contact

• Open the Phone app.
• Tap the three-dot menu, then go to Settings.
• Select Blocked numbers.
• Find the contact you want to unblock, then tap the Unblock button next to their number.
• Confirm to unblock the contact if prompted.

Can You Block Spam Calls on Landline?

Yes, even though there is no way to directly block numbers selectively, you can block spam calls on landlines. However, this process varies according to the provider, equipment, and any additional devices you use. 

Let’s look at the steps you might undertake if you want to block spam calls on a landline device: 

1. Use Call Blocking Devices

Even though a landline does not have call-blocking features of its own, you can add external devices to assist you in the process. You can connect call-blocking devices to block and identify unwanted calls automatically. 

Some of these devices also allow the users to customize their block list by putting a specific number that they suspect to be spam in the block list. 

2. Check with Your Service Provider

Many phone service providers also offer call-blocking services for landlines. Even though all providers do not provide this feature, there are definitely many that provide options to block specific numbers, anonymous calls or calls from known spam numbers. 

You should contact your service provider to find out whether they offer options to block phone calls. 

3. Register on the National Do Not Call List

The US has a national registry where you can register your number to reduce unwanted sales calls from telemarketing companies. Even though it is not a surefire way to eliminate spam calls, this can heavily reduce the volume of the calls. 

This feature only works if you are living inside the United States and not anywhere else. You can contact your respective government agencies to enquire consumer guides on ways to avoid unwanted voice calls. 

4. Use Call Screening Features

Some landline phones have built-in call screening or call-blocking functions. This may include caller ID displays, which come in handy when you are trying to identify potential scam numbers.

The combination of these four features will help to reduce the amount of spam calls. Even though there has not been any method that can reduce the number of spam calls to 0, there are certainly ways where you can reduce the volume of the calls you get. 

Conclusion 

It might seem that Spam calls are an unavoidable part of life, but with the right tools and strategies, you can reduce the volume of them. Whether you are using an iPhone, Android, or a landline, there are plenty of ways you can stray clear of people bothering you.

By understanding why you have gotten into their hands and ways to reduce the calls, you can ensure that whenever your phone rings, it’s something that actually concerns you. Take action today and make sure you give no satisfaction to those scammers. Say goodbye to spam calls, and say hello to your peace of mind! 

FAQs 

How to Block Spam Calls on WhatsApp?

To block unknown spam numbers WhatsApp offers you features like blocking, silencing unknown callers, control group invites, and blocking businesses. Let’s look at how you can add any number to your block list on WhatsApp:

• Open WhatsApp and navigate to settings
• Find an option named Privacy, and within Privacy, select Blocked Contacts.
• Tap “Add” to block a new contact
• Find the unwanted number and select it
• Confirm by tapping the option that says BLOCK.

How do You Check a Number for Spam?

Follow these steps to be safe from Spam phone numbers: 

• Use Built-in Features: Set up Call ID, Message filtering and Spam Protection

• Third-Party Apps: Apps like Truecaller, Hiya or Robokiller

• Check Call and Message Logs: Try to find out frequent call patterns from unknown numbers

• Block Numbers: Manually Block numbers 

• Report Spam: Report Spam calls to improve spam detection algorithms.

How to Block Spam Calls on Truecaller?

Truecaller offers plenty of features to stay clear of Spam Calls. Let’s look at some of the features: 

• Blocking numbers manually
• Block a message sender’s name
• Block country codes
• Auto-Block Spam
• Block a number series. 

Can Spam Calls Hack Your Phone?

While Spam Calls on their own do not possess the possibility of hacking your phone, there are a lot of personal account security vulnerabilities they can subject you to. Let’s look at some of the ways a spam call can harm you: 

• • Phishing Attempts: Trick you into providing personal information (passwords, financial details)
  • Malware Delivery:  Direct you to malicious websites or to download harmful apps

• Social Engineering: Engineering tactics to manipulate you to give access to your accounts

• Number Spoofing: Spoofing legitimate numbers, making it seem like it’s someone you know

How to Block Unknown Numbers Automatically?

There isn’t one surefire way to block unknown numbers for all devices, but you can opt for general steps to block them. Let’s look at some of the ways they can be helpful to you: 

• Enable Inbuilt Call Blocking
• Utilize do-not-disturb modes
• Register on do-not-call lists
• Consider Call Blocker devices