As humans, we take a lot of things for granted on a daily basis. One of those things is phone calls.
Whenever we hear the bell ring, we automatically think that it is a human at the other end of the call. Well, that’s not always true, as the phone call can also be a spam call. Some call such calls as Robocalls.
Most of the time, it is a robot calling you and informing you about something important that may or may not expire in the coming months. The call then proceeds to tell you that if you sign up for a package of some sort, you will get a free holiday ticket for you and your family.
If you have never come across such robocalls, then count yourself fortunate since in 2018 alone, the number of robocalls to phone numbers in the United States exceeded 26 billion. Scammers behind these robocalls use various methods to get to thousands of people, but most come down to them using software dialers.
The real worst is that a lot of people become victims. Even those who don’t get scammed have to go through the ordeal of dealing with spam calls and messages that can disrupt the rhythm of your day.
Let’s take a look at some of the best ways you can take back control of who gets to call you.
Pro Tip:
You can always enhance your privacy on any platform using a VPN and refer to tips that provide efficient and effective ways to solve all major privacy problems, such as Spam Calls.But there are more specific things you can do right now. Let’s take a look at them.
Modern Android Phones have Spam Call Blocking Features. Use Them
We’re not saying iPhone models don’t have such features. We’re saying the vast majority of them don’t. In other words, if you have an iPhone device, there is a high chance you won’t have a spam block on it. You will have to read the other tips in this piece.
Android users with Android 6.0 + have it easy. All they have to do is go to Settings and then access Caller ID & Spam. Then hit the Filter Spam Calls button. This should enable your Android phone to use the spam call database from Google.
Note:
Do take note that you will need to have the default Android phone app on your mobile device. This may not work with apps from other developers.Contact Your Carrier
Most good carriers have a working spam detection service. Not all of them are free, though. AT&T has a Call Protect feature. For the advanced version, though, you will have to pay $3.99 per month.
Sprint offers its own Caller ID feature, which will set you back $2.99 per month. It doesn’t block calls, though. Then there is T-Mobile, which has the Scam Block feature. You don’t have to pay anything for it, and it works without you having to download a separate app for it.
Finally, Verizon has its Call Filter, which you can use on both iPhone and Android devices. It has a decent filter system for spam calls, but the premium edition costs $2.99 per month.
Of course, there is a chance that you may not have access to such carriers. You can use third-party Android and iPhone apps such as Truecaller (which is free for both iPhone and Android) and Hiya, which is also free for both platforms. These two are the top choices as far as spam filtering third-party apps go, but you can also go with RoboKiller and Nomorobo, which are paid-only options.