How to block spam calls on an iPhone or Android phone

If the phone rings five times a day with "car warranty" calls and fake bank alerts, it’s not just annoying. It wears people down, and it’s how a lot of scams start. The good news is that today’s phones can screen most of these calls for you. It takes about ten minutes to set up.

Before you start: save the numbers that matter

Every method below works by treating numbers that aren’t in your contacts differently. So the first job is to add the people you actually want to hear from:

• Family and close friends
• Doctors’ offices, your pharmacy and your insurance company
• Your bank’s real phone number (from the back of your card)
• Neighbors, home aides and anyone who drives you to appointments

If a doctor’s office calls from several numbers, save them all under the same contact.

iPhone: screen or silence unknown callers

Recent versions of iOS (26 and later) can answer an unknown call for you and ask who’s calling before your phone rings. That’s often the best balance: real callers say their name, and robocalls usually hang up.

1. Open Settings, then tap Apps, then Phone.
2. Scroll to Screen Unknown Callers.
3. Choose Ask Reason for Calling. Your iPhone will ring only after the caller gives a name and reason, and you’ll see what they said on the screen.
4. If you’d rather never be bothered, choose Silence instead. Unknown callers go straight to voicemail.

On older iPhones that haven’t been updated, you’ll see a simple Silence Unknown Callers switch in the same place. Turn it on.

Filter spam the carrier already knows about

1. In Settings, then Apps, then Phone, scroll to Call Filtering.
2. Turn on Spam. Calls your carrier flags as likely fraud are silenced and sent to a separate Spam list.
3. Turn on Unknown Callers too if you want missed calls from strangers kept out of your main list.

Block one specific number

1. Open the Phone app and find the call in your recent calls.
2. Tap the small i next to the number.
3. Tap Block Caller, then confirm.

Blocking single numbers helps with a persistent caller, but scammers switch numbers constantly. The screening settings above do much more.

Android: turn on spam filtering

Menus differ a little by brand. Here are the two most common.

Google Pixel and phones using the Google Phone app

1. Open the Phone app.
2. Tap the three dots in the top corner, then Settings.
3. Tap Spam and Call Screen (on some versions, Caller ID & spam).
4. Turn on See caller and spam ID and Filter spam calls.
5. On Pixel phones, tap Call Screen and set unknown or suspected spam numbers to be screened automatically.

Samsung Galaxy

1. Open the Phone app.
2. Tap the three dots, then Settings.
3. Tap Caller ID and spam protection and turn it on.
4. Choose Block high-risk spam calls, or Block all spam and scam calls for stricter filtering.
5. Back in Settings, tap Block numbers and turn on Block calls from unknown numbers if you only want calls from people you know. Use this one carefully, since it also blocks new doctors’ offices and delivery drivers.

Use your carrier’s free blocking

Verizon, AT&T and T-Mobile all include free spam blocking. It works on top of your phone’s settings.

• Verizon: the Call Filter app (the free version blocks many spam calls)
• AT&T: the ActiveArmor app
• T-Mobile: Scam Shield, often already on

Download the app from the App Store or Google Play, sign in with your phone account, and turn on spam blocking. If you’re not sure, call the number on your phone bill and ask them to turn it on.

Landlines and home phones

Many older adults still have a home line, and it often gets the worst of it.

• Call your phone company. Verizon Fios, Xfinity, Cox and others offer free or low-cost robocall blocking. Some use a service called Nomorobo, which hangs up on known robocallers after one ring.
• Use a phone with a call blocker. Some cordless phone sets ask unknown callers to "press pound" or say their name before the phone rings. Robocalls can’t do that.
• Let the answering machine pick up. If it matters, they’ll leave a message.

Join the Do Not Call Registry

Add your numbers at donotcall.gov or by calling 1-888-382-1222. Scammers ignore it, but it cuts down on legitimate sales calls. Fewer calls overall makes the scam calls easier to spot.

What to do when a spam call gets through

• Don’t press any buttons. "Press 1 to be removed" usually just confirms your number is active.
• Don’t say "yes." Just hang up.
• Call back on a number you trust if the call claimed to be your bank, Medicare or a store. Use the number on your card or statement, not the one they gave you.

For more on telling real calls from fake ones, read how to spot a scam call or text.

When to get help

If the settings menus don’t match what you see, or calls are still getting through after you’ve set things up, it’s worth having someone look at the phone with you. We set up call screening, carrier blocking and contacts lists all the time, at home or over a video call, and we’ll make sure the people who matter still get through. Book a free 15-minute call to get started.