In recent years, mobile phone users have been besieged by spam calls from Robo-callers, unwanted callers and even Internet scammers. According to our article on spamming phone numbers with texts and calls, your first contact with a service provider often gives your contact details for KYC requirements. But it usually doesn't stop there.
Between answering machines, unauthorized call centers and scam attempts, many mobile phone users today receive more spam calls than calls from legitimate contacts. A survey in the United States found that Americans receive an average of 3.7 fraudulent calls and 1.5 fraudulent text messages per day.
As a result, more than $29 billion is lost to phone scams in a year, according to CNBC. In this article, I will introduce you to the best spam call blocking apps for Android and iPhone devices. Most are available for free, but there are also paid apps that offer greater protection.
Review of 10 Best Spam Call Blocker Apps for iPhone and Android
Below, I'll take a round-up of the 10 best free and paid spam call blocking apps for iPhones and Android phones. You can download them from the Google Play Store or the App store. In the first two articles, I will explain how to use these tools to block spammers.
1. Phone by Google
I'm starting with one of the lightest and easiest to use spam call blocking apps, Phone, developed by Google LLC.
I know that many Android phones have spam call blocking built in natively. But this does not always prove effective. A proactive solution is needed, possibly one that any user can use.
Fortunately, Phone by Google has been available to download for all Android smartphones for some time. The app has been downloaded more than a billion times on the Play Store and has an average rating of 4.6 out of 5.
Among the different features it includes, we also find caller ID and spam function. Users can see information about people or businesses calling them when this feature is enabled. And, of course, they can receive alerts about potential spam numbers. For example, if the number is classified as probable spam, the smartphone screen with the incoming call will turn red.
To enable the Caller ID and Spam feature, you must:
- Tap Caller ID & Spam under Assistive
- Tap the toggle buttons for View Caller ID & Spam and Filter Spam Calls, and that's it!
Advice
- I suggest you press the verified calls toggle button to see the spam caller ID.
- It is also possible to report unwanted calls directly from the application. To do this, you must:
- Open the Phone app
- Go to Recents, which is the central item at the bottom of the page.
- Tap the call that is considered spam and select Block/Return Spam.
- On the next screen, check the Report call as spam option and tap Block.
2. Truecaller: Identifying and blocking spam
Truecaller is considered by many to be the best free spam call blocking app for iPhones and Android phones. With over 250 million users worldwide and a billion downloads on the Play Store alone, Truecaller is one of the best online apps and a feature-rich Swiss army knife against spam and unwanted calls.
Once installed from the Play Store, you must validate your phone number. You can also replace the SMS app with that of the app to avoid receiving unwanted messages.
Truecaller is very effective in recognizing and blocking unwanted calls on Android, thanks to its huge database. Additionally, call center spam numbers are continually updated through user reports, which can add data regarding the nature of the call and thus help the entire community.
When you receive a call, Truecaller checks and reports if the calling number is suspected of being spam. It also specifies the type of service offered (forex, banking, loan, telephony, gas/energy, etc.).
The application contains many premium features that can permanently, or almost, rid your phone of serial nuisances. However, even free features are effective in cleaning calls from serial spammers.
From the app settings, you can block known spammers, private numbers, numbers from foreign countries, and numbers not in the address book. Additionally, you can choose whether or not to receive notifications of blocked calls and messages.
How to Block Top Spammers on Truecaller?
- Then enable the Block top spammers with a single tap option.
How to Block Spam Calls on Truecaller
Nothing's easier :
A context menu opens, asking you to specify the type of spam: sales, scam, survey, company or person, etc.
- After cataloging the number, tap Block.
Also Read: Why am I getting spam messages on my iPhone and Android phone?
3. Hi: Spam Blocker and Caller ID
Another very popular application for blocking unwanted phone calls is Hiya, whose origins date back to 1997, with the advent of White Pages. Although Hiya is less well known than the two apps reviewed so far – 10 million downloads on the Play Store compared to 1 billion for TrueCaller – it offers many useful and free features.
Its main objective is to identify and block spam calls, thanks to its database which identifies more than 400 million calls each month. Protection is also extended to SMS. On the one hand, unwanted messages are not even displayed. On the other hand, even SMS messages from trusted numbers are scanned for malware and viruses.
Hiya does not need your phone number to work, although it is strongly recommended that you enter it. With the basic plan, which is completely free and ad-free, the app identifies unwanted calls and businesses but doesn't automatically block them. But, of course, you always have the option to block someone manually by adding them to your blocklist.
The app remains very useful for identifying spammers and potential nuisances, although it is less popular than TrueCaller. Its main advantage is that it does not contain advertising and is therefore worth discovering. Hiya is available for free and in a premium version that costs $2.99/month.
4. Should I respond
Should I Answer is another free app that does not require registration or providing your data. This service works quite well and blocks all calls from numbers deemed spammy by the community.
The application is available for free for Android and also for iPhone. After installing and launching Should I Answer on your device, you need to grant the necessary permissions for it to work properly. Then you can scroll through the information tabs on its home screen to see the main features of the app.
To enable it on Android, tap the Active Protection button to directly block unwanted calls you may receive. However, in this case, you will need to set Should I Answer as the default “Phone” app. You can also tap the Passive Protection button to see unwanted call alerts.
Suppose you want to activate the preventive blocking of unwanted calls feature. In this case, you can enable it by tapping the three dashes at the top right, then going to Settings > Blocking and moving the switch levers to ON. These are next to the calls you want to block (e.g. flagged by you as spam, foreign number, etc.)
5. Mr. Number
Mr. Number is also one of the best free and paid spam call blocking apps for iPhones and Android phones. Hiya developed the app, which was released on July 5, 2020, for free, and already has more than 200,000 downloads.
Mr. Number helps identify and block spam calls, scam calls, telemarketing calls, unwanted calls, robocalls and unknown numbers. Additionally, the app instantly blocks anything that may be suspicious.
The number database has over 14,000,000 unique phone numbers. As with Truecaller, members of the app's community add new spammers to help other users protect themselves from dangerous calls. You can also choose in settings to automatically block all incoming spam calls without hearing the phone ring or beep.
Another interesting aspect is that you can block text messages by adding keywords. Mr. Number works smoothly, even on dual-simulation phones. There is also a custom blacklist based on spam calls already received.
Read also: 5 applications and services that allow you to spam a phone number with calls.
6. CALL CONTROL – CALL BLOCKER
With Call Control – Call Blocker, you have several options to deal with unwanted calls. Its primary function is to block messages and calls from a third party. The application also has a database enriched with data created by members. This includes several hundred spammer phone numbers already reported by other users.
Call Control – Call Blocker allows you to create a whitelist and a blacklist. When contacts belonging to this list try to reach the user, automatic voicemail is activated. It responds by making the caller believe that the phone was turned off or in a location without network coverage.
The user can also automatically set the phone to answer and end calls immediately. This is an effective way to let someone know that calls are not welcome. Call Control – Call Blocker is offered in a free version but is limited to 15 days. The auto-renewable subscription is available for $9.99 for the quarter of a year.
Also Read: How to Stop Spam Texts from Different Numbers?
7. Call Blocker – Blacklist
If you're looking for a simple app to block phone numbers, this one wins the prize, and, like the previous ones, it has a pretty nice overall design. The first section you will see is the list of blocked calls. Then, if you swipe right, you will see blocked SMS messages. And further on the right you have your black and white list numbers.
The settings section is quite brief. In Values, you will see all the settings you want to configure. Unfortunately, there is a lot of advertising below the sections. But these are ads and not pop-ups, at least. Besides, they're only found in Settings, so you won't see any ads outside of there.
8. Call and SMS Blocker – Calls Blacklist
This app is visually pleasing and allows you to block these pests easily. When you receive a call you don't want, all you have to do is go to the app, press the “+” button and choose if you want to block the number of a contact, of a person who called you, or enter the number manually.
As soon as you launch the application, you will see the blacklist of numbers that you have blocked. In the meantime, if you tap Save, you will know when these numbers called you. Every time a blocked number calls you, you appear busy to the other and receive a text message informing you that they called you.
You can also set up a whitelist for numbers you don't want to block in the settings section. Users can also go to the calls section to block private and unknown numbers. You can do the same with messages by going to the SMS section.
9. Nomorobo Blocking Robocall
This application, available on the App Store, protects you from unwanted messages and blocks calls from unknown numbers. The Nomorobo app is free, but like many blocking apps, it comes with in-app purchases.
With Nomorobo, you will be able to block annoying numbers while allowing access to the people you want to stay in touch with. In addition to this, the application does not use advertising on its interface. You can therefore use it in complete peace of mind without being bothered.
10. Whoscall – Caller ID and Blocking
Whoscall – ID&Call Blocker is also an innovative application that allows you to block all unwanted calls on your smartphone. It works by identifying unknown calls and blocking spam and robocalls.
Additionally, the app allows you to personalize your caller ID, so your recipients know who you are when you call them for business purposes.
Also Read: What is Robo Revenge?