Spam is the bane of our iPhone-owning existence — and it seems like it’s happening more and more frequently. Every time we receive a phone call from a number we don’t know, which eight out of ten times we discover to be an automated robot, that’s a spam call we didn’t know how to block. Similarly, with texting, receiving strange texts from strange numbers with cryptic messages that can range from the simple “hi” to the long, drawn out lie about how you’ve been selected to participate in a contest where you can win millions of dollars — you’ve encountered yet more spam.
Spam can be an attempt to get your data, like credit card and social security number information. It does this by slowing fishing and drawing you in until you feel comfortable providing it more information. Not only should you never give personal info over a phone call or text, to anyone, but you can block these calls so that are no longer a nuisance. Here are two easy hacks to block iPhone spam texts and calls.
Enable Built-in Call Blocking
Did you know your iPhone has a built-in setting that can actually help block spam calls so that the ones you receive can’t call you back? Keep in mind that this setting can only work so well if the spammer is smart enough to continue changing phone numbers, but it’s a good first-step strategy. To do this:
*Open the Phone app.
*Go to the "Recents" tab to see your call history.
*Find the spam call or number you want to block.
*Tap on the (i) icon next to the number.
*Scroll down and tap on "Block this Caller."
*Confirm by tapping "Block Contact."
Block Callers You Don’t Recognize
One of the worst things about getting spam calls is how they disrupt your day and take you out of your mind set for a few minutes. But Apple anticipated that you wouldn’t want to receive calls from unknown callers and actually provides another built-in feature that can help. Go to Settings > Phone > Scroll down to "Silence Unknown Callers" and toggle it on.
You won’t be able to shake these callers completely — they’ll still be allowed to leave you voicemail. But, at the very least, you can decide when you want to listen to those voicemails and deal with them on your own schedule and terms.
