Do you feel like you’re getting more and more spam texts and calls? It may not be your imagination: spammers are becoming even more savvy about getting ahold of your contact information and are sending a number of fake messages, many of which attempt to trick users into believing they are the lucky recipients of some fantasy contest or money-making endeavor. Unfortunately, just clicking on a link that a spammer sends you result in malware or spyware being downloaded onto your device. It doesn’t take much for a spammer to gain access to your data, and that’s when the real headaches begin.
But, even if you know better than to click on anything sent to you by an unknown sender, spam is — plain and simple — annoying. No one likes receiving intrusive spam texts and calls and there are a few ways you can mitigate the annoyances. Here are three hacks you can try to block spam texts and calls on your iPhone.
Silence Unknown Callers
If the mere sound of your phone ringing when you’re working during the day and the sight of an “unknown number” is enough to irk you, there’s a way to silence unknown callers. This won’t prevent them from calling you, but it will keep them from raising your blood pressure. Go to Settings > Phone > toggle on Silence Unknown Callers. This feature sends those callers straight to your voicemail. From there, you can decide on your own time and terms whether you want to deal with their calls.
Block Numbers and Report Spam
When you receive a spam call or text, you a block that individual number to keep them from bothering you again. This hack works, but only to a certain extent. Spammers are smart about routinely changing their numbers, so this doesn’t mean they can’t contact you from a completely different number. Open the Phone app and go to Recents or Contacts, then locate the number you want to block and tap the “i” icon next to it. Scroll down and tap "Block this Caller."
You can also report spam by tapping the sender’s name in messages, tapping “info,” and then selecting “block this caller.”
Use Built-In Call Blocking Features
Your iPhone has a built-in call blocking feature that can help identify spam calls and block them. It isn’t a perfect feature, but it can be helpful. Go to Settings > Phone and tap on “Call Blocking & Identification.” Certain apps like Truecaller can also help identify spam and keep it from disturbing you.
When all else fails and you really want a day of peace and quiet from spam, go to Settings > Focus > Do Not Disturb and enable the setting to gain back some temporary quiet time by silencing calls from people who aren’t in your contacts list.
