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Get Your iPhone to Ask Callers Who They Are Before You Answer
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Justin Cymbal
macrumors 6502a
Yes, this would by no means be a fool-proof solution for everyone but ‘neighbor spoofing’ as what you are describing is referred to as, hasn’t been the significant problem in recent years (that it once was)
This is because the carriers have taken significant proactive steps to mitigate the issue through both opt-in as well as default solutions available to their subscribers
This hasn’t been as much of an issue for me (as it was a few years ago) so having a more customizable ‘silence’ feature (available to one’s discretion) would be of benefit to many
Especially if the (temporary) activation of this feature could be enabled (and subsequently disabled) in a very easy manner - if need be by the user (for those specific situations mentioned earlier)
Someone else mentioned delivery 🚚 📦 couriers as well. I often will tape a hand-written note on a regular sheet of paper on my front door (with my phone number) when I am expecting a package that requires signature from UPS or FedEx so that I call run upstairs and sign for it considering I don’t currently have a working doorbell. So in a situation like that, this feature would come in handy as I could manually enable (then disable) it for the 2-3 hour quoted delivery timeframe window listed on the tracking number link
boswald
macrumors 68040
Sad but true. I just have my carrier's call screening app to quietly terminate the call to avoid this problem.
I still see neighbor spoofing more than anything but I think in general you're right.
The bigger problem these days is messaging anyway, and they seem to have less of a handle on that.
SalisburySam
macrumors 65816
While nice as a mandatory sentencing guideline, why do you think this? No crime that currently carries the death penalty as an option has seen that crime “fixed.”
JungleNYC
macrumors 6502
SalisburySam
macrumors 65816
How are the spam call laws in the US? In the EU they are simply illegal and the fine can go up to 50,000 Euros per call. Not sure how much that is enforced, but I report every spam call.
SalisburySam
macrumors 65816
With the exception of the Federal DoNotCall list and its critical limitations*, spam calls are actually encouraged rather than discouraged. The telcos have apps like HiYa, ActiveArmor, others, that mistakenly lead you to believe all is well all the while enjoying spammer revenue. Worse, any and all political calls are legally protected from being called spam and get through regardless. Of course political calls are the biggest component of spam to (most? all?) recipients here where fund-raising is essential to deliver the best legislators/Sheriffs/District Attorneys/Judges/other elected officials money can buy.
*Developed by the Federal Communications Commission working with the Federal Trade Commission and is a voluntary program with voluntary compliance. You still get the above political calls, plus polls and surveys, and lots of other categories too. Details at DoNotCall.gov.
Juicy Box
macrumors 604
I have been using the feature for a few weeks now and can report that it does nothing to stop or even slow the scam calls.
My battery life seemed to have suffered since updating to the new iOS as well.
jlwarlow
macrumors regular
Are your spam calls leaving messages when the iPhone asks who they are? If so that's annoying! All of my spammers just hang up so I don't get disturbed. The few that do get through I ignore since I now know it's not important and just let them go to answer phone, where these few then hang up. I've not noticed a deline in battery life except when I first installed the update and the OS was re-indexing etc.
Juicy Box
macrumors 604
Yes. The feature doesn't help at all, except sometimes adds more steps for me. I sometimes get 20 scam calls a day, but usually at least 5. The feature now has become a distraction when I am at work in a meeting and the spam calls start.
I am thinking of turning the feature off. Sucks though, I updated the iOS to use the feature and I can't go back. Now it seems like my 13 mini has slowed a bit, and battery life is a little worse.
The calls I get are robo calls so I am thinking it might not work on pre-recorded calls.
I’m a bit late to this thread but learned something interesting yesterday that may be worth trying even if I doubt it will help. Most of the calls I get on my iPhone are from SPAMMERS. Yesterday I learned that if they leave a voicemail or are just identified as a fraudulent call, it’s actually does some good if you touch “report spam and delete “ As long as enough people do this it will eventually lead to the carrier blocking the number and the (fill in the most vile moniker possible here) will need to go through the re-licensing process to be able to use that number again.
Just remember to ALWAYS ALWAYS ALWAYS, REPORT SPAN AND DELETE. Sometimes it takes a (large) village to make an impact.
I should add this relates to the USA and our cellular carriers.
Juicy Box
macrumors 604
I have been doing this, although, there seems to be bugs with it, as it doesn't always delete.
I have been wondering if report spam and delete also automatically adds the reported numbers to the users' blocked list. I think it would be useful if it did.
I don’t think it does because ATT will not allow that number to call you again so there’s no need to have it in your blocked number list.
What I’m still wondering about is how many SPAM deletes does it take from how many different people and within what period of time is needed for ATT to prevent that number being used to call anyone.
This is good under certain conditions.
Spam and cold calls have become such a nuisance that many people simply don't answer their phone unless they recognize the number. In iOS 26, though, you can learn about who's calling before you respond, thanks to a clever feature that intercepts unknown calls and asks the caller to identify themselves before your iPhone even rings.
The "Ask Reason for Calling" feature is kind of like having your own receptionist. When someone who isn't in your Contacts calls, your iPhone automatically answers the call with a polite automated message asking for their name and reason for calling. The caller is placed on hold while their response is transcribed to text and displayed on your screen, letting you decide whether to accept, decline, or ask for more information.
It's a decent upgrade from the existing "Silence Unknown Callers" option, which simply sends all unrecognized numbers straight to voicemail. With the new approach, legitimate callers – like your doctor or a delivery service – can identify themselves, whereas robocallers and spammers are likely to hang up when greeted by the automated response.
How to Enable Ask Reason for Calling
The following steps show you how to turn on the feature:
- Open Settings on your iPhone.
- Scroll down and tap Apps.
- Select Phone.
- Under the "Screen Unknown Callers" section, tap Ask Reason for Calling.
That's all there is to it. Your iPhone will now intercept calls from numbers not saved in your Contacts and request information before alerting you.
Other Unknown Caller Screening Options
If you don't want to use the new Ask Reason for Calling feature, iOS 26 offers two alternative approaches for handling unknown numbers:
- Silence: This option automatically sends all calls from unsaved numbers to voicemail. The calls still appear in your Recents list, and you'll receive the voicemail if the caller leaves one. It's the same behavior as the "Silence Unknown Callers" toggle in iOS 18.
- Never: With this setting, calls from unknown numbers ring normally, just like calls from saved contacts. Missed calls appear in your Recents list as usual. It's your typical iPhone calling experience.
To switch between these options, go to Settings ➝ Apps ➝ Phone, and select your preferred option under "Screen Unknown Callers."
The Ask Reason for Calling feature works best when you maintain an up-to-date Contacts list. Any number saved in Contacts will ring through normally without triggering the screening process, so make sure to add the details of legitimate contacts as soon as you know them.
Article Link: Get Your iPhone to Ask Callers Who They Are Before You Answer
I get spam calls from bad actors and in my mind even acknowledging their calls beyond a ringing sound or iMessage "Delivered" in my mind is harmful.
I had great hope for the Screening Unknown Callers feature and did try using it for a while. It would be fine if only a small number of incoming callers were SPAM but when most callers are it’s of no use. I currently feel that if a sufficient number of people report such calls, there is a very small chance that some dent in the number of SPAM calls might actually happen until the SPAMMERS line the right political leaders pockets with enough gilder to change the laws back in their favor.
What this thread really needs is input from KNOWLEDGEABLE cellular providers, especially ATT as how the game is played. Like how many hits from how many customers does it take for a number to actually be blocked and prevent all calls from it to anyone. Or is it really just Apple blowing smoke.
What this thread really needs is input from KNOWLEDGEABLE cellular providers, especially ATT as how the game is played. Like how many hits from how many customers does it take for a number to actually be blocked and prevent all calls from it to anyone. Or is it really just Apple blowing smoke.
Considering how difficult it is to get anyone to actually pick up a call, or even call you, if they’re under the age of 40, this feature is pretty useless I’d say
Kevin Palser
macrumors member
True that there is a distrust of incoming calls to the point that only known contacts or time window expected calls are answered. This is also starting to become true of older generations as they are educated to be weary of scams. I find myself sending an SMS ahead of calling new contacts to increase the likelihood of being heeded.
Whilst not under the age of 40, I think you need to try it for a while to appreciate the feature. After seeing it prevent interruptions from 2 to 3 scam calls a day (scammers so far have always given up when prompted in my experience 🫰), then it can be the catalyst of change for their picking up behaviour. For me it has been useful.
But I accept that your point may be intended to be broader than simply trust issue motives for why younger generations ignore incoming calls.
I'm trying to figure out how Call Screening works and how it interacts with (Visual) Voicemail. Apple's documentation is not very clear about this.
- are screened calls processed on device, or is there any interaction with the network operators' voicemail system?
- What happens after the unknown caller leaves a message using the Call Screening system, does it still go to voicemail after a certain amount of time?
- are screened calls processed on device, or is there any interaction with the network operators' voicemail system?
- What happens after the unknown caller leaves a message using the Call Screening system, does it still go to voicemail after a certain amount of time?
jlwarlow
macrumors regular
Screened calls are processed on device, and if you don't pick up get recorded as voicemail, this is on device too.
Interacting with network operators voicemail depends on if they support visual voicemail.
a) They do: Your phone sync's with their voicemail so all voicemails are visual voicemail.
b) They don't: You'll have a mix of visual voicemails on your phone and potentially voicemails on their system when you were out of signal (or switched off) when your phone couldn't screen the call and record any voicemail. In this case you'll be alerted from your operator and have to dial old school to listen to those.