How to Silence Unknown Callers on Your iPhone

[MacRumors]

Unsolicited phone calls can become a regular annoyance and even a cause of stress for many smartphone users these days. Thankfully, Apple provides a feature in iOS that can automatically silence calls to your phone from unknown numbers, which should help cut down on the number of spam calls that you receive.

Whether it's messages from a debt collector looking for the wrong person, or a random number that keeps calling in the middle of the night, following the steps below will help to stop them from bothering you.

How to Silence Unknown Callers on iPhone

1. Launch the Settings app on your device
2. Scroll down and tap Phone.
3. Scroll down to the section titled Call Silencing and Blocked Contacts.
4. Tap the Silence Unknown Callers switch to toggle it to the green ON position.

With Silence Unknown Callers toggled on, people who call you that aren't listed in your contacts will have their calls sent straight to voice mail and your phone won't ring.

Did you know that you can block nuisance messages as well as calls on your iPhone? Click here to learn how it's done.

Article Link: How to Silence Unknown Callers on Your iPhone

 

[Apple_Robert]

Excellent new feature. Glad I can make use of it right now.

 

[Kagio]

I’m guessing it wont filter out app activation codes, right?

 

[JM]

FINALLY!

Now the FTC and carriers and drag their butts all they want. Now anyone who calls (who I haven’t added to my contacts) will go straight to voicemail. If it’s important they’ll leave a VM.

This will cut down on spam calls since no one with an iPhone will pick up. They’ll get idea soon enough, and leave us alone.

So so happy.

 

[Mike MA]

I just guess that 90% are legitimate calls and wonder who actually activates this feature. That counts even more in the business environment. Sending the calls to the mailbox won’t stop the caller to try again till his goal is reached. But well, I guess to have the option is a good thing.

 

[Red Menace]

Did I miss something? You've been able to do this for quite a while by getting/setting the default ringtone to silence, with the custom ringtone for contacts set as usual.

 

[anek007]

We need call screening like the pixel.

 

[MisterSavage]

So excited for this. Probably the feature I'm looking forward to the most. I get multiple spam calls a day. Adding them to my block list always feels pointless even though I keep doing it.

 

[EdT]

Once again, Apple only goes part way. I don’t want the call to go to my voicemail I want the spammers phone to instantly turn into a molten slag.

 

[NoBoMac]

Did I miss something? You've been able to do this for quite a while by getting/setting the default ringtone to silence, with the custom ringtone for contacts set as usual.

True, and I do this. Along with blocking apps. All been mostly effective.

However, still a nuisance where you are listening to music and suddenly, nothing. Yes, I know then that it's a spam call, but, still intruding. With this new feature, no intrusions. And won't have to make sure "important" contacts get a real ringtone.

 

[JetTester]

Happy dance!!!

 

[Braderunner]

I just guess that 90% are legitimate calls and wonder who actually activates this feature. That counts even more in the business environment. Sending the calls to the mailbox won’t stop the caller to try again till his goal is reached. But well, I guess to have the option is a good thing.

Obviously, you wouldn't want to do this with a business phone number. But, most people just have a personal number. I think a lot of people, including myself, will use this feature. If it is someone you don't know, calling you for a legitimate reason, they'll leave a message. I can't wait for this!
Also, I can tell you that at least 90% of unknown numbers that ring my phone...are not legitimate calls.

 

[macslayer118]

Did I miss something? You've been able to do this for quite a while by getting/setting the default ringtone to silence, with the custom ringtone for contacts set as usual.

This feature is amazing. What you're describing feels like a tedious work around to a problem that shouldn't exist in the first place. To have to manually set a custom ringtone for every contact?? It seems like you would welcome the chance to just press a toggle to ignore unwanted calls.
[doublepost=1560458482][/doublepost]

I just guess that 90% are legitimate calls and wonder who actually activates this feature. That counts even more in the business environment. Sending the calls to the mailbox won’t stop the caller to try again till his goal is reached. But well, I guess to have the option is a good thing.

I get between 10-15 calls a day from numbers I don't know who don't leave messages. Blocking doesn't work because they spoof their numbers. This has been an amazing week with this feature. I'd guess over 90% of my calls are spam callers.

 

[kerr]

Looking forward to this but a better and more helpful implementation would be the ability to block by area code and country code. EG. block all calls from Africa, overseas, interstate.

 

[now i see it]

Allowing contacts only accomplishes the same thing

 

[timborama]

Could be much much better. If Apple really wants to prove it’s “innovation worth”, it could be working on something really revolutionary with the telcos to end spam.

 

[rols]

what if you don't have voicemail to send the calls to? If you activate the feature do the calls just blackhole? I hope so and if so will definitely turn this feature on, will save me lifting up my wrist and hitting 'dismiss' on the watch .

 

[szw-mapple fan]

So excited for this. Probably the feature I'm looking forward to the most. I get multiple spam calls a day. Adding them to my block list always feels pointless even though I keep doing it.

Blocking has been mostly pointless for me, especially since the scammers will spoof numbers that sometimes belong to real people. This is a welcome change.

 

[StyxMaker]

I just guess that 90% are legitimate calls and wonder who actually activates this feature. That counts even more in the business environment. Sending the calls to the mailbox won’t stop the caller to try again till his goal is reached. But well, I guess to have the option is a good thing.

I will most definitely turn this on and leave it on 24/7. It will automate what i already do manually. I have the phone set tp announce callers if it announces ‘unknown caller’, i send it to voice mail from my watch.

 

[rodpascoe]

Love this feature but have found a small bug.

Had a marketing company call me and it did the job, no ring, straight to voicemail.

Only problem was they didn’t leave a voicemail so my carrier in the UK (O2) sent a text saying I’d missed a call from them.

They called again the next day and because I’d had a text message containing their number the feature let them through as is documented (intelligent Siri I think they called it - looks through mails and SMS for numbers and whitelists any it finds)

 

[poorcody]

Looking forward to this but a better and more helpful implementation would be the ability to block by area code and country code. EG. block all calls from Africa, overseas, interstate.

There is an app in the App Store called "Number Shield" that will do this (there are other similar ones as well). It lets you block numbers using wildcards, like (212) ###-#### or even (212) 617-#### etc. It really helps with the spammers, especially ones that use your area code and exchange number.

 

[MisterSavage]

Blocking has been mostly pointless for me, especially since the scammers will spoof numbers that sometimes belong to real people. This is a welcome change.

Yep, my block list is quite huge now.

There is an app in the App Store called "Number Shield" that will do this (there are other similar ones as well). It lets you block numbers using wildcards, like (212) ###-#### or even (212) 617-#### etc. It really helps with the spammers, especially ones that use your area code and exchange number.

Thanks. I've heard of "No Neighbor" but haven't seen this one.

 

[Apple_Robert]

I removed all the numbers in my block list after I installed iOS 13. I haven’t been flooded with calls. I get 2 or 3 spam from hell calls a day that now go straight to voicemail. Only 1 voicemail has been left. From the spammers.

 

[m0sher]

This is great info and all , but for the majority of us who still don’t have iOS 13 I hope they refresh this news when it actually comes out in September.

I’ll have forgotten most of the information that’s being posted on it.

 

[riverfreak]

I don’t want these messages going to voicemail. They just end up filling up the ridiculous 40 message limit with pre/recorded messages.

I want unknown callers to be blocked entirely, or if that isn’t possible to have the phone ring indefinitely. And I’d like to be able to turn off voicemail entirely directly from the phone too. It’s as much of a nuisance as unknown callers.