Verizon Launches Free Version of Call Filter Service for Blocking Spam Calls

[Timemaster]

Oh look a way to “pretend" they are being helpful.

The $2.99 a month item should be free to everyone. The telecommunications companies have known for years that illegal spam calls are a problem and have for years had solution to them. It should of just been given out for free. The 2.99 a month is pure profit and cost them next to nothing to address spam. This is like sms back in the day. SMS fees was pure greed on their part as it cost them nothing to run the system and it was pure 100% profit.

 

[Weaselboy]

Verizon says that in addition to making Call Filter free for all customers, it has made advancements towards blocking spoofed phone numbers. STIR/SHAKEN technology will verify that the phone number displayed on Caller ID is the phone number that has actually placed the call.

How about just not giving me incoming phone calls from fake numbers? There's no way I'm using some other service to deal with this.

The problem for now anyway is they (Verizon) can't tell if it is a spoofed number. Once STIR/SHAKEN is implemented by Verizon and the call originator they will be able to authenticate numbers and block those that cannot be authenticated.

Or at least the iPhone should let me make all calls from non-contacts just appear as regular notifications instead of playing my ringtone/vibration and blocking the screen. Who gets legitimate calls from randoms?

You can setup your iPhone to put all numbers not in your contacts on the "Do not disturb" list. That helps a lot, but it will also divert some wanted calls on occasion. This shows how to set it up.

 

[k1121j]

You can get the same thing for AT&T. They have an app called call protect.

Yet it’s crap the free version only blocks “suspected fraud” you have to pay to block the other 99% of spam calls.

 

[spinedoc77]

Been using this for a couple of days, it's not terrible. It caught a few local calls that I know were spoofed/spam.

 

[NufSaid]

Installed it - it is FREE.

You don't have to pay - you can but by default you don't.
Super easy to activate and now I have never been so excited to hear my google listing needs to be updated.

Eagerly waiting for a spam call - for the first time ever.

 

[jeyf]

i am trying to get excited about this but can't:

same cell phone provider, Verizon, allows you to change your phone number online for free.
friends, family, work peeps will mostly use a text, if not an email or FB would work too
no one re members phone#'s any more, your an icon someplace in their cell phone.

i know back in the day when there was a continuous stream of copper molecules traceable to the telephone central office your phone# was precious.
how to figure things changes sooo fast?

 

[KGBguy]

And this is a big caveat that you just mentioned. Is that scam calls are extremely diverse, where they’re constantly changing how they can penetrate past these blocking services. And it makes it really difficult to block scam calls, because they are using ‘localized numbers’ which may appear to be legitimate, but they are obviously are not. And some of these blocking services can’t detect that, because it seems like it might be a recognizable number within the city/region where you reside.

I understand all of it. However, when I was on AT&T I had 50% fewer scam calls. Their scam blocking service is so much better. I moved my line from AT&T to Verizon and within 2 days started getting bombarded with scam calls. Verizon simply sucks at this part, their app is extremely unfriendly to use, blocked calls still come thru.

 

[rotax]

Apple needs to implement STIR/SHAKEN standard in the iPhone's Phone App directly so we do not need any 3rd party apps. The standard, once implemented should not need any 3rd party app to verify the identity and authenticity of a caller. Then it will be just a matter of whether your carrier supports STIR/SHAKEN. After the major carriers all support it, then any calls from carriers that do not, and therefore their originating calls cannot be verified I presume would be auto rejected by the destination carrier and never even make it to your phone.

 

[RogueWarrior65]

Screw this B.S. The telcos broke it yet they want their customers to pay to fix it. Eat me.

 

[rugmankc]

I use WideProtect from the App Store

You can block up to 4 Area Codes with any prefix combo you want.

If an Area Code you chose drops off spamming you. you can drop that one and add another.

Just no more than 4 at one time.

Cut my spam calls by 85%

Interestingly, since activating the Verizon App (Free One) yesterday, no calls. Doubt that will last.

 

[robsall]

Super awesome that this doesn't work with any new iPhones
This ONLY works with iPhone 5 through iPhone 6S - DOES NOT WORK WITH 7/8/X/XS/XR

Thanks for a great product rollout VZW - again - make this FREE like the AT&T version and make it available on new devices. You're always so anxious to upgrade us to new phones and now you don't support any device less than 3 years old?? F&*King idiots!

 

[C DM]

Super awesome that this doesn't work with any new iPhones
This ONLY works with iPhone 5 through iPhone 6S - DOES NOT WORK WITH 7/8/X/XS/XR

Thanks for a great product rollout VZW - again - make this FREE like the AT&T version and make it available on new devices. You're always so anxious to upgrade us to new phones and now you don't support any device less than 3 years old?? F&*King idiots!

Why doesn't it work with recent iPhones? Seems to work fine with pretty much any of them.

 

[Weaselboy]

This ONLY works with iPhone 5 through iPhone 6S - DOES NOT WORK WITH 7/8/X/XS/XR

Where did you get that idea? I have it setup and working fine on my iPhone XS.

 

[rotax]

Thanks for a great product rollout VZW - again - make this FREE like the AT&T version and make it available on new devices. You're always so anxious to upgrade us to new phones and now you don't support any device less than 3 years old?? F&*King idiots!

Agree it should all be free. But you should understand that this new version by Verizon uses the new STIR/SHAKEN standard which is very good and does not rely on block lists and user reports like the free but often ineffective AT&T CallProtect App. Once all carriers implement STIR/SHAKEN is will be practically impossible to call from an un verified number to spoof calls. At that point blocklist apps will be far more effective in blocking known and reported numbers. Now they must get hundreds of thousands of reports for numbers that are not in service etc. Hard to stay ahead of that.

See my post above, Apple needs to implement STIR/SHAKEN in the iPhone's Phone App so we dont need 3rd party apps to auto reject calls from unverified numbers. Preferably carriers will start rejecting inbound calls from unverified numbers so that the calls never even make it to our phones. Even though this would be great, there will still be telemarketing and political calls from real verified numbers, but these are easy to block with free apps we have today.

 

[nsayer]

I don't get it.

The story says that what once was $2.99 is now free. But a lot of the comments here are complaining that it's not free.

Meanwhile, I downloaded the app and it says that Call Filter is $2.99/mo... which contradicts what the story here says - that Call Filter is now free.

I'd like to evaluate Call Filter to see if it's as effective as NoMoRobo. If it is, then free wins, but is it really free or not?

EDIT: I called Verizon and they added the free version of the subscription to my account while I was on the phone just to insure that there was no confusion and now the app appears to be working (it is offering a premium upgrade, but I'm not going to do that for the moment).

 

[C DM]

I don't get it.

The story says that what once was $2.99 is now free. But a lot of the comments here are complaining that it's not free.

Meanwhile, I downloaded the app and it says that Call Filter is $2.99/mo... which contradicts what the story here says - that Call Filter is now free.

I'd like to evaluate Call Filter to see if it's as effective as NoMoRobo. If it is, then free wins, but is it really free or not?

The basic one is free. You need to add the feature to your account through Verizon and then set up and use the app.

 

[fairuz]

The problem for now anyway is they (Verizon) can't tell if it is a spoofed number. Once STIR/SHAKEN is implemented by Verizon and the call originator they will be able to authenticate numbers and block those that cannot be authenticated.



You can setup your iPhone to put all numbers not in your contacts on the "Do not disturb" list. That helps a lot, but it will also divert some wanted calls on occasion. This shows how to set it up.

Yeah, I've tried using DnD always-on to block calls, but that affects the behavior of other notifications no matter what settings. It also means I can't use DnD for its intended purpose anymore. I don't get why you can't set up the call blocking without it.

 

[CreatorCode]

Agree it should all be free. But you should understand that this new version by Verizon uses the new STIR/SHAKEN standard which is very good and does not rely on block lists and user reports like the free but often ineffective AT&T CallProtect App. Once all carriers implement STIR/SHAKEN is will be practically impossible to call from an un verified number to spoof calls. At that point blocklist apps will be far more effective in blocking known and reported numbers. Now they must get hundreds of thousands of reports for numbers that are not in service etc. Hard to stay ahead of that.

This app does not use STIR/SHAKEN. It's using databases from Cequint.

See my post above, Apple needs to implement STIR/SHAKEN in the iPhone's Phone App so we dont need 3rd party apps to auto reject calls from unverified numbers.

STIR/SHAKEN is implemented on the phone switch. Handset makers like Apple do not have to do anything.

 

[Packers1958]

When I go to VZW web page it says product unavailable for my XS Max. Just hit ok, and then scroll down the list of premium products to Call filter, select call filter free, select get it now, and you are good to go.

 

[0388631]

How about this?

Every caller is bonded, and subject to jail for a felony for violations, if we get a robocall/spam/fraud we report the call. After a certain number of complaints, the number is investigated. If found to be a bad call, everyone who reports it, or maybe everyone called, gets $100.

Spoofed numbers automatically pay

A market solution. I bet after 1 or 2 months, robocallers would be out of business and or in jail

Yay!

Public execution would be cheaper.

 

[charlituna]

I have a personal spam call filter ... if the number isn't in my contacts list, I ignore the call. If it's important they'll leave a message. If no message, no worry. It's free, doen't use any memory, uses no cloud service, and is 100% effective.

Bingo. And either apple or verizon already has a toss up screen that says ‘potential spam’ if the caller id is blocked. So another way to not pickup

 

[C DM]

Try actually using the app before criticizing. I downloaded it, and it asks for money. There's no option to subscribe to a free version. And if you try signing up via the website, it displays a popup saying "none of your devices are supported", even though all of your iPhones are on the supported list.

Try this:

When I go to VZW web page it says produce unavailable for my XS Max. Just hit ok, and then scroll down the list of premium products to Call filter, select call filter free, select get it now, and you are good to go.

 

[nsayer]

Yeah, I've tried using DnD always-on to block calls, but that affects the behavior of other notifications no matter what settings. It also means I can't use DnD for its intended purpose anymore. I don't get why you can't set up the call blocking without it.

Surely by now *some* app in the app store exists that just blocks every call not in your contacts. That just seems ridiculously basic.

 

[cmaier]

Apple needs to implement STIR/SHAKEN standard in the iPhone's Phone App directly so we do not need any 3rd party apps. The standard, once implemented should not need any 3rd party app to verify the identity and authenticity of a caller. Then it will be just a matter of whether your carrier supports STIR/SHAKEN. After the major carriers all support it, then any calls from carriers that do not, and therefore their originating calls cannot be verified I presume would be auto rejected by the destination carrier and never even make it to your phone.

Yes, Apple doesn’t need to support it. It’s taken care of at the carrier.

 

[Packers1958]

Since getting the app on my phone along with setting up on VZW web page, and then adjusting the filtering on the app, i have not got one spam call since noon today.