My wife and I have a few numbers that we call regularly, but there are also some people in our lives who just simply cannot be trusted. We’re not talking about friends or family members here; we mean the kind of people who will not stop texting you and calling incessantly until you decide to block them. This is extremely annoying, especially when you’re trying to enjoy dinner with your spouse or take care of other important things like work or school! Luckily for all of us—and especially for my wife—there are ways to block these unwanted calls on our cell phones. Here are 20 tips on how to do so:
Use a call-blocking app. Most smartphones have a built-in call block feature, but third-party call-blocking apps, such as Hiya and TrueCaller, provide more features.
If your phone doesn’t have a call blocking app, you can download one from Google Play or Apple’s App Store. Here are some of our favorites:
Install it on your phone.
Install it on your phone. Download the app from the Google Play Store or the App Store, and then install and open it. Create an account if you don’t already have one, or log in with an existing account. If you want to add numbers to your blacklist, do so here. Then block a number that’s calling you by tapping Block calls from [the name of the caller].
Enter the numbers of unwanted callers into the app.
To block a number, start dialing the number on your phone. Once you hear it ringing, press “*67″ to place an anonymous call. When the person who called answers and asks who’s calling you, let them know that they called the wrong number and then hang up on them.
The next time they call again—and they will call again—the app will put them straight into voicemail without ringing your phone again or sending you an alert of any sort. You can also choose options like “Block this caller’s calls forever” or “Block this caller’s calls until tomorrow at 11 am.”
Blacklist numbers.
- Blacklist numbers. This feature is great for people who get a lot of spam calls. If you’ve ever blocked someone’s number, you know how frustrating it can be when they keep calling back on different numbers in an attempt to avoid getting caught. However, if you block a number from the start, that’ll be one less person harassing you with their unwanted sales pitches or seeking money from your bank account by claiming to be from the IRS
Block outgoing calls.
Blocking outgoing calls is a great way to stop annoying telemarketers and pushy salespeople from calling your cell phone number. You can block outgoing calls on most cell phones, but the method may vary depending on the type of device you’re using.
In order to avoid getting unwanted calls, it’s important that you take steps in advance to prevent those calls from being made in the first place. This can be done by blocking outgoing numbers in your phone settings before they even have a chance at reaching your device – and here’s how:
- Open up your phone’s main screen (e.g., “Home”).
- Tap Settings and then tap More Settings or Applications & data management (depending on what kind of Android you have).
- Scroll down until you see “Phone Numbers” or something similar; select that option when prompted so that only “Call Blocking” appears underneath it (if there are multiple lines like this with different icons above them, press Menu until only one line remains).
Enable GPS services.
The ability to see the location of a call is a valuable tool for blocking unwanted contacts. If you suspect an incoming phone number is fraudulent, enabling GPS services will allow you to verify this by identifying where the caller comes from.
All major carriers offer free GPS services across all plans and phones. However, if your carrier does not offer this service but still operates on 4G LTE technology (which is nearly all current carriers) then there are other ways that may be more convenient or cost effective than upgrading your plan with them.
Enter the number you want to block in the “Add to Blacklist” field and hit “Block Now.”
- Open your phone’s app menu and tap “Settings.”
- Scroll down and tap “Call blocking & identification,” then tap “Call blocking” on the next screen.
- Tap “Add number,” then type in the phone number you want to block for each call you don’t want to receive (use only numbers, no names or email addresses).
After 30 days, you can remove numbers from your blacklist by clicking on “Blacklisted” in the main menu and then choosing the number you want to remove.
- After 30 days, you can remove numbers from your blacklist by clicking on “Blacklisted” in the main menu and then choosing the number you want to remove.
To block calls, text BLOCK and the number you want to block to 9999. For example, if you wanted to block (444) 555-1231, you would text BLOCK 4445551231 to 9999 and then wait for a text reply confirming that you’ve blocked that number.
To block calls, text BLOCK and the number you want to block to 9999. For example, if you wanted to block (444) 555-1231, you would text BLOCK 4445551231 to 9999 and then wait for a text reply confirming that you’ve blocked that number.
To block texts, go into your settings and look for “SMS filter” or something similar; this is where you can either manually add numbers or create rules based on the content of incoming messages.
To block emails: Open up your email app (or whatever client you use) and look under “settings.” There should be an option there for blocking certain senders or entire domains from reaching your inbox.
If apps are causing problems with battery life: Your phone may automatically turn off background apps after a certain amount of time (usually 15 minutes). To check this setting on Android devices, go into Settings > Battery > Battery Saver Mode Activation; if it’s on already, just turn it off and see what happens!
Type #60# into your phone’s keypad as if making a call and tap Call/Dial. A box will appear that says “Call Barring” is enabled for all incoming calls. This will hide your number when making outgoing calls.
The most effective way to keep unwanted telemarketers, scam artists and other pests from bothering you is blocking all calls on your cell phone. This can be done in two ways:
- Block individual numbers.
- Block all calls except for a few that are important to you.
Conclusion
We hope these tips help you take control over unwanted calls on your phone. If you have any questions or comments, please leave them below in the comments section so we can all benefit from your experience and knowledge!
