You’re going about your day, minding your own business, when some obscure 0800 number starts calling. You answer and an automated voice message kicks in. Ugh.
Fast forward two hours and someone purporting to be from an insurance company calls. You say a polite, ‘not interested’ and continue on with your day, wondering whether the spam calls will ever cease.
If it’s got to the point where you rarely answer the phone because of unknown callers – and you’ve missed some important calls as a result – it might be time to delve into your phone settings to deter them once and for all.
The anti-spam settings you need to know on iPhone
The good news is, if you’ve got an iPhone, you can set up something called ‘Call Screening’, which automatically answers calls from unknown numbers without interrupting you.
On your iPhone, head to Settings then tap Apps, and Phone. Select either ‘Ask Reason For Calling’ or ‘Silence’.
The first setting asks callers from unknown numbers for more information so you can choose if you want to answer or not.
As Apple explains: “After the caller shares their name and reason for their call, your iPhone rings and shares their response so you can decide if you want to pick up.”
The other setting silences calls from unsaved numbers completely, and sends them straight to voicemail.
You can also turn on ‘Call Filtering’ by going to Settings > Apps > Phone. If you toggle next to where it says ‘Unknown Callers’, any missed calls and voicemails from unknown numbers will be moved to an Unknown Callers list.
Similarly, if you toggle ‘Spam’, any calls identified by your carrier as possible spam will be silenced, sent to voicemail, and moved to a designated Spam list.
What else can you do to fight spam?
Regardless of the type of phone you use, you can also register to the Telephone Preference Service (TPS) which is the UK’s only ‘Do Not Call’ register for landline and mobile numbers, allowing people to opt out of unsolicited sales and marketing calls.
You then shouldn’t receive any telemarketing calls at all unless you’ve specifically agreed a company can contact you.
If the calls persist, you can complain to the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO).
Similarly, with calls where there’s a recorded message, you can note the number down and report it to the ICO – the company calling may then be fined if they’re found to be flouting the rules.
