Spam calls have become a common issue for the majority of smartphone users. Almost everyday smartphone users receive such annoying unwanted calls, in many cases several times a day.
But finally, with the thirteenth iteration of Apple’s mobile operating system named iOS 13, Apple has focused on adding new security and privacy features, making Apple’s iOS ecosystem secure and versatile than ever before. One of the new features is called ‘Silence Unknown Callers’, which will help users avoid calls from spammers and bots with a single toggle.
What does ‘Silence Unknown Callers’ do?
As the name implies, enabling ‘Silence Unknown Callers’ in iOS 13 will silence calls from unknown numbers with no caller IDs and redirect them to voicemail. Your iPhone will ring only when the number is found in your Contacts.
This is a great way to stop receiving spam calls, but not all of them are spam. There’s a possibility that someone is calling from a number that you don’t have saved in your Contacts list. According to Apple, even if it is not saved in your contacts list, Siri will look for the number in your Mail and Messages app. But Apple has chosen to keep the ‘Silence Unknown Calls’ feature off by default in iOS 13.
Currently, there’s no whitelist option for the feature, so you have to save a contact number if you want to receive calls from the number next time. Note that the unknown number will still show up as a missed call notification and you can find it in the Recents section of the Phone app.
This feature may sound similar to Do Not Disturb (DND) feature in iOS, which mutes all the incoming calls. But in this case, your phone won’t ring or notify you about an incoming call from an unknown number.
If you still want to enable this feature, continue reading this article to learn how to stop spam calls on your iPhone.
Enable ‘Silence Unknown Callers’ feature in iOS 13
If you want to silence unknown callers, here’s how to do it:
- First, make sure your iPhone is updated to iOS 13, which is the latest version of iOS. All compatible iPhones will automatically receive the update, but if you haven’t already then go to Settings > General > Software Update to download and install iOS 13 on your iPhone.
- If your device is already running on iOS 13, open the Settings app on your iPhone.
- Now scroll down and tap on the Phone option.
- In the Phone settings, scroll down a bit and locate ‘Silence Unknown Callers’, found in Call Silencing And Blocked Contacts section. Tap on it to toggle on the feature.
Alternatives
If you don’t want to miss incoming calls from a real person and still want to block spam calls from unknown numbers, there are some third-party apps on the App Store that you can use. These are:
- Hiya: Caller ID & Spam Blocker [App Store link]
- RoboKiller: Spam Call Blocker [App Store link]
- Truecaller [App Store link]
Conclusion
With iOS 13, Apple has offered a lot of major upgrades, and their take on spam calls is appreciated. However, it has its downsides. But for iPhone users, enabling ‘Silence Unknown Callers’ is the easiest way to stop spammers from calling several times a day. Speaking of spammers, if you are tired of spam calendar events, check out this article on how to stop spammers adding spam events on Apple Calendar.
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Talha Ali is your tech generalist, covering a wide spectrum of topics within the ever-evolving world of technology. With a curiosity for the latest innovations, industry trends, and breakthroughs. Whether it’s hardware, software, emerging technologies, or the intersection of tech with daily life, Talha’s articles provide readers with a well-rounded perspective on the dynamic landscape of the tech industry.
