With so many robocalls and phone scams happening every day, most of us know that the most logical and safest response to a call from an unfamiliar phone number usually doesn’t involve answering our smartphone with a warm greeting. Scam phone numbers are used every day to trick unsuspecting people into revealing their private information or money. As scammers become more sophisticated, it’s important to be vigilant to protect yourself from financial loss. Instead of hanging up, consider other options.
How to Block Phone Numbers on Smartphones?
There are several ways to block phone numbers on smartphones. Smartphones, iOS or Android, come with a built-in call blocking feature that allows you to block numbers directly from your call log or contacts list.
On iPhone (iOS 12+)
- Tap Settings at the bottom of the screen.
- Tap Block/Allow List.
- Tap the Allow tab.
- Tap Add to Allow list and enter the range or number you wish to block moving forward.
- Tap “Allow”.
There is another way to do this with an iPhone app called RealCall. You can block all numbers starting with any sequence, such as an area code 877. The app works really well. You can choose to have a phone number with an area code for a different state from where you live.
Spammers usually spoof a number with your area code, or a nearby area code, so that you can block all the area codes the spammers try to use and still get all the calls you want. The blocked calls can be set to go straight to voicemail, so you won’t miss anything important.
On Android
- Download any mobile phone manager software and open the software.
- After entering, open the security protection, find the harassment blocker, and click to enter.
- After turning on the harassment blocking function, click the setting icon in the upper right corner to enter the setting interface of the mobile phone.
- On the setting interface, find the blacklist and click to enter.
- After turning on the blacklist function, click Add, then select Add by Region, and enter the province or area code.
What Happens When a Number is Blocked?
If you block a number, can it still be used to text you?
When you block a phone number, the texts from the number will have nowhere to go. The oweners of the phone number will not be notified that they’ve been blocked, and their messages will still be shown as sent. But you won’t receive it, and you won’t be able to respond.
What happens when you text a blocked number?
You can text them as blocking only affects incoming calls and texts, not outgoing calls and texts, but you will not get a reply. The only way you can get a response from them is to unblock them. Keep it in mind that blocking is only related to incoming calls and texts, not your outgoing calls and texts.
Can a blocked number leave a voicemail?
When someone you block calls you, they’re sent directly to your voicemail as if your phone was off. This is their only clue to stopping them. Blocked callers can still leave voicemails, but they won’t show up with your regular messages. Instead, you need to scroll down to the bottom of the voicemail window and tap the Block Messages option.
What does a caller hear when their number is blocked?
When the person you’ve blocked tries to talk to you, their phone just keeps ringing and no one picks up. Nothing happened on your side, and you wouldn’t know they were calling. It goes on like this until the blocked caller gives up and stops trying to call.
How to See Blocked Numbers on Smartphones
If you have a number to call or text, you can choose to add it to the list of blocked numbers. This means your phone will not ring or notify you of any communication from the offending number. Maybe you want to check if someone is blocked, or maybe you want to unblock someone. Fortunately, you can find everything you need with just a few taps on the screen. Finding the list of blocked numbers on your iPhone only takes a few steps. If you follow the steps below, you’ll see numbers that you can’t text, call, or FaceTime with. Here’s how to find them
On iPhone (iOS 15)
- Launch Settings from your Home screen
- Tap Phone. You will likely need to scroll down the menu a little.
- Tap Blocked Contacts, and then you will see your blocked number list.
On Android
- Open the Settings app on your Android device.
- Scroll down and tap on Calls.
- Tap on Call blocking & identification.
- Under “Blocked numbers”, you will see a list of all of the phone numbers that have been blocked on your device.
How to Unblock Numbers on Smartphones
On iPhone (iOS 15)
- Launch Settings from your Home screen
- Tap Phone. You will likely need to scroll down the menu a little.
- Tap Blocked Contacts, and then you will see your blocked number list.
- Swipe left on the contact or number you want to unblock.
- Tap Unblock.
On Android
- Open the Settings app on your Android device.
- Scroll down and tap on Calls.
- Tap on Call blocking & identification.
- Under “Blocked numbers,” you will see a list of all the phone numbers that have been blocked on your device.
- If you want to unblock a number, just tap on it and then toggle off the switch next to it.
How to Block Phone Numbers with a Call Blocker App
It’s the easiest and most effortless to block phone numbers with an application installed and used on a smartphone because it is able to silently protect you against any unwanted calls including scam calls, spam calls, telemarketing calls, and corresponding text messages.
With previous settings and configurations via taps, your smartphone and you will be well protected from unwanted contacts so as to better protect your privacy and money.
Why RealCall?
- Capable of Auto Block Over 99% of Unwanted Calls
- Accurate Detection and Smart Blocking of SMS Fraud
- Meets Answer Bots to Fool Telemarketers, Scammers, etc.
- Custom Block Calls in Categories
- Knows Who’s Calling You, Based on Our Powerful DataBase