Apple overhauled the Phone app in iOS 26 with a new design and added several powerful features, including a new call screening option that I don’t ever want to go without.
iOS 26 gives Phone app an overhaul with several new features
Among the hundreds of new features and changes in iOS 26, Apple put a special emphasis on upgrading communication apps like Messages and Phone.
The Phone app got its biggest redesign in years, added some beautiful new ringtones, Live Translation, and a lot more.
But perhaps the standout new Phone feature for me has been call screening.
For a while now, iOS has let you automatically silence callers who aren’t in your Contacts, Mail, or Messages. The problem is, while that feature can filter out spam pretty well, it also hides away legitimate calls from unknown callers. So you’re left either allowing all calls to ring, or filtering out a bunch that might be important.
iOS 26 has a new solution that, for me at least, is a great middle ground.
‘Ask Reason for Calling’ is a new iOS 26 option for screening phone calls
Inside the Settings app ⇾ Apps ⇾ Phone, you can scroll down to find a ‘Screen Unknown Callers’ section.
There are three options available in iOS 26:
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