GoKawiil
Tech News
Smartphone users can significantly reduce spam calls and scam texts using existing settings on iPhone and Android devices, rather than paying for third-party apps. The techniques target common scammer tactics like neighborhood spoofing, where callers fake local area codes, and bulk automated text messaging.
iPhone and Android devices include native spam-call filtering that can replace third-party apps like Truecaller. On iPhone, users can enable Call Filtering under Settings > Apps > Phone to send carrier-flagged junk calls to voicemail, separate Unknown Callers into their own list, and choose how to handle unrecognized numbers via the Screen Unknown Callers settings, including an option that asks callers to state their reason before the phone rings through.
India's telecom regulator TRAI has amended commercial communications rules to require caller-ID and call-management apps to forward user spam reports to a blockchain-based platform run by telecom operators. Truecaller, whose largest market is India with over 350 million monthly users there, has criticized the move as a one-way, anti-competitive data transfer that benefits telecom companies at its expense.
Google's Call Assist feature can screen unknown or suspicious calls before they ever ring through, either by prompting users manually or, on supported Pixel devices, handling the interaction automatically. If the call is identified as spam, the phone disconnects it; otherwise it rings and shows details about how the caller responded. The feature runs locally on the device without needing internet access, and Google says it doesn't store call audio or transcripts in user accounts.