How do you manage spam calls?

Call screening
Call screening (Image credit: Andrew Martonik / Android Central)

There's no other way to put it: spam/scam calls are terrible. They're persistent, getting smarter all the time, and a daily nuisance for most people.

Thankfully, steps have been made over the last couple of years to help us deal with these pesky calls. The Google Phone app has built-in tools for automatically screening and blocking these calls on your behalf, and just this year, T-Mobile rolled out its Scam Shield service for both Android and iOS.

A few of our AC forum members recently started talking about the constant issue of spam callers, saying:

I'm on T-Mobile and they provide a service blocking and filtering spam calls. It's not perfect but seems to work well enough. Check with your carrier to see if they provide similar service.

werkx

We have, on a few occasions, had calls spoofing our phone number. Obviously, we knew it was a spoof. We did not answer. Had about 7 calls for 2 days, then they started to decline and finally stopped after about 5 days. We also get many spoofed calls, most of which are automated. Just block them and move on.

djm1947

Doesn't Google assistant "answer" the call to an extent while in DND? If so, that answer gives bots a green light to try to keep calling. It is best to keep blocking the number.

Golfdriver97

go to your local sporting good store and get an air horn...seriously, it is to the point, I just don't answer the phone. I also have a google voice number which I give out instead of my real number and forward the calls. this way if I get too many spam calls, it is easy to change wihout losing the real number my family and friends have.

me just saying

This got us to wondering — How do you manage spam calls?

Join the conversation in the forums!

Joe Maring

Joe Maring was a Senior Editor for Android Central between 2017 and 2021. You can reach him on Twitter at @JoeMaring1.

10 Comments
  • AT&T supposedly has spam filtering for calls, but as far as I can tell it's doesn't filter squat. I now pay Hiya a couple dollars a month and it seems to work pretty well.
  • Google does a great job of that for me on my Pixel.
  • I just let my Google pixel handle it, it works really good.
  • ATT comes up and says Spam Risk Detected. It works fairly well except it still rings. I also don't answer calls if I recognize the number, if they want to talk to me they will leave a message and if I want to talk to them I'll call them back, if I don't, I won't.
  • I am pleased with Google's call spam filter but nothing could stop those election/voting calls and texts.
  • Scam Shield on T-Mobile works great. Also a very good Caller ID for numbers not already in my Contacts, and it works for text messages, too.
  • I have a Google Pixel 5. Anytime I see a number that I don't recognize, I will hit the Screen Call button and let it handle the call.
  • I haven't had a spam call get through my pixel 4a as of yet.
  • I have a config in Tasker that sends to voice mail any call that's not from one of my contacts. Works great. If someone that I know does happen to call from a different number, they leave a voice mail. Otherwise, no more spam calls.
  • If I don't recognize the caller I don't answer it. If its important they will leave a message. Used to block the number but they just call back on a different number.