Unwanted phone calls have been a problem for decades. They suffered on landlines, then on “dumb” mobiles and in recent years on smartphones. And they are hateful, capable of exalting the calmest citizen whom they disturb at any time of the day or night.
Most of these unwanted phone calls are commercial and are made by long-time employees who barely reach the minimum wage after inexhaustible hours of work. Don’t be hard on them. The responsibility lies with the companies (insurance, financial, telecommunications …) that do not respect their potential clients.
And from governments and regulatory bodies that do not put a solution. Neither Robinson Lists, nor stories. Calls continue to occur even after you are targeted to a list that should prevent unwanted advertising. There are also cases of phone fraud or harassment, more frequent than we think and deserve another treatment with a direct complaint to the security forces.
How to avoid phone calls on Android
Since Android 6.0, Google implemented a system to facilitate the task by a couple of clicks, pressing the block function to a certain number in the contacts. A method simple, simple and effective, but that has a problem, it only works on “pure” Android versions, stock.
Since all manufacturers use their own layers as a user interface, there is no single method of blocking calls. As an example, in Samsung terminals it is not complicated to manage it from the Phone> Contacts> Settings application (tap on the three dots)> Call settings.
There you can activate spam protection or block calls (also messages) from a specific number. You can select between the last numbers with which you have communicated or directly write it to block it. If you want a more radical block you can activate the option to block calls from any stranger.
Another way to do this is to block unwanted phone calls the first time they are received.
From there, the number will be blocked in calls and messages. These will be recorded if they continue to take place, but will not disturb the user.
The user has the option of reporting the reason for blocking the call with possibilities such as the following:
The truth is that it is very simple for any user in a type of interface similar to that provided by other manufacturers such as Huawei, LG, HTC or Sony.
Third party solutions
If you access the Google Play store and search for these blockers you will find a lot of third-party solutions, most of them free. One of the ones we like the most for flexibility and power is Mr. Number. It is free, with advertising, but it will be worth it if you are looking for an advanced app for call control.
You just have to install it to see what a very complete app. You can manually block a particular number / contact to create your own list, or you can activate automatic modes for spam, international, hidden, or suspected fraud or database-based calls.
You can also radically customize it simply by activating the blocking of any type of call that does not appear in your contact list. Number blocking options are extended to those in a specific area (by dialing the first three digits) or to numbers included in special rate services in the same way.
The application saves all its activity from locks and you can back off if you make a mistake with one. It also offers known information about a certain number including user comments. Generally they are the same ones that annoy all users.
It also supports management and blocking of SMS in a similar way to calls and has an iPhone version if you use Apple terminals.
As for the payment solutions we can highlight RoboKiller. With a solid database of over a million spam numbers, this app will automatically block a good number of unwanted calls and iIt even has answer bots designed to “annoy” phone vendors.
The block list is updated frequently and offers great customization of them or whitelisting them in case of errors. ANDIt’s a subscription service, so after the seven-day free trial, it’s priced at $ 3 a month.
Tell us your alternatives, what method do you use to block these types of calls capable of making the calmest user nervous.