Eric Goldstein
Fact-checked by Sam Boyd
There are several ways to block spam calls in 2025. Viable options include manually blocking callers, downloading a spam-blocking app, and talking with your phone service provider. Blocking 100% of calls is impossible, but combining these methods can eliminate most spam.
Besides the frustration, spam calls can be used to steal your identity and money. This means blocking spam calls will keep you safer.
I’ll cover all the ways to block spam and explain the pitfalls of each while providing general security tips. If you’re looking for quick relief, I recommend using a mobile antivirus with a spam blocker, identity protection, and data broker removal services, like Norton 360 Deluxe, to reduce or eliminate spam calls.
How to Block Spam Calls on All Devices
The best methods for blocking spam calls depend on what phone you use. This guide covers blocking spam calls no matter what device you have:
- How to Block Spam Calls on iOS Devices.
- How to Block Spam Calls on Android Devices.
- How to Block Spam Calls on Landline Phones.
How to Block Spam Calls on iOS Devices
You can stop spam calls on your iPhone by blocking spam numbers, silencing unknown numbers, or enabling other call-filtering settings. Here’s what you need to do:
Block Spam Numbers
This method is reactive rather than proactive. It won’t stop new spammers from reaching you, but blocking a number means you can’t ever be called again from it. Unfortunately, this method isn’t very practical since scammers can quickly generate new numbers.
Still, it doesn’t hurt to block spam callers. Here’s how to do it on an iOS device:
- Open the Phone App.
- Tap Recents.
- Tap the “i” icon beside the spam phone number.
- Scroll down and tap Block Caller.
- Tap Block Contact to confirm the action.
Silence Unknown Callers
This proactive approach ensures you’re never bothered by spam calls again. However, they’ll still show up on your recent calls list.
- Go to Settings > Apps > Phone.
- Tap Silence Unknown Callers.
- Toggle Silence Unknown Callers.
Just know that this method has some serious downsides. You could miss calls from friends, family, work colleagues, doctors, or customers that you don’t have saved in your phonebook. You could also be left out of the loop in an emergency situation if, for example, a friend uses someone else’s phone to reach you.
If you opt for this method, set up a voicemail service so legitimate callers can identify themselves and request to be called back.
Call Blocking and Identification
This option might not be available for all iOS users. Some carriers (such as AT&T and Verizon) provide extra tools and settings that can identify real-time spam calls. Turning these on can reduce daily frustrations from multiple spam calls.
Here’s how:
- Go to Settings > Apps > Phone.
- Tap Call Blocking and Identification.
- Enable Business Call Identification to identify a legitimate business call.
- Enable Silence Junk Callers to keep spam calls non-intrusive.
- Enable call identification apps if you have them installed.
How to Block Spam Calls on Android Devices
If you have an Android, here are some of the methods you can use to block spam calls:
Manually Mark as Spam
Like on iOS, blocking individual numbers is a reactive measure that prevents a phone number from ever reaching you again. I recommend you do this when you get spam calls; just know that criminal spammers can cycle through phone numbers.
In any case, here’s how to block callers:
- Open the Phone app.
- Go to Recents.
- Tap the phone number you want to report as spam.
- Tap Block or report spam.
Enable Spam Protection
Spam protection leverages Google’s systems and known spam lists to protect you from spam calls. Here’s how to enable it.
- Go to your call logs.
- Access your call settings. It may be a vertical three-dot icon or a cog, depending on your device model.
- Tap Settings.
- Tap Caller ID and spam protection.
- Tap Agree to finalize the settings.
Your settings may differ depending on your Android device model, carrier, region, and Android version. If the steps above aren’t working, simply go to your device settings and search “spam” to quickly find the right setting.
How to Block Spam Calls on Landline Phones
Blocking spam calls on a landline isn’t as straightforward due to the lack of a screen interface. Fortunately, it’s still possible in most cases.
You can take the following steps to block spammers on your traditional or VoIP landline:
- Get on the Do Not Call List.
- Use carrier-enabled spam call filtering.
- Change your landline phone number.
Alternatively, you can connect call-blocking devices to filter spam from your landline. However, these solutions aren’t as effective since spammers constantly change and rotate phone numbers to bypass such blocks.
Additional Ways to Block Spam Calls
Spammers now use sophisticated techniques to bypass filters and get people to pick up their calls. Neighborhood spoofing allows spammers to make it look like their calls are coming from local numbers, making it more likely that people will answer. They can also generate new numbers instantly, bypassing manual blocks and lists of spam numbers. That said, there are still things you can do to block most spam calls. Most of these apply regardless of whether you have an Android, iPhone, or landline.
Contact Your Carrier
Some carriers have dedicated methods to help you fight spam calls on their networks. Contact them to discuss the problem and how they can help.
Here are select carrier solutions to help you fight spam calls:
Some of these tools (like ActiveArmor, Scam Shield, and Call Filter) are apps and are only available to customers of the carrier behind the app. If your phone company offers one, simply download it from your app store and provide your account information.
Many carriers also provide shortcodes that you can use to fight spam callers. For example, simply dial *77 on any AT&T phone to block calls from all users who withhold their number. You can also use *61 to block the most recent caller. Check whether your carrier offers shortcodes or other tools that can help you block spam.
Download a Call-Blocking App
Call-blocking apps like Robokiller filter and block spam calls before they reach your device. These applications use various techniques, such as AI spam call detection, to help protect you from unwanted calls.
The best spam call blocking and filtering apps use regularly updated databases of scam numbers. Once a number is flagged as spam, calls from that spammer won’t reach other users’ devices anymore.
Just know that some of these apps raise privacy concerns. For instance, you have to give these apps access to your contacts and calls for them to work. When considering an app, check its privacy policies to see whether it shares data with third parties (you can easily find this information on the app store pages). Note that these apps can only be added to smartphones.
Sign Up to the Do Not Call Registry
Signing up to the Do Not Call Registry (or the equivalent in your country) should help reduce spam calls from legitimate telemarketers. Here’s how to do it in the United States:
- Go to the Do Not Call website.
- Click Register Your Phone.
- Add your phone numbers. You can add up to three.
- Enter your email address to get a verification code.
- Submit the form.
- Complete the verification.
Some users have reported getting more spam calls after adding their number to the Do Not Call list. This might be the work of shady individuals and telemarketers, especially from abroad, who use the list to get new numbers to call. Personally, I didn’t notice an increase after signing up.
The Do Not Call list is only enforceable in the USA. Similar lists in any other country will also only be binding within that country. Therefore, you can’t get rid of international spammers this way. And in any case, criminal spammers aren’t likely to follow this law.
Install an Antivirus App
Some antiviruses offer practical tools for reducing spam calls. For example, Norton’s 360 Deluxe and
Instead of using a dedicated spam-blocking app, you could opt for an antivirus with a spam call-blocking feature. Not many have this feature, but Norton and Aura have spam-blocking capabilities (though they’re only available in certain countries).
Many of the best antivirus programs also offer dark web monitoring. While this won’t directly stop spam calls, it’ll alert you if your phone number has been involved in any leaks, which could explain why you’re getting spam calls in the first place. Similarly, antiviruses with identity protections won’t actively block spam, but they give you added protection from certain scammers.
Also of note are antiviruses that offer anti-phishing protections. This won’t protect you from spam calls but can keep you safe from dangerous links in spam text messages.
Change Your Number
You should only consider changing your number in extreme cases of call spam and when nothing else works.
Changing your number doesn’t guarantee you won’t get any more spam calls. However, this might be the best solution if nuisance calls are inundating you. Just hope that whatever new number you’re assigned isn’t already included in spammer databases.
This advice also applies when your number has been affected by a data breach. In this case, you may never entirely eliminate spammers and scammers, as they can always pay to get your information from breach lists.
You’ll need to contact your carrier to change your number and ask how to migrate to another number.
Setup Neighborhood Filters
Today’s Spam callers will likely employ neighborhood spoofing tactics to increase trust and get you to pick up their calls. Neighborhood spoofing entails calling you with a number with the same area code as yours. This tricks you into believing it may be someone you know or in your locale.
Thankfully, services like T-Mobile offer neighborhood filters to silence and filter such spam calls. Still, this solution will likely catch legitimate calls with the same area code as you’ve filtered. So, add your friends and family to an exception list to ensure their calls always come through.
How to Stay Safe if You Get a Spam Call
Spam calls are annoying, but they can also be dangerous. You may just be one spam call away from having your identity stolen or being conned out of large sums of money.
Follow the tips below to stay safe from spammers’ tactics.
- Don’t pick up unknown numbers. This might mean missing some important calls, but it will also keep you from being exposed to spam. When you answer a spam call, the scammers can confirm that the number is active, meaning you’ll likely get more calls.
- Hang up immediately. Should you mistakenly pick up a spam call, hang up immediately. Don’t interact with the spammers or even play it smart with them.
- Don’t answer any questions. Scammers often try to trick you into answering questions to gain sensitive information or get a recording of your voice, which they can exploit in various ways. Likewise, never confirm sensitive details like your address or date of birth.
- Don’t press any codes on your phone. Even if the spam caller asks you to enter a number or code to opt out of their calls, don’t. Simply hang up.
How to Identify Spam Callers
To avoid getting scammed or sold on bogus products, quickly identifying whether a caller is genuine or a spammer is essential. Here are some signs to look out for:
- Check the number. There’s no dead giveaway that a number belongs to a spammer, but be on the lookout for numbers eerily similar to your own. Spammers use neighborhood spoofing to generate numbers that appear to have the same area code (and often other digits) as the person they’re calling. Of course, an incoming call could belong to an actual local number.
- Robotic voices and stilted communication. Many spam calls use pre-recorded messages instead of live people. If you hear an automated voice, it’s likely a scam or telemarketer. I recommend staying silent. If it’s a prerecorded spammer, chances are the voice will imply you’ve said something even if you haven’t.
- Urgent or threatening language. Scammers often try to create panic by claiming you owe money, your bank account is compromised, or you’re facing legal trouble. Legitimate organizations don’t use these tactics over the phone.
- Lack of information. If you’re unsure if a call is spam, ask them who they’re trying to reach. If someone doesn’t know who they’ve called, they’re probably up to no good. That said, the spammer could have gotten your information from a data breach, so they might know your name.
- Requests for personal information. If the caller swiftly asks you to confirm your name, date of birth, and address, that’s a red flag. Many legitimate organizations must confirm someone’s identity before divulging information, but they will explain why they’re calling first. Spammers are likely to be pushy and cagey.
- Strange or incoherent messages. You may pick up a call or listen to a message that doesn’t make sense. There may just be a beeping noise or other electronic sounds. You could hear your name or a ‘hello’ or nothing at all. Again, I recommend staying silent as these calls are often sent out to dig for personal information (presumably, they hope you’ll introduce yourself) or to get a voice recording.
Why Am I Getting So Many Spam Calls?
Spammers may simply call your number by chance, but in all likelihood, there’s another reason. It could be that you have a tainted number, meaning a previous holder of the number gave out their number so freely that it ended up on lots of calling lists.
Alternatively, you may be getting a lot of spam calls due to giving out your number to websites and internet services. Shady sites will routinely sell user info (names and phone numbers included) to spammers. So, avoiding giving out your number to less than reputable sources is one way to prevent even more spam calls.
That said, even using legitimate websites can lead to spam. If you’ve signed up with your phone number, there’s always a chance that the website’s database could also be hacked, exposing your number to spammers. When this happens, cybercriminals tend to publish or sell the trove of personal data on the dark web, sharing your number with fellow spammers. Another reason could be that you have had your number posted online. If you own a business, I recommend keeping a separate business or public phone number you can share with strangers online or use for registrations.
In line with this, you might also have been doxed. Doxxing attacks are severe cases where your details (phone number, email address, home address, etc.) are maliciously exposed online.
Finally, illegitimate telemarketers may keep calling you even though you’re on the Do Not Call list. The same applies to marketers outside your country since they’re not bound by local law.
Frequently Asked Questions
What code can I use to block spam calls?
The correct code to block callers depends on your carrier and device type. Hence, it’s best to call your carrier or check its official channels to discover what codes work for blocking spam callers for your specific device type.
Will 662 block spam calls?
The #662# code will block spam calls on iOS and Android devices on the T-Mobile network. However, this measure is limited to the spam numbers T-Mobile currently has in its database and may not block spam calls from new numbers. Therefore, combine this technique with other spam call-blocking strategies for the best result.
Can you block spam calls for free?
You can block spam calls for free on iOS, Android, and landlines by dialing dedicated carrier-specific shortcodes or manually blocking numbers. Smartphone users can also enable various call filtering and blocking settings to reduce or eliminate their chances of being called by spammers.
However, no spam blocking method is 100% effective, except blocking all calls from unsaved numbers. Alternatively, it’s best to use premium apps that block most spam calls, as they’re usually more efficient than free alternatives.
Can mobile apps block spam calls?
Some mobile apps claim to block spam calls — and a few actually work! These can be single-purpose spam-blocking apps like RoboKiller or fully featured antivirus apps. Now, most antiviruses can only block spam texts, but a few, like Norton and Aur,a can also block spam calls.
