Tips to Avoid Unwanted Calls

Key takeaways

• Use unique ringtones to easily identify and screen unknown calls, per Ed Baig.
• Activate call blocking and spam detection on iPhones and Samsung Galaxy devices to reduce interruptions.
• Leverage built-in phone features to direct spam calls to voicemail or a spam folder for better control.

Summary

Spam call prevention has become essential as unwanted calls disrupt daily life and waste valuable time. Edward Baig highlights practical tips to reduce these interruptions by using built-in phone features. One effective strategy is setting unique ringtones for contacts so unknown calls are easily identifiable, while smartphones like iPhones and Samsung Galaxy devices offer options to silence calls from unknown numbers and enable spam detection. Activating these settings not only blocks spam calls but also directs them to voicemail or a designated spam folder, giving users greater control over their communication.

Implementing these tools is a straightforward way to protect yourself from telemarketers and scammers without missing important calls. With spam calls unlikely to disappear, having your phone screen and manage calls on your behalf ensures peace of mind and more focused time. For anyone seeking smart, tech-savvy solutions, enabling call blocking and spam filtering features is a key step toward reclaiming your phone’s purpose.

The key takeaways and summary were created with the assistance of generative AI. An AARP editor reviewed and refined the content for accuracy and clarity.

Full Transcript:

[00:00:00] Calls from spammers have become a daily nuisance, and if you’re getting multiple calls a day, like me, it can feel like a
[00:00:07] full-time job just ignoring your phone. So here are some tips to avoid unwanted calls.
[00:00:14] The number one rule is simple. Don’t answer them. Spammers want you to pick up so they can talk you into something,
[00:00:21] or worse, try to defraud you. Even more, they are like stray cats. Answer once and they decide you’re their person now.
[00:00:29] But of course that’s easier said than done. We hear our phone ring and we answer. That’s just human nature.
[00:00:36] So how do we protect ourselves from our own reflexes? One trick is to give everyone in your contacts a unique ring tone.
[00:00:43] That way, when your phone rings with the default ring tone, you instantly know, Ah, a call I will not be answering today.
[00:00:51] But if that sounds like too much work, your phone has built-in tools that can also help. iPhones let you silence calls from numbers you don’t recognize.
[00:01:01] Just go to Settings, then Apps, scroll down to Phone, and then check Silence under the Screen
[00:01:12] Unknown Callers section. Once it’s on, calls from unsaved numbers won’t ring.
[00:01:18] Your iPhone can also detect spam calls. Once again, find your way to your Phone app.
[00:01:24] Scroll down to Find Call Filtering and toggle on Spam. This not only silences these calls, it puts them in a special Spam section
[00:01:33] of your call log so you don’t have to stare at the number wondering, Should I have answered that? Android users, you’re covered too.
[00:01:40] To silence unknown callers on a Samsung Galaxy, open the Phone app by tapping
[00:01:46] the Phone icon on your home screen. Access Settings by tapping the three dot Menu icon on the right.
[00:01:52] Then select Settings. Navigate to and tap Block Numbers and toggle Block Calls From Unknown Numbers.
[00:02:03] To turn on Spam Detection, once again, go to Block Numbers, tap Block Spam and Scam Calls.
[00:02:10] Choose whether to block all spam and scam calls or only block high risk scam calls.
[00:02:18] Spam calls aren’t going anywhere, so turn on these settings and let your voicemail deal with them.
[00:02:23] Your phone should work for you, not for telemarketers or spammers.
[00:02:29] For more tech advice, go to aarp.org/TechGuru