Sick of Relentless Robocalls? These iPhone Settings Can Screen and Silence Them

Robocalls are far more than a nuisance; they’re a primary means for fraud.

While many users rely on third-party subscription apps to handle scammers, Apple’s iOS has built-in features designed to identify, screen and block these calls.

To effectively manage incoming calls, you just need to configure the following settings on your iPhone.

Turn on call identification

Your first line of defense is knowing who’s calling before the phone even rings. Apple provides a setting called “Call Blocking & Identification” that allows your carrier or installed security apps to label incoming calls.

When enabled, your phone checks the incoming number against a database. If the number is associated with fraud or telemarketing, the screen will display a label like “Spam Risk” or “Telemarketer” instead of just a location.

To verify this is active:

1. Go to “Settings.”
2. Tap “Apps.”
3. Tap “Phone.”
4. Tap “Call Blocking & Identification.”
5. Turn on “Business Call Identification” and any “Call Identification apps” listed there.

This feature doesn’t block calls, but it provides the information you need to decide whether to answer.

Screen or silence unknown callers

If identification isn’t enough, you can have your iPhone manage calls from numbers it doesn’t recognize.

The Screen Unknown Callers feature lets you choose how to handle calls from numbers not found in your Contacts, recent outgoing calls, Mail or Messages.

You can pick “Never” to let them ring normally, “Ask Reason for Calling” to have your iPhone screen the call by asking who’s calling and why before it rings through, or “Silence” to send them straight to voicemail without ringing.

“Ask Reason for Calling” is likely best for most folks. It lets legitimate callers through while filtering out scammers who won’t bother answering an automated prompt.

Here’s how to set up any of those three options:

1. Go to “Settings.”
2. Tap “Apps.”
3. Tap “Phone.”
4. Scroll to “Screen Unknown Callers” and choose “Never,” “Ask Reason for Calling,” or “Silence.”

A call handled this way will still appear in your “Recents” list, allowing you to return the call if you determine it was authentic.

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Screen calls with Live Voicemail

For calls that do get through — or if you set the Screen Unknown Callers feature to “Never” — iOS 17 and later offers Live Voicemail.

When you send a call to voicemail, this feature displays a real-time text transcription of what the caller is saying on your lock screen. This allows you to “screen” the call as it happens.

If you see the transcription is from a valid or trusted source, you can pick up the call while they’re still speaking. To activate this feature:

1. Go to “Settings.”
2. Tap “Apps.”
3. Tap “Phone.”
4. Toggle the “Live Voicemail” feature on.

By layering these settings — identifying the number, silencing strangers and transcribing voicemails — you can significantly reduce the disruption caused by unwanted calls.