The Federal Network Agency reports a spike in complaints about advertising calls. But what can you do to block unwanted calls on your cell phone? Android and iOS use built-in tools to prevent unwanted calls. A clever Android app has now taken care of simply blocking these calls. That works for free too.
the The Federal Network Agency sounds the alarm: “In 2021, the number of written complaints received by the Federal Network Agency about unauthorized advertising calls increased significantly again, after a high in the previous year. The authority received a total of 79,702 written complaints. In 2020 there were 63,273 This means an increase of 26 percent compared to the previous year.“
Also concerning: During its investigations, the Federal Network Agency found a significant increase in the number of marketing calls in which callers failed to show the recipient a phone number or misused a fake phone number that changed often every day. This makes it particularly difficult to identify and block advertising calls.
A free Android app that easily blocks strangers’ numbers can help here. With Yet another call blocker get a huge database of unwanted phone numbers that will be automatically blocked. The app is not currently available on Google Play, but you can download it for free and virus checked from CHIP. You can read how to install an APK file on Android in our practice item after.
Block calls: how the application works
After launching Yet Another Call Blocker for the first time, you need to download the main database which contains numerous unwanted numbers. It is better to also activate the automatic database update in the menu to add new spam numbers to the list daily. With the “use contacts” option, the app will never block phone numbers that are saved in your contact list.
There are several ways to block numbers. The “block by rating” option blocks all calls from numbers with a negative rating. These ratings come from other users of the app, so if you find an unwanted number, just throw it away.
You decide for yourself whether the cell phone should ring or the unwanted call should be cut off beforehand. The latter option is only available on Android 7 or higher. Although this provides more peace of mind, there is also the risk of missing important calls if your blacklist is too strict.
Call Blocker for iOS
We are not aware of any free call blocker for iOS. As a general rule, there are free applications with basic functions, but for blocking services you have to take out a paid subscription. Tellows Caller ID & Blocker, for example, costs about 10 euros per year. There is not only a caller ID, but also a blocking function that includes individual blacklists.
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On-board means against call spam
Android is already tackling the issue of spam calls with the “Caller ID & Spam Protection” feature. Important: If you don’t have the caller’s details in your contacts, a Google service will analyze whether or not it’s spam and display a message if necessary. You can also filter spam calls in settings and block calls from unidentified callers.
iPhone users with a well-maintained address book can activate the Silence Unknown Callers feature. After that, only calls from recently called contacts and numbers will be allowed. However, under certain circumstances, this could be excessive if, for example, you have not saved the number of the new dentist or your car dealer.
patrick hanneman
editor
A true community project
The offline database that Yet Another Call Blocker uses is a real plus. An active Internet connection is not required for calls to be automatically blocked. It is a pity that even the manufacturer does not know exactly which countries are covered in the extensive database. So it can happen that one or the other advertising call from a German number still arrives? You can then blacklist it yourself and rate it negatively. Phone spammers don’t stand a chance against the power of the community.
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