LONDON (AP) — iPhone users now have a new tool to fight scourges like: nuisance call: A virtual gatekeeper that can screen incoming calls from unknown numbers.
This is one of a series of new features that Apple introduced in last month’s release. iOS26. The screening feature is gaining attention as robocalls and spam calls continue to rise, with many phone users feeling harassed.
Here’s a summary of the new functions:
How to enable call screening
First, you need to update your iPhone’s operating system to iOS 26. iOS 26 is available on iPhone 11 and later models.
To toggle call screening on, go to (Settings) – (Apps) – (Phone). Scroll down and you will find a new option called (Unknown Caller Screening).
Three choices will appear. If you select the (Never) option, all unknown calls will ring, but Silence will send all unknown numbers directly to voicemail. What you want to tap on is the middle option “Ask why I’m calling.”
If you don’t see the option, try restarting your phone.
I still couldn’t find it after updating to iOS 26, but after looking online I checked the region and language settings. Because online commenters were reporting that their region and language settings needed to match. It turns out that my region was still set to Hong Kong, where I lived many years ago. We switched to the UK and it seemed to work and they gave us an updated menu.
structure
Call screening introduces a layer between you and new callers.
When someone who isn’t in your contact list dials your number, a Siri-like voice asks for their name and the purpose of the call.
At the same time, you will receive a notification that your call is being screened. When the caller answers, the response is transcribed and the conversation appears in a speech bubble.
Then you can answer the phone.
Don’t want to answer? Tap to reply to one of the prewritten messages, such as “I’ll call you later” or “Send more information,” and an AI voice will read it to the caller.
Or, you can type your own message and have it read out loud with a computer-generated voice.
If you don’t answer right away, the phone will keep ringing until you decide what to do.
teething problems
In theory, call screening is a useful third method between the core options of silencing all unknown callers, including legitimate callers, or letting them through all together.
But anecdotes from Associated Press colleagues and social media users suggest that it doesn’t always work perfectly.
One AP colleague said he was impressed with how seamlessly it worked. Another said it was useful for eliminating cold calls that found their phone number from marketing databases.
“But it’s not very nice when a delivery person calls me and immediately hangs up,” he added.
Some internet users have similar complaints, complaining that important phone calls they were expecting from auto mechanics or plumbers didn’t go through. The caller probably assumed it was an answering machine and didn’t realize they should continue the call and interact.
The first time I had a problem, I ran into another problem. When an unknown caller, mistakenly or not, ignores me by using my name instead of theirs. So I answered, thinking it was someone I knew, and forgot that I could tap and reply asking for the name again.
It turned out that the person who had called had gotten my name and phone number and was trying to get me to take a survey. I had to make an excuse and hang up.
If you don’t like call screening, you can turn it off at any time.
For android
Apple is catching up to Google. Google introduced a similar automatic call screening feature for Pixel users in the US a few years ago.
Last month, the company announced this feature roll out Users in three additional countries: Australia, Canada, and Ireland.
If it’s not already turned on, go to your phone app’s settings and look for the calling screen.
Google’s version is even more automated. When you receive a call from a stranger, your phone asks who the person is and why they are calling. If the call is determined to be a nuisance, the call will be hung up, but if the call is determined to be a legitimate call, the call will continue to ring.
Google warns that it cannot detect all spam calls and robocalls, nor can it always fully understand and transcribe what callers are saying.
Samsung is similarly using the text calling feature of its AI assistant Bixby to offer screen calling to users of its Galaxy Android phones.
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