How to Stop Spam Calls on iPhone (2026 Guide)

Why Your iPhone Won't Stop Ringing

If your iPhone is flooded with spam calls, you are not alone. The FCC estimates that Americans receive approximately 50 billion robocalls per year, roughly 150 calls per person. Spam calls are the single most common consumer complaint to the FCC, and the problem continues to grow despite regulatory efforts.

The reason is straightforward: your phone number is being bought and sold by data brokers. These companies collect your number from public records, online forms, app permissions, and commercial databases, then sell it in bulk to telemarketers, lead generators, and scammers. Every method in this guide will help reduce spam calls, but only one addresses the root cause.

Here are seven proven methods to stop spam calls on your iPhone, ordered from quick fixes to the permanent solution.

Method 1: Silence Unknown Callers (Built-In)

Apple's "Silence Unknown Callers" feature is the fastest way to immediately reduce spam calls. It routes all calls from numbers not in your contacts, recent outgoing calls, or Siri suggestions directly to voicemail.

How to Enable Silence Unknown Callers

• Open Settings on your iPhone
• Scroll down and tap Phone
• Scroll to the "Call Silencing and Blocked Contacts" section
• Tap Silence Unknown Callers
• Toggle the switch to On (green)

What Happens When It Is Enabled

• Calls from unknown numbers go directly to voicemail without ringing
• The call still appears in your Recent calls list
• The caller can still leave a voicemail
• If someone calls you and you do not have their number, they will be silenced the first time but not the second time if you call them back (their number becomes a "recent outgoing call")

Limitations

• You will miss legitimate calls from doctors' offices, delivery drivers, schools, and businesses calling from numbers not in your contacts
• Does not block the calls: Spammers still reach your voicemail, and your number remains in their databases
• No filtering intelligence: It blocks ALL unknown numbers, not just spam

Best For

People who primarily communicate via text and rarely receive calls from unknown numbers. Not ideal if you are job hunting, expecting medical calls, or running a business.

Method 2: Live Voicemail (iOS 17+)

If you use Silence Unknown Callers, Live Voicemail (introduced in iOS 17) makes it much more practical by showing you a real-time transcription of voicemails as they are being left.

How to Use Live Voicemail

• Enable Silence Unknown Callers (Method 1 above)
• When an unknown caller is sent to voicemail, a notification appears showing the caller's name (if available) and a live transcription
• Read the transcription as the caller speaks
• If the call is legitimate, tap Pick Up to answer before they hang up
• If it is spam, let it go to voicemail or tap End to disconnect

How to Enable Live Voicemail

• Open Settings
• Tap Phone
• Tap Live Voicemail
• Toggle to On

Note: Live Voicemail requires iOS 17 or later and is available in English (US) and English (Canada) at launch, with additional languages added in later updates.

Method 3: Carrier Spam Protection Tools

All three major US carriers offer free spam call identification and blocking tools. These tools analyze call patterns and known scam numbers to identify and label or block spam calls before they reach you.

AT&T: ActiveArmor (formerly AT&T Call Protect)

Free version includes:

• Automatic fraud call blocking
• Spam risk labels on suspicious calls
• Personal block list
• Spam call reporting

How to set up:

• Download AT&T ActiveArmor from the App Store
• Open the app and sign in with your AT&T account
• Follow the setup prompts to enable automatic blocking
• Customize your blocking preferences

Advanced version ($3.99/month) adds:

• Reverse number lookup
• Data breach notifications
• Identity monitoring

T-Mobile: Scam Shield

Free version includes:

• Scam ID (labels likely scam calls)
• Scam Block (sends likely scam calls to voicemail)
• Caller ID for unknown numbers
• Report spam numbers

How to set up:

• Download T-Mobile Scam Shield from the App Store
• Sign in with your T-Mobile account
• Toggle on "Scam Block" to automatically block identified scam calls
• Enable "Caller ID" to see names for unknown numbers

Premium version ($4/month) adds:

• Category filtering (telemarketers, political, surveys)
• Voicemail-to-text
• Reverse number lookup

Verizon: Call Filter

Free version includes:

• Spam detection and labels
• Spam filter (high-risk calls go to voicemail)
• Report spam numbers
• Personal block and allow lists

How to set up:

• Download Verizon Call Filter from the App Store
• Sign in with your Verizon account
• Enable spam filtering in the app settings
• Customize your filter level (Low, Medium, High)

Plus version ($2.99/month) adds:

• Caller ID for unknown numbers
• Personal spam and robocall risk meter
• Spam lookup tool

Carrier Tool Limitations

• They primarily catch known scam numbers and patterns. New scam operations often slip through for days or weeks.
• They do not address the root cause: your phone number being sold by data brokers.
• Some legitimate calls may be incorrectly labeled as spam (false positives).

Method 4: Register with the National Do Not Call Registry

The National Do Not Call Registry is a free service operated by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) that prohibits legitimate telemarketers from calling registered numbers.

How to Register

• Visit donotcall.gov
• Click "Register Your Phone"
• Enter your phone number
• Enter your email address
• Click "Register"
• Verify by clicking the link in the confirmation email

What You Need to Know

• Registration is permanent (it no longer expires after 5 years, as of 2008)
• Takes effect within 31 days of registration
• Free: No cost to register or maintain
• Cover both cell phones and landlines

What the DNC Registry Does NOT Do

This is critical: the Do Not Call Registry does not stop scammers. The registry only applies to legitimate businesses that follow the law. Illegal robocallers and overseas scam operations ignore the registry entirely.

The DNC Registry also does not apply to:

• Political calls and surveys
• Charitable solicitation calls
• Informational calls (appointment reminders, flight notifications)
• Calls from companies you have an existing business relationship with

Is It Worth Registering?

Yes, but with realistic expectations. Registration will reduce legitimate telemarketing calls (car warranty offers from real companies, home improvement solicitations, etc.), but it will have zero impact on the illegal robocalls and scam calls that make up the majority of unwanted calls today.

Method 5: Third-Party Call Blocking Apps

Several third-party apps provide more sophisticated spam call blocking than what Apple or the carriers offer.

Recommended Apps

Truecaller (Free with premium options)

• Crowd-sourced spam number database (over 2 billion numbers)
• Caller ID for unknown numbers
• Automatic spam call blocking
• Works internationally
• Privacy concern: by using Truecaller, you contribute your contacts to their database

Hiya (Free with premium options)

• Spam identification and blocking
• Caller ID
• Reverse phone lookup
• Used by Samsung as their default spam protection
• Does not upload your contacts (unlike some competitors)

Nomorobo (Free for VoIP, $1.99/month for mobile)

• FTC award-winning robocall blocker
• Real-time call screening
• Focuses specifically on robocalls and telemarketers
• Simpler interface, fewer features

How to Enable a Third-Party Call Blocker on iPhone

After installing your chosen app:

• Open Settings
• Tap Phone
• Tap Call Blocking & Identification
• Toggle on the installed app
• If multiple apps are installed, arrange them in priority order

Privacy Trade-Off

Most call blocking apps require access to your call data to function. Some, like Truecaller, upload your contacts to their servers to build their identification database. Read each app's privacy policy carefully and understand what data you are sharing.

Method 6: Block Individual Numbers

For persistent callers, you can block specific numbers directly on your iPhone.

How to Block a Number

From the Phone app:

• Open the Phone app
• Tap Recents
• Tap the info button (circled "i") next to the number you want to block
• Scroll down and tap Block this Caller
• Tap Block Contact to confirm

From Settings:

• Open Settings
• Tap Phone
• Tap Blocked Contacts
• Tap Add New to add numbers manually

Limitations

• Spammers rotate numbers frequently, so blocking individual numbers is like playing whack-a-mole
• iPhone has no hard limit on blocked numbers, but managing a large block list is impractical
• Spoofed numbers cannot be effectively blocked because the same scammer calls from different numbers each time

Method 7: Remove Your Number from Data Brokers (The Permanent Fix)

Every method above treats symptoms. This method treats the disease.

Your phone number appears on dozens of data broker websites right now. These sites sell your number to telemarketers, lead generators, and scammers in bulk. As long as your number is in these databases, you will continue to receive spam calls no matter how many you block.

Why This Is the Most Effective Method

When your phone number is removed from data broker databases:

• Telemarketers can no longer purchase it as part of targeted call lists
• Scammers lose their primary source of phone numbers to call
• Your number stops propagating through the data broker ecosystem
• New spam calls decrease over time as existing lists age out

Research by data privacy organizations has found that individuals who remove their information from data brokers experience a measurable reduction in spam calls within 30-60 days, with continued improvement over 3-6 months as old call lists are cycled out.

How to Remove Your Number from Data Brokers

Manual approach:

• Search for your phone number on major people-search sites: Spokeo, BeenVerified, Whitepages, TruePeopleSearch, FastPeopleSearch, Radaris, Intelius, and others
• Submit opt-out requests on each site (each has a different process)
• Wait for processing (24 hours to 6 weeks depending on the broker)
• Verify removal by searching again
• Repeat every 3-6 months as your information gets re-listed

Estimated time: 40-80 hours for initial removal across major brokers, plus ongoing maintenance.

Automated approach:

GhostMyData scans 1,500+ data broker databases for your phone number, name, and other personal information. We submit opt-out requests on your behalf and continuously monitor for re-listings. Most users see a noticeable reduction in spam calls within the first month.

Start with a free privacy scan to see exactly where your phone number is currently exposed. View pricing plans for ongoing automated protection.

The Complete Anti-Spam Stack for iPhone

For maximum protection, combine these methods:

Layer

Method

What It Stops

1	Data broker removal	Prevents new spam at the source
2	Carrier spam tool	Blocks known scam patterns
3	Silence Unknown Callers + Live Voicemail	Catches everything else
4	Do Not Call Registry	Reduces legitimate telemarketing
5	Individual blocking	Handles persistent specific numbers

Using all five layers together provides the most comprehensive spam call protection available on iPhone.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why do I still get spam calls after registering with the Do Not Call Registry?

The Do Not Call Registry only applies to legitimate businesses that follow the law. The vast majority of spam calls today come from illegal robocall operations, often based overseas, that ignore the registry entirely. The registry is worth maintaining for the legitimate telemarketing calls it does block, but it is not a solution for illegal robocalls.

Does Silence Unknown Callers block all spam calls?

It silences (sends to voicemail) all calls from numbers not in your contacts, recent outgoing calls, or Siri suggestions. This catches most spam calls but also silences legitimate calls from unknown numbers. Use Live Voicemail (iOS 17+) to screen these calls in real time.

How long does it take for spam calls to decrease after data broker removal?

Most users report a noticeable decrease within 30-60 days. The full effect takes 3-6 months because existing call lists that already contain your number need time to age out. Continuous monitoring prevents new re-listings from restarting the cycle.

Can spam callers leave voicemails even if I use Silence Unknown Callers?

Yes. Silence Unknown Callers sends the call to voicemail, so callers can still leave messages. To prevent spam voicemails, some carriers offer a "spam filter" option that blocks identified spam calls before they reach voicemail.

Is it worth paying for premium carrier spam protection?

For most people, the free versions of AT&T ActiveArmor, T-Mobile Scam Shield, or Verizon Call Filter are sufficient. The premium versions add caller ID and reverse lookup, which are useful but not essential. Your money is better spent on data broker removal, which addresses the root cause.

Why do spam calls come from numbers with my area code?

This technique is called "neighbor spoofing." Scammers forge the caller ID to display a local number, making you more likely to answer. The actual call often originates from a VoIP service overseas. Blocking these individual numbers is ineffective because each call uses a different spoofed number.

Related Reading

• What Can Someone Do with Your Phone Number?
• How Scammers Get Your Personal Information
• What Is a Data Broker? Everything You Need to Know
• Compare Data Removal Services