Understanding Unwanted Calls and Texts: What's Happening
Unwanted calls and text messages have become a major problem for phone users across the United States. In 2023, Americans received an estimated 26.3 billion spam calls, according to research from RoboKiller. These unwanted contacts range from robocalls trying to sell products, to scams attempting to steal personal information, to legitimate businesses calling about past-due accounts. Understanding what you're dealing with is the first step toward reducing these interruptions.
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Robocalls are automated calls that deliver recorded messages. They're used by telemarketers, debt collectors, political campaigns, and scammers. Text spam works similarly but through SMS messages, often containing links to malicious websites or requests for personal information. The technology that enables these calls and texts has become increasingly sophisticated, making it harder for people to identify which contacts are real and which are not.
Your phone number may end up on calling lists through several common paths. You might have shared it when signing up for a service, entered it in a public directory, posted it online, or a company may have purchased data that included your number. Scammers also use technology to generate phone numbers randomly, so you may receive unwanted contact even if you've never shared your information anywhere.
Different types of unwanted calls carry different risks. Legitimate debt collectors have rules about how often they can call, but scammers pretending to be debt collectors ignore these rules entirely. Telemarketing calls about products and services may be annoying but typically low-risk. Phishing calls asking you to verify bank information or Social Security numbers are high-risk attempts to steal your identity. Learning to recognize these differences helps you respond appropriately to each type of call or text.
Practical Takeaway: Keep a simple log of unwanted calls and texts you receive, noting the number, time, and what the caller claimed to want. This information helps you spot patterns and provides details if you decide to report the contact to authorities.
Using Your Phone's Built-In Protection Features
Most modern smartphones come with features designed to block or filter unwanted calls and text messages. These tools are free and require no subscription, making them the first line of defense against spam. Learning how to use these features on your specific phone model can significantly reduce the number of unwanted contacts you receive.
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On iPhones running iOS 13 or later, you can enable "Filter Unknown Senders" in the Settings app under Phone. This feature automatically separates calls and texts from people not in your contacts into a separate tab, so they don't interrupt you. You can also manually block specific numbers by opening the phone number in your recent calls or messages, tapping the information button, scrolling down, and selecting "Block this Caller." Blocked callers can still leave voicemails, but their calls won't ring through and won't appear in your call logs.
Android phones offer similar built-in tools. In the Phone app, open recent calls, long-press on a number you want to block, and select "Block Number." For text messages, open the message from an unwanted sender, tap the three-dot menu, and choose "Block." Many Android phones also have a spam filter that can be enabled in the messaging app settings. Google's built-in Call Screen feature on Pixel phones can automatically screen unknown calls and display transcripts of voicemails.
Beyond blocking individual numbers, you can set up "Do Not Disturb" or "Focus Mode" to limit interruptions during specific times. On iPhones, this is found in Settings under Focus, and on Android, it's under Digital Wellbeing. These features allow calls only from your contacts or favorites while silencing everything else. You can schedule these modes to activate automatically during sleeping hours or work time.
One important limitation of built-in tools: they react to unwanted contacts after they reach you. They don't prevent the call or text from coming in the first place, though they do stop it from interrupting you. For this reason, many people combine built-in tools with other strategies mentioned in this guide.
Practical Takeaway: Spend 15 minutes today enabling your phone's spam filter and Do Not Disturb features. Start by reviewing your phone's settings to find these options, then turn them on with settings that match your daily schedule.
Third-Party Blocking Apps and Services
Beyond your phone's built-in features, numerous apps are available to provide additional layers of protection against unwanted calls and texts. These apps work by maintaining databases of known spam and scam numbers, analyzing incoming calls in real-time, and blocking or filtering them before they reach you. Some are free while others charge a subscription fee for advanced features.
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Popular free and freemium blocking apps include Truecaller, RoboKiller, Nomorobo, and Hiya. Truecaller operates a community-based system where users report spam numbers, and the app blocks calls from numbers reported by large numbers of users. RoboKiller uses artificial intelligence trained on millions of known robocalls to identify and block spam. Nomorobo focuses specifically on robocalls and works on both smartphones and landlines. Hiya combines spam detection with reverse phone lookup features so you can see information about incoming callers.
The way these apps work differs slightly from your phone's built-in tools. Rather than just filtering known contacts from unknown ones, they actively compare incoming calls against databases of known spam numbers. Some apps also analyze the caller's behavior—for example, whether they're using technology to hide their real number or calling from known spam ranges. This approach can catch scams that built-in tools might miss.
When considering a third-party app, review what it requires permission to access. Some apps need access to your contacts, call history, and text messages to work effectively. Before downloading, read user reviews and check whether the app developer is a reputable company. Be cautious of apps that promise to block all spam completely, as no tool catches everything. Also verify whether the app works on your phone's operating system—not all blocking apps are available for both iPhone and Android.
Subscription-based versions of these apps often offer features like priority support, advanced analytics about your calls, and integration with other devices like smartwatches. However, the free versions of most apps provide substantial protection for most users. The choice between free and paid versions depends on your level of nuisance and what additional features matter to you.
Practical Takeaway: Research two free blocking apps that work on your phone, read their user reviews on your phone's app store, and try one for two weeks to see if it reduces unwanted calls and texts before deciding whether to keep it or try another option.
Steps to Report Unwanted Calls and Texts to Authorities
Reporting unwanted calls and texts serves an important purpose beyond your personal situation. When you report spam and scams to authorities, you provide information that helps law enforcement track patterns, identify criminal networks, and potentially shut down operations. The more reports an agency receives about the same number or scam type, the more likely they are to investigate.
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The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) operates a database called the National Do Not Call Registry, where you can register your phone number to reduce telemarketing calls. You can register at donotcall.gov or by calling 1-888-382-1222 from the phone you want to register. Registration is permanent and free. However, this registry does not stop all calls—political campaigns, charities, surveys, and debt collectors may still legally call you. Additionally, scammers don't follow Do Not Call rules, so registration won't stop those contacts.
To report unwanted calls or texts to the FTC, visit reportfraud.ftc.gov or call 1-888-382-1222. You can also text "STOP" to 7726 (SPAM on your keypad) if you're reporting a text message. When you report, provide as much detail as possible: the phone number, date and time of contact, what the caller said, and whether they asked for money or personal information. These reports help the FTC identify scam trends and warn the public.
Your phone provider can also be notified of spam and scams. Major carriers like AT&T, Verizon, T-Mobile, and others have abuse reporting methods available through their customer service. Some providers have dedicated online portals where you can report spam numbers. Reporting to your carrier gives them information about which numbers are causing problems on their network, which can lead them to block calls at the network level before they reach customers.