Any type of commercial call is a nuisance. It is an undeniable fact, and whether it is communications with teleoperators or the popular “robocalls”, they arrive at the most inopportune moment. There are tricks to get around them, and a reason why they continue to operate after the implementation of the new General Telecommunications Law that promised to annihilate them.
However, The method that never fails is from Google and you probably have it pre-installed on your Android phone: the call filter acts against robocalls. I don’t even notice them coming to my smartphone anymore, here’s how to activate it.
Pick up a call and have them hang up on me immediately. No thanks
As we have previously commented on Xataka Android, robocalls are a curious form of contact: in case you have received them, you will identify them because When I pick up the phone, no one answers.and then ends the communication.
Behind these calls there is no teleoperator willing to improve the performance of your mobile plan, no. These are automatic calls made by botswith a goal that is at least striking: they are used by scammers and commercial sellers to Check available phone numbers in batch.
The machine does the job of calling and waiting for us to answer, and then an operator joins in. Sometimes, they will simply contact us later, knowing that our number is active. To stop them, there are alternatives such as signing up to the Robinson List, although if we have given prior consent, it will be of little use.
Tired of waiting for them to finish, I found the most powerful barrier to stop them: Google’s call filter. The one that works for the rest of the commercial calls also applies to robocalls. And activating it is very simple.
If you own a Google Pixel or a Xiaomi, you probably have the Google Phone app pre-installed on your phone. If you have a phone that comes with its own Phone app, fear not, you can install the Google app from the Play Store.
Now, How do I use the tools in this app? I explain it in a simple and understandable way in the following section.
An anti-robocall filter with a lot of potential
Google’s powerful call filter works on several levels. But everything is configured and adjusted from the “Phone” app, which as I said before is Available for all Android smartphones.
First of all, in case I get calls with a hidden number, the robocalls will not reach my number: this setting works for calls and also gets filter SMS sent from hidden numbers. Here’s how to activate the feature:
- Open the Phone app and enter its settings
- Play in Blocked numbers
- Check the box next to Unknowns
As a second adjustment, I recommend activate your own call filterlocated in the settings of the application that for me, is the best phone application available for Android. The route is short: “Settings” > “Caller ID and spam”. From there, I recommend activating these two options:
- Caller ID: When activated, I have details about the caller, even if it is not known.
- Filter spam calls: This means that robocalls’ days are numbered. By enabling this switch, calls from numbers that Google recognizes as spam will be automatically blocked and will not reach me.
Finally, in third place, I opt for the manual locknumber by number. This is perhaps the most annoying and least useful: robocalls often change their phone number to disguise themselves. Even so, if they repeat the call, they won’t be able to contact me.
How do you block numbers from Google’s “Phone”? It’s as easy as opening the app, tapping on the “Recents” tab, holding down the number that made the robocall, and from the drop-down menu, selecting “Block or mark as spam.” The rest is history: although they do get through on occasion, most are blocked without any problem.