Billions of spam calls were made last year, but Apple is doing what it can to save us from the frustration of robocalls. iOS 13 will let users automatically send incoming calls to voicemail if they came from someone unknown. And this system is actually smarter than just checking the user’s phone book.
Silence unknown callers with iOS 13
According to Apple, “iOS uses Siri intelligence to allow calls to ring your phone from numbers in Contacts, Mail, and Messages. All other calls are automatically sent to voicemail.”
With Silence unknown callers enabled in Settings, the iPhone will check emails and text messages for phone numbers before routing an incoming caller to voicemail. So someone you’ve been emailing with can get through, even through they aren‘t in your address book.
Carriers can now block spam calls too
It’s possible all Americans are going to receive fewer robocalls. The Federal Communications Commission just voted to allow wireless carriers to block these.
“Voice service providers may, as the default, block unwanted calls based on reasonable call analytics, as long as their customers are informed and have the opportunity to opt out of the blocking,” reads a statement from the FCC.
FCC Chairman Ajit Pai, in an editorial in USAToday, said “We expect phone companies will move quickly to use this tool and help consumers block unwanted robocalls.”
