The iPhone's new call screening feature makes updating to iOS 26 totally worth it for me

20 hours ago 7

This hidden iOS 26 diagnostic answers chartless calls for maine truthful I don't person to - here's how

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ZDNET's cardinal takeaways

iOS 26 adds built-in telephone screening for chartless numbers.
Let an automated dependable inquire for the caller's reason.
Transcripts tin assistance you determine whether to reply oregon ignore.

I get a ton of chartless and spam calls, and aft years of reading ZDNET articles astir telephone scams, I ne'er reply these random numbers -- I conscionable fto them spell to voicemail. However, with iOS 26, Apple yet provided maine with a caller mode to grip these calls without compromising my safety. The update introduced a built-in telephone screening diagnostic tucked wrong the Phone app settings.

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With this feature, an automated dependable answers chartless calls connected my behalf, asks the caller to authorities their sanction and crushed for calling, and past displays a transcript truthful I tin determine whether to answer.

Technically, the caller telephone screening diagnostic tin bash 3 things:

Let the chartless telephone spell done similar normal.
Silence the chartless telephone truthful it goes consecutive to voicemail.
Or -- my favourite -- person an automated dependable surface the chartless caller.

After investigating the past enactment this past week, I tin honestly accidental it's 1 of my favourite iOS 26 features. It keeps spam distant and gives maine much power implicit chartless calls. Here's precisely however to acceptable it up.

How to surface chartless calls connected your iPhone

What you'll need: An iPhone moving iOS 26. I utilized my iPhone 16 Pro to instrumentality screenshots for this article.

The archetypal measurement is to unfastened the Settings app and find the Phone paper nether Apps. This is wherever Apple tucked distant each its caller telephone screening controls.

Open the Settings app (gray icon with gears).
In Settings, spell to Apps > Phone (or hunt for "Phone" successful Settings and prime it).

Open the Settings app and spell to Phone

In iOS 26, Apple gives you a fewer antithetic ways to negociate calls from numbers you haven't saved.

The default setting, Never, lets chartless calls ringing done and look successful your Recents list. Silence goes the different way, sending each chartless calls consecutive to voicemail without bothering you. The mediate option, Ask Reason for Calling, prompts the caller to accidental who they are and wherefore they're calling, past delivers you a speedy transcript truthful you tin determine whether to prime up oregon disregard it.

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In the Phone menu, scroll until you spot Screen Unknown Callers. There, you'll find the 3 options:

Never: Calls from unsaved numbers ringing through, and missed calls look successful your Recents list.
Ask Reason for Calling: Unsaved numbers are asked for much accusation earlier your iPhone rings. Calling and information rates whitethorn apply.
Silence: Unsaved numbers are silenced, sent to voicemail, and logged successful Recents. Calling and information rates whitethorn apply.

I truly similar utilizing Ask Reason for Calling. I've recovered it successfully weeds retired spam calls portion inactive giving maine the accidental to reply morganatic ones I mightiness not privation to miss. If you're similar maine and get overwhelmed with robocalls during the week, this mounting is worthy a try. Or spell with Silence for full bid of caput -- conscionable cognize you mightiness miss important calls, though the caller tin ever permission a voicemail.

Either way, you tin alteration your mounting anytime, and it's amusive to experiment.

Find 'Screen Unknown Callers' and take an option

iOS 26 tin besides abstracted chartless and spam calls from your Recents log successful the Phone app, moving them into their ain lists truthful they don't clutter up your main telephone history.

Open Settings > Apps > Phone.
Under Filter Calls, crook on:

Unknown Callers: Unsaved numbers are moved from Recents into a abstracted Unknown list.
Spam: Suspected spam is silenced, sent to voicemail, and added to a Spam list. (On my phone, calls are identified by Verizon, truthful this appears to beryllium a carrier-supported feature.)

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Later, you tin spell into the Unknown database and people definite numbers arsenic known if you privation them moved backmost into Recents. In the Phone app, pat Filter > Unknown Callers > the fig > Mark arsenic Known. You tin besides delete entries from the list. In the Spam list, you tin reappraisal flagged calls and delete them if you'd like.

Use telephone filtering to support your Recents log tidy

Which iPhones enactment telephone screening?

Any iPhone that tin update to iOS 26 has this feature. It's not constricted to the newest models and doesn't necessitate Apple Intelligence.

How does telephone screening enactment successful practice?

Before I fto iOS 26's telephone screening diagnostic grip each incoming calls I haven't saved successful my contacts, I decided to trial it.

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I had my hubby telephone maine from an chartless fig (he utilized his friend's phone, which I hadn't saved). He said an automated dependable came connected and told him, "Hi, if you grounds your sanction and crushed for calling, I'll spot if this idiosyncratic is available." My telephone stayed soundless arsenic the telephone rang, and I watched it transcribe his effect connected my screen.

Meanwhile, my hubby said helium waited little than 30 seconds for maine to prime up.

With telephone screening, bash important calls get silenced by mistake?

Possibly. For example, erstwhile I tried investigating Silence, I had an chartless telephone from my wellness security institution silenced and routed to voicemail. Not a large woody to me, but you should experimentation with the diagnostic for a portion to spot if it's adjacent thing you find useful.

Are determination different telephone filtering features I tin try?

Yes. Your iPhone tin besides assistance verify incoming calls from businesses. It uses accusation from Apple Business Connect oregon supported carriers to place and show the caller.