Download ArticleA simple guide to blocking unknown calls on stock Android or Samsung Galaxy
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This article was written by Mitch Harris and by How.com.vn staff writer, Travis Boylls. Mitch Harris is a Consumer Technology Expert based in the San Francisco Bay Area. Mitch runs his own IT Consulting company called Mitch the Geek, helping individuals and businesses with home office technology, data security, remote support, and cybersecurity compliance. Mitch earned a BS in Psychology, English, and Physics and graduated Cum Laude from Northern Arizona University.
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This article has been viewed 227,937 times.
Are you receiving a lot of calls from numbers you don't recognize? Spam calls can be incredibly frustrating, especially when you are trying to spend time with your family. Luckily, it is easy to block calls from unknown numbers using the Phone app on both stock Android phones and Samsung Galaxy devices. This How.com.vn article teaches you how to block calls from unknown callers on your Android smartphone.
Things You Should Know
- Open the Phone app and go to ⋮ > Settings > Blocked numbers. Tap the toggle switch next to "Unknown" or "Block calls from unknown numbers."
- To block a specific number in the stock Android phone app, tap the number in your recent calls, and then tap "Block/Report Spam."
- To block a specific number on Samsung, go to ⋮ > Settings > Blocked calls, enter the number, and then tap "+."
Steps
Open the Phone app. It has an icon that resembles a blue Phone receiver.- If you don't have the Phone by Google app on your smartphone, you can download it for free from the Google Play Store, even on Samsung Galaxy devices.
Tap ⋮. It's the icon with three dots in the upper-right corner of the Phone app. This displays a drop-down menu.Advertisement
Tap Settings. It's in the menu that appears when you tap the icon with three dots in the upper-right corner. This opens the Settings menu.
Tap Blocked Calls. It's in the settings menu. It's next to an icon that resembles a circle with a line through it.
Tap the toggle switchnext to "Unknown." When this is enabled, the Phone app will block all calls listed as "Unknown." You will still be able to receive calls from people who are not in your Contacts list.[1]
- If you want to block calls from a specific number you don't recognize, you can block individual numbers using the Phone app, or by contacting your cellular provider.
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Open the Phone app. You'll find this phone-shaped app icon on the Home Screen, or you can swipe up or down to open the App Drawer and look for it there.[2]
Tap ⋮. It's the icon with three dots in the top-right corner of the screen. Tapping it opens a drop-down menu.
Tap Settings. It's at the bottom of the drop-down menu. Doing so opens the Call Settings page.
Tap Block numbers. It's at the top of the Call Settings menu. This displays your blocked number's settings.
Tap the toggle switchnext to "Block calls from unknown numbers." When this is enabled, the Phone app will block all calls listed as "Unknown." You will still be able to receive calls from people who are not in your Contacts list.- If you want to block calls from a specific number you don't recognize, you can block individual numbers using the Phone app, or by contacting your cellular provider.
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Open the Phone app. It has an icon that resembles a blue phone receiver. It can be found on your Home screen or Apps menu.
Tap Recents. It's the middle tab at the bottom of the page. This displays all your recent calls.[3]
Tap and hold the number you want to block. This will display a menu.
Tap Block/report spam. This name of the option may vary, but you should see something along the lines of Block here. A confirmation message will appear.
Tap Block. It's in the lower-right corner of the confirmation pop-up. This blocks the number from contacting you.- If you want to report the number as spam, ensure the "Report call as spam" checkbox is checked.
- To unblock a number, tap the icon with three dots in the upper-right corner and tap Settings. Tap Blocked numbers. Tap the "X" icon next to the number you want to unblock.
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Open the Phone app. You'll find this phone-shaped app icon on the Home Screen, or you can swipe up or down to open the App Drawer and look for it there.[4]
Tap ⋮. It's the icon with three dots in the top-right corner of the screen. Tapping it opens a drop-down menu.
Tap Settings. It's at the bottom of the drop-down menu. Doing so opens the Call Settings page.
Tap Block numbers. It's at the top of the Call Settings menu. This displays your blocked call settings and your blocked numbers.
Enter the number you want to block. Enter the number you want to block on the line that says "Add phone number." It's below the toggle switch to block unknown numbers.
Tap +. The green plus (+) icon will appear next to the line where you enter a number when a valid phone number is entered. This will add the number to your list of blocked numbers. You can see your list of blocked numbers at the bottom of the Blocked Call Settings menu.- To remove a blocked number from your list, tap the minus (-) sign next to the blocked number in your list of blocked numbers.
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Tips
- You can also block unwanted calls by registering your number with the National Do Not Call registry.Thanks
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Warnings
- Setting your phone to block unknown numbers may block unlisted numbers you need to receive.Thanks
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References
About This Article
Consumer Technology Expert
This article was written by Mitch Harris and by How.com.vn staff writer, Travis Boylls. Mitch Harris is a Consumer Technology Expert based in the San Francisco Bay Area. Mitch runs his own IT Consulting company called Mitch the Geek, helping individuals and businesses with home office technology, data security, remote support, and cybersecurity compliance. Mitch earned a BS in Psychology, English, and Physics and graduated Cum Laude from Northern Arizona University. This article has been viewed 227,937 times.
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Co-authors: 6
Updated: November 15, 2023
Views: 227,937
Categories: Featured Articles | Android
Article SummaryX
1. Open Phone.
2. Open your recent calls.
3. Tap and hold the number.
4. Tap Block/report spam.
5. Tap Block.
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Thanks to all authors for creating a page that has been read 227,937 times.
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