Machines that make automatic calls can be very insistent. It is not unusual for these robots to call several times a day from the same number, which becomes a nuisance. It is also common to receive fraudulent, commercial or spam text messages (SMS). 

Recently Google has incorporated in the latest version of the Phone application, available on Google Play, the possibility of configuring the mobile so that when a "potentially unwanted" call is automatically sent to the voice mailbox without disturbing the user.

Until now, the Caller Identification feature allowed you to identify who was calling - even if the user did not have the number stored in your contact phone book - from the information available in Google My Business or public directories. Now it is also possible to make the telephone ring even if the calling number is considered by collaborative databases as a telephone spammer.

How to automatically filter "possible" spam calls

This option can be activated in the Phone app settings, under "Caller ID and spam" with the option "Filter spam calls", which by default is disabled.

Once activated when Google can detect the entry of an unwanted call the phone "will not do anything": it will not ring, vibrate or show the missed call. The call will appear in the call history, and if you have the mailbox activated, you could hear the message. This allows you to verify that it was indeed a commercial call or simply know what company you are calling, as long as you leave a message in your voicemail.

If the system "fails" and allows an unwanted call to enter, the user can inform the system that it is a spam call using the Call spam Identification - “Mark the call as spam" option.

To use this option, it is necessary to have the latest version of the Phone app, available in the Play Store.

Service on Samsung smartphones

Samsung phones incorporate a similar function for a couple of years. Also in the settings of the Phone application (from Galaxy S7 smartphones onwards) the option "Caller ID and spam protection" detects unwanted calls and SMS messages. The system is usually disabled by default, so to activate it you have to open the Telephone application and activate it in the settings.

In the case of Samsung smartphones, the function uses many services. Callerident is a company that is dedicated, precisely, to create profiles called to identify both incoming calls "lawful" (although the user does not have the number stored in the contact book) and to identify and block unwanted calls.

If the user wishes, they can send their data to callerident (with the option "share name and number") so that other users identify them when they call them even if they do not have their phone number saved.

The manual method to block unwanted calls

Although these functions and applications facilitate the task of blocking unwanted calls, they are not essential to reduce the volume of telephone spam.

The option "Block number" that is common to find in almost all iPhone and Android phones allows you to do the same manually once the user has already verified that he does not want to receive more calls from a specific number. In that case, simply select that number from the call history and use the "Block number" option.

From that moment on, the phone will not ring when you enter a call from that number, although it will appear in the history. If the same company uses a different number, the same operation must be repeated.