Knowing how to block phone numbers is now critical information as both consumers and businesses seek to protect privacy and avoid unwanted calls. If you need to block a number and don’t know how to, then please continue reading and see if the tips and procedures that are covered in this guide will work for you.
Telemarketers appear to have found ways to get around the do not call registry and often ignore your requests to be taken off their lists when you actually end up talking to them. Many are also very rude, have poor English skills or simply ignore your requests and keep talking. Call blocking is your answer to all these problems by simply stopping these pests from calling you in the first place.
Block Numbers on Different Phones or Services
Unfortunately, every device or service has a different method of blocking a phone number, so let’s take a look at some of the most common services and operating systems.
VoIP Solutions
If you have a VoIP service for your home or office then you should be in good shape. We have never come across a provider that does not offer call blocking as a basic free feature with no limitations on the quantity of numbers that can be blocked. Simply login to your provider portal, go to the call blocking menu, enter the phone number in question and you should be all set up. Most providers also offer a feature called Anonymous Call Rejection which enables the default blocking of calls where the caller-ID has been deliberately hidden.
iOS (iPhone)
In typical Apple fashion, they have made it easy to block any phone number. Select the phone app and go to the recent calls option. Hit the (i) to the right of the number, scroll down and you will see an option to block this caller. If you want to check your blocked number list or unblock a number then you need to go to Settings -> Phone -> Blocked and you will see your current list that you can then edit.
Android
While there are many different devices that use the Android operating system, blocking calls on an Android phone is a fairly consistent process. Select the Phone app and then go to Call Settings followed by Call Rejection and then Auto Reject List. You will then be presented with a search box where you can either enter a phone number or a contact name to block. You can also accomplish this task from the call log where you simply select the number to block followed by the upper right menu icon, and then select Add to Reject List.
Windows
The windows operating system call blocking feature on a Smartphone needs to be enabled by selecting the Call+SMS filter that is reached via the Settings menu. When you reach the Call+SMS filter you will be asked to accept the terms and conditions. Go ahead and accept and then toggle the option to allow for blocking of calls and SMS messages. To block a number, go to your call history, hold down on the number in question and then hit the block number button.
Blackberry
Select the menu option in the upper right hand corner of the screen (applies to Blackberry PRIV). Go to Settings -> Call Settings -> Call Blocking. For the Blackberry Leap and earlier models select the menu gear on the main screen and choose Call Blocking. Note that you may have to contact your wireless carrier to check for support of this feature. Alternatively download a blackberry call blocking App such as Junk call blocker.
Cell Phone Carrier Call Blocking
If you can’t figure out how to block calls on your cell phone (maybe you don’t even have a Smartphone), then doing it directly at your cell phone service provider is the next place to look.
Verizon Wireless
Verizon has two options to accomplish this task. The first is that you choose a free option where you can block up to 5 numbers with each block expiring after 90 days. This is likely not ideal so an alternative is to choose to pay $5 per month to enable the capability to permanently block up to 20 numbers.
AT&T Wireless
There is no obvious way to block numbers in the AT&T wireless users portal so we suggest sticking to device level blocking options. AT&T does offer an add-on feature called Smart Limits that includes the ability to block up to 30 numbers as an option. This feature costs an additional $4.99 per month for use on one device or $9.99 for use on up to 10 devices.
T-Mobile
For number blocking to work with T-Mobile, you will need to first sign-up for the Family Allowances add-on which will then allow you to block up to 10 numbers.
Sprint
Sprint makes this pretty easy in addition to being a free feature. Sign in to your user portal and click the My Preferences Tab. You can then navigate to the Block Voice menu that is listed under Limits and Permissions. At this point there are a few options to choose from, one of which is enter the number that you want to block.
Call Blocking Apps
If all else has failed in your attempts to stop scammers and telemarketers from constantly calling your Smartphone number, it is worth taking a look at some of the many call blocking Apps that are now available for either iOS or Andoid devices.
Blocking numbers at your Cable provider
This section will look at more traditional home and business phone service offered by your local telecommunications and cable providers.
AT&T U-verse
It is possible to block numbers with AT&T U-verse phone service by first logging into the user portal and then selecting Manage Features from the Home Phone page. From there, navigate to the Call Filtering section and select the option for Call Blocking. Turn the feature on and you can then add up to 20 numbers with no additional charges.
Comcast
The Xfinity / Comcast call blocking feature allows you to block of up to 25 numbers. There are a number of ways to enable call screening and you can review these procedures on the Comcast Xfinity Voice feature guide. The Comcast business voice service refers to this feature as selective call screening or selective call rejection and allows for up to 12 numbers to be rejected.
Verizon
You can block a number on Verizon business phone service, which allows for the blocking of either 6 or 12 numbers, depending on your region.
Frontier
This feature is referred to as Selective Call Rejection and you can add or remove numbers on your rejection list by using your phone's keypad. For specific instructions, please visit the calling features section of Frontier.com.
Time Warner
This provider allows for up to 30 numbers to be added to the selective call rejection list that is managed via the voice manager portal.
Conclusion
The fight against unwanted calls often seems to be never ending and can potentially be an even worse nightmare if you have purchased a new phone number that someone else previously owned. You need to be armed and ready to fight back against these annoying callers by blocking their numbers.
That being said if you currently have a phone service that does not support a call blocking feature then it is perhaps time to consider a new solution.
PREV