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Apple needs to change iPhone’s call UI because robocalls are killing us

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Re: Apple needs to change iPhone’s call UI because robocalls are killing us

#91

Post by quicklime »

ap3 wrote: post #81
pocketstar wrote: post #51

imo the best way to combat this is to answer the call and waste as much of the scammers time as possible. Call spamming only scales because most people ignore or hangup immediately. If you waste 30seconds of a scammers time thats 30 more people they cant call. And that 30 seconds costs THEM money. I just answer say “hi” to start the recording and leave the phone on my desk until they hangup. Perhaps i dont completely…

How much is your time worth vs the robocallers ?

When I was getting robocalls a while back, I started saying "hi" and letting them talk, then I'd put the phone on mute and continue whatever I was doing. The calls stopped a few weeks after that. Usually this would take about 10 seconds of my time, and about 90 seconds of theirs, per call.

I'm pretty sure that over the long term, it costs me less time as it made the problem completely go away.

Things that I'd tried before that, that didn't work, include: immediately hanging up, politely and no-so-politely asking them not to call back.

Re: Apple needs to change iPhone’s call UI because robocalls are killing us

#92

Post by gryyfin »

thatswrong0 wrote: post #4

I would love to be able to block all numbers coming from my area code and the first 3 digits of my number.. all my robo calls come from a number that looks just like mine.

There is an app on the Apple App Store called Exchange Blocker, it automatically blocks all calls from your area code and first 3 digits. I use it, and it works great so far

Re: Apple needs to change iPhone’s call UI because robocalls are killing us

#93

Post by catacombs »

kokokokoko wrote: post #54
IshKebab wrote: post #31

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I like in the UK and get maybe 5 robocalls a year. I'm not at all cautious about giving out my phone number and I've had the same number for at least 10 years. Why is this such a problem in America but not elsewhere?

It's not. Robocalls are one of those things that really upsets a small subset of people either because they are overly sensitive to robocalls or that they are a member of that unlucky subset that does receive a very high amount. Like most things in the social media era, the grievances of a very vocal minority appear to be a larger group than they actually are. For example, the title of the article tells us that roboc…

> Robocalls are one of those things that really upsets a small subset of people either because they are overly sensitive to robocalls or that they are a member of that unlucky subset that does receive a very high amount.

And you never get Robocalls?

Re: Apple needs to change iPhone’s call UI because robocalls are killing us

#95

Post by StudentStuff »

ac29 wrote: post #82
awakeasleep wrote: post #14

"At the telelphony-infrastructure level, it’s a supremely difficult problem that lacks a short-term fix because the underlying protocol is hopelessly insecure." This is only partly true. Technologically the solution is difficult, but it's easy from the social side as carriers can blacklist the smaller carriers that allow this fraud to take place. The real problem is that everyone except the consumer benefits from thi…

There already is a proposed technological solution to this: https://transnexus.com/whitepapers/stir-and-shaken-overview/ The FCC has recently "demanded" US telecoms to implement this [0], but at this point I don't believe there is actually a regulatory requirement to do so. [0] https://docs.fcc.gov/public/attachments/DOC-354933A1.pdf

Until there is a regulation requiring stir & shaken to be implemented, you won't be able to trust your caller ID. Most of the telecom industry is stuck on legacy tech stacks that they actively resist upgrading, thus why calls are slung bareback over the web with no encryption on the metadata or the audio stream for nearly all providers.

Re: Apple needs to change iPhone’s call UI because robocalls are killing us

#96

Post by win2020 »

org3432 wrote: post #94

So the garbage dump we call a USPS mailbox doesn't rise to the same level of concern for some reason still?

USPS gets paid to deliver spam... why would they want to stop it? actually, they even give cheaper rates to the spammers because they spam so much...

Re: Apple needs to change iPhone’s call UI because robocalls are killing us

#97

Post by javagram »

org3432 wrote: post #94

So the garbage dump we call a USPS mailbox doesn't rise to the same level of concern for some reason still?

The USPS mailbox can be consumed asynchronously.

Isn’t it possible to opt out of a lot of bulk mail anyway? Bulk mail can never be as bad as online spam since it’s much more expensive to mail and easier to trace a sender.

Re: Apple needs to change iPhone’s call UI because robocalls are killing us

#98

Post by charlesju »

javery wrote: post #30
mikestew wrote: post #9

AFAIK, it's still the case that I can't block everything but numbers in my contacts, right? That's all I'm asking, and it can't be that hard. Add that simple feature that should have been there ten years ago and the problem is solved for me.

You can do this, just set your phone to Do Not Disturb and then set it to "allow calls from my contacts"

This is only partially true on iOS. It doesn't take into account when you're using the phone, then it just lets everything through. Which is SUPPERRRRR annoying.

Re: Apple needs to change iPhone’s call UI because robocalls are killing us

#99

Post by javagram »

mchannon wrote: post #23
thatswrong0 wrote: post #4

I would love to be able to block all numbers coming from my area code and the first 3 digits of my number.. all my robo calls come from a number that looks just like mine.

Hear hear. An interesting corner case is when the call is from your exact number. I wonder if the keepers of the POTS (plain old telephone system) can start putting in safeguards to curtail the ability to fake your source phone number. I get that there are myriad instances where this is above board and even necessary, but nobody's proposing any changes.

Ajit Pai recently announced the FCC is pushing carriers towards this type of system.

https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2018/11/ajit-pai-slams-s...

> "Under the SHAKEN/STIR framework, calls traveling through interconnected phone networks would be 'signed' as legitimate by originating carriers and validated by other carriers before reaching consumers," Pai's press release explained. "The framework digitally validates the handoff of phone calls passing through the complex web of networks, allowing the phone company of the consumer receiving the call to verify that a call is from the person supposedly making it."

Re: Apple needs to change iPhone’s call UI because robocalls are killing us

#100

Post by cityzen »

About a year ago I put my phone on DND and have left it on ever since. My wife and the kids school are in my favorites so they can get through. If I have to make business calls I will initiate the call or just remember to turn it off if I get a calendar reminder for an incoming call. Maybe it will bite me in the ass at some point but it has been really nice to feel like I actually have some control of my phone again.
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