Just checked, I got this feature on stock samsung s8(phone-settings-block numbers-block unknown callers)? Are you talking about iphone(as if it is a default phone vendor) ?
Ask HN: Why can’t I block all incoming calls that aren’t in my contact list?
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Re: Ask HN: Why can’t I block all incoming calls that aren’t in my contact list?
#12Or even maybe just a wildcard option, e.g. "block all calls from 555-*" would be nice
The vast majority of junk calls I receive on my cell have my local area code so that wouldn’t work.
Just get a number with an area code outside of your current location. I wound-up in this situation and it's a good junk filter. To their credit, T-Mobile also does decent spam filtering.
Re: Ask HN: Why can’t I block all incoming calls that aren’t in my contact list?
#13Just checked, I got this feature on stock samsung s8(phone-settings-block numbers-block unknown callers)? Are you talking about iphone(as if it is a default phone vendor) ?
There is a difference between unknown callers and calls from numbers not in your contact list.
Re: Ask HN: Why can’t I block all incoming calls that aren’t in my contact list?
#14Oh, easy. Collection agencies.
Collection agencies are a vital part of the capitalist financial apparatus. Banks rely on them to enforce loan term agreements, and in turn defend them when in negotiation with e.g. Apple, when e.g. negotiating agreements regarding e.g. Apple Pay. I suspect (but cannot prove) an elaborate leaning on mobile companies to keep nonconsensual cold calls possible.
Look for this state-of-affairs to change abruptly when being in arrears can directly affect the state of your device.
I expect, by 2025 at the latest, that mobile service and handset providers will begin kneecapping devices whose owners have displeased Equifax. When this occurs, it will no longer be necessary to allow nonconsensual calls, and there will be much touting of the new-and-improved DND.
Probably court summons and legal stuff works similarly, so my second prediction is that, around the same time, it will be possible to serve you notice of a subpoena by unblockable alert.
Re: Ask HN: Why can’t I block all incoming calls that aren’t in my contact list?
#15I just put my iphone on "do not disturb" full-time and use my favourites list to only allow calls though (from a selected list). People who double call are also allowed through. Then you are not constantly distracted by notifications, emails, texts, spam calls [1]. My thinking is, my phone should serve me, not the other way around, so I only check when I'm not focused on something else. Personally, I find useless not…
I want to do this, but only for calls. All other notifications should happen normally. It annoys me that iOS doesn't support that though, it's all or nothing.
Re: Ask HN: Why can’t I block all incoming calls that aren’t in my contact list?
#16Or even maybe just a wildcard option, e.g. "block all calls from 555-*" would be nice
The vast majority of junk calls I receive on my cell have my local area code so that wouldn’t work.
For me, most of them have the same area code AND prefix as my cell phone (so obviously caller ID spoofed). I wish I could block those, without blocking the couple other phones in my calling plan that share the same prefix.
Re: Ask HN: Why can’t I block all incoming calls that aren’t in my contact list?
#17Just a guess, but I would expect carriers to be strongly against any feature that made it easy to block most calls.
Carriers no longer get paid per call, so you'd think they'd be incentivized to lower the load on their network by reducing the number of spam calls.
Re: Ask HN: Why can’t I block all incoming calls that aren’t in my contact list?
#18Just checked, I got this feature on stock samsung s8(phone-settings-block numbers-block unknown callers)? Are you talking about iphone(as if it is a default phone vendor) ?
There is a difference between unknown callers and calls from numbers not in your contact list.
Can you explain?
Re: Ask HN: Why can’t I block all incoming calls that aren’t in my contact list?
#19Or even maybe just a wildcard option, e.g. "block all calls from 555-*" would be nice
On iOS there’s an app called Exchange Blocker that does exactly this.
Re: Ask HN: Why can’t I block all incoming calls that aren’t in my contact list?
#20Earlier quoted context omitted.
There is a difference between unknown callers and calls from numbers not in your contact list.
Can you explain?
An "unknown caller" is typically one that has no caller ID information provided (e.g., unlisted number). However, getting a random telemarketing call from a VoIP-provided
(or spoofed) local number would still come through since the caller ID information is provided, even though the number is not in your contacts list.