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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

#211

Post by londons_explore »

Keverw wrote: post #205

Also when you take a video and someone calls it ends the video recording - even if you don't decide to answer. So you have to put your phone into airplane mode, which sucks because if you lost your phone before remembering to turn it off then find my iPhone wouldn't work... I wish there was some sort of option to not disturb while doing video... Something you could toggle on and off.

Get a better 'Phone' app. It's replaceable, and many have truly silent modes for some callers only which won't interrupt anything you're doing.

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

#212

Post by grecy »

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 are so many simple solutions to this it's not even a challenge. Here's some simple ones:

1. If you want to make more than ~5k calls per month from a number, you must deposit $50,000 for every 10k calls you wish to make. If your number gets reported more than some cutoff number of times, you forfeit this bond money.

2. Call throttling. As a certain number (or customer) makes more calls, the interval between calls is increase. Let's say something like after 5k calls per month you must wait 5 seconds between calls, with the interval increasing.

Full disclosure, I worked at a telco for 4 years, but didn't do a lot with basic telephony.

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

#214

Post by c1sc0 »

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"

I go a step further and turn off all notifications. I’ll just periodically check the Phone app to see if anyone called & call back.

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

#216

Post by c1sc0 »

basilgohar wrote: post #165
intopieces wrote: post #139

I’ve completely turned off notifications for the phone. If someone wants to call me, they either need to use FaceTime (which hasn’t been overrun with spam, yet) or schedule a time with me. I also subscribe a call blocker.

How would someone without an Appke device or AppleID get in touch with you realtime? If all friends and family are already part of the Apple ecosystem, then okay for now, but you also would basically be filtering your communications to only people that fit that description in the future, as well.

I do the same & WhatsApp is the answer for me. I am considering ditching that because it’s the last thing I use that is owned by FB though.

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

#217

Post by Uhhrrr »

snowwrestler wrote: post #127

My solution to robocalls is to answer them and then be totally silent. After a few seconds, they disconnect. The number of robocalls I receive has plummeted since I started doing this. I receive hardly any these days. My theory is that due to silent answers, the autodialers eventually mark the number as bad, or as a machine-answered number. I have no proof of this, though.

My solution is to play along with the pitch, taking as long as possible with my answers, until they ask for my credit card number. Then I make up 15 digits, making sure to mess up a couple times along the way.

Then I ask whether they have a do not call list.

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

#218

Post by TeMPOraL »

rock_hard wrote: post #103
fxj wrote: post #71

Earlier quoted context omitted.

In germany robocalls are illegal and the caller can get a huge fine.

Another terrible solution from German lawmakers that stifles innovation! Instead of figuring out a more measured approach they just made them all illegal :(

There's as much need for a "measured approach" for unsolicited marketing calls as there is for fighting polio. That is, both need to be eradicated from the face of the Earth.

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

#219

Post by TeMPOraL »

redisman wrote: post #115
carlospwk wrote: post #8

I have no idea what a robocall is but I would LOVE a simple notification banner for when someone calls. I rarely get calls these days but when I do, it’s a major annoyance if I’m doing something on my phone. It’s time calls are relegated to the same level of urgency as WhatsApp messages and emails.

I just gotta say it's funny that receiving a phone call on your phone is a major annoyance these days.

Add this to the list of reasons why advertising is a cancer on society. Without robocalls and telemarketers, calls wouldn't be an annoyance.

(Though I agree that they should be relegated to the level of notifications now. Smartphones are computers. Imagine if Skype call would lock you out of whatever you're doing on your desktop.)

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

#220

Post by spacehome »

justinator wrote: post #191
njarboe wrote: post #167

Earlier quoted context omitted.

How about people in your contact list get to call and text you for free and everyone else has to pay 10 cents? Telecoms definitely have the tech to do such billing. They could even take a cut. 9 cents for me and 1 cent for the telecom. This would solve almost all spam immediately and would be a long term solution.

Your post advocates a ( ) technical ( ) legislative (x) market-based ( ) vigilante approach to fighting spam. Your idea will not work. Here is why it won't work. (One or more of the following may apply to your particular idea, and it may have other flaws which used to vary from state to state before a bad federal law was passed.) ( ) Spammers can easily use it to harvest email addresses ( ) Mailing lists and other le…

I don't think the analogy to email quite works. Telecom companies currently charge money to customers based on usage.
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