This doesn't sound like an ideal solution to me. Most of the legitimate calls I get are from numbers I have never seen before like delivery people asking where they should leave a package and such. I added my self to the Australian do not call list and have received virtually no spam calls in years.
Ask HN: Why can’t I block all incoming calls that aren’t in my contact list?
71–80 of 332 posts
Re: Ask HN: Why can’t I block all incoming calls that aren’t in my contact list?
#72You can? I thought that was pretty standard on Android phones? On my phone, at least, there are do-not-disturb options for "priority only" (which can be set to either specific contacts or the whole contact list), "alarms only", and "total silence" (careful with that one).
Yep I'm pretty sure this is standard on Android phones. Not sure if it can be done on iPhones though!
Re: Ask HN: Why can’t I block all incoming calls that aren’t in my contact list?
#73They used to, before the Android/iOS takeover of the industry. Competition was nice.
Still sad that BB10 will have support ending at year's end... But does a market exist for users of a non-Android/IOS phone in 2019 and beyond?
Re: Ask HN: Why can’t I block all incoming calls that aren’t in my contact list?
#74What if it was a legitimate emergency? Like if someone used your number as an emergency contact. Or some hospital in the world trying to contact you because someone you know got hospitalized (touch wood).
But that's pretty much already a problem because most people, myself included, no longer answer calls from unknown numbers, unless we are expecting one. And my patience even for that is running thin -- more than once in the last few months I've been expecting an incoming call (e.g. Lyft driver) and have picked up an unknown number only to be greeted by spam.
If a legitimate business or other entity wants to get through to me and isn't in my contacts, their best bet is to leave a voicemail and hope I get around to taking a look at my visual voicemail transcriptions. Most robocalls don't leave voicemail, but some are starting to.
Re: Ask HN: Why can’t I block all incoming calls that aren’t in my contact list?
#75This doesn't sound like an ideal solution to me. Most of the legitimate calls I get are from numbers I have never seen before like delivery people asking where they should leave a package and such. I added my self to the Australian do not call list and have received virtually no spam calls in years.
I am too on the "do not call list", and I have received numerous, almost fortnightly scam calls from 03 numbers.
No point reporting them, they're just known as scam redirects from other countries.
I'd love an iOS feature to prevent or snooze all unknown callers.
Re: Ask HN: Why can’t I block all incoming calls that aren’t in my contact list?
#76Get a Google Voice number. Give your cell number to people, the Google Voice number everywhere else. You can configure Google Voice to send all calls to voicemail if you want. And I think you can still configure it to send you a transcription via text. Spam calls won't leave a message.
Doesn't work. Spammers still manage to blind call my actual cell phone number even though I've given it to absolutely not a single person, dead or alive.
Exactly. Robocallers just call every single phone number. There aren't that many.
Re: Ask HN: Why can’t I block all incoming calls that aren’t in my contact list?
#77Earlier quoted context omitted.
Downvoters, why do you disagree? I'm sincere and I believe myself to be correct.
They are vital in the same way mosquitoes are vital to the ecosystem. You try to assume they must serve some higher purpose greater than blood-sucking(eg food for fish), but nope that's it.
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Re: Ask HN: Why can’t I block all incoming calls that aren’t in my contact list?
#78Earlier quoted context omitted.
On iOS there’s an app called Exchange Blocker that does exactly this.
That's exactly why I left Apple after six years of usage, I don't want to have to use an app for every single little task.
This whole comment thread is listing number of Android apps doing it...maybe you missed that
Re: Ask HN: Why can’t I block all incoming calls that aren’t in my contact list?
#79Tangentially; T-Mobile tags suspect numbers with "Scam Likely" caller ID. Opt-in to block these calls by dialing #662# - https://www.t-mobile.com/resources/call-protection edit; T-Mobile accepts forwarded text message SPAM at 7726 - https://www.t-mobile.com/responsibility/privacy/fraud-spam/s...
I do report numbers all the time but I didn't know I can prevent them from calling me. Just did that 662 dial. thank you
Re: Ask HN: Why can’t I block all incoming calls that aren’t in my contact list?
#80Earlier quoted context omitted.
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.
Custom ringtone that is silent and individual ring tones for the select few contacts?
I've done this since the original iPhone first started to support custom ringtones. I used a quiet passage from a recording of Beethoven's 7th.
Why Apple doesn't include a silent ringtone -- a feature found on pretty much every 'feature phone' I've ever seen or used -- is just one of life's dumb mysteries.