My Pixel blocks spam calls, however can different Android telephones do it too?

Telemarketing and spam calls are relentless, and also you is likely to be stunned to study that you are able to do little to cease them — for instance, political campaigns are exempt from the Nationwide Do Not Name Registry. Fortunately, our telephones have began to incorporate glorious spam filters to maintain undesirable incoming calls at bay. However that raises an necessary query: do you want a selected telephone, or is that this safety customary throughout the Android ecosystem? Whereas many assume nice spam safety is a Pixel-exclusive function, the reality is, you don’t actually need a Pixel telephone in any respect. So, who and what’s actually saving us from the spam deluge? Let’s break it down.

Whereas the Pixel will get a number of consideration and advertising for its spam-blocking prowess, most Android telephones offered at this time even have the identical or related instruments that will help you dodge undesirable calls. You possibly can thank the Google Dialer app for this — it’s pre-installed because the default telephone app on units from manufacturers like Nokia, Motorola, and even Xiaomi in Western markets. Google maintains a database of identified offenders, and you’ll contribute to this checklist by marking any undesirable calls you obtain as spam.

Out of the field on a brand new Android telephone, the Google Dialer doesn’t block calls outright, nevertheless it does provide a layer of safety. When a suspicious name is available in, it’s flagged with a crimson warning together with a label like “Suspected spam.” For even stronger safety, a fast journey to the Dialer app’s Settings > Caller ID & spam part permits you to allow the “Filter spam calls” choice. This function prevents flagged calls from ringing your telephone in any respect, as a substitute silently declining them within the background.

In case your telephone doesn’t have Google Dialer pre-installed, you’ll be able to obtain and set up it from the Play Retailer. Which means that the spam safety most individuals affiliate with a Pixel can also be accessible to the broader Android ecosystem. Some manufacturers like Samsung additionally preserve their very own spam databases, so examine the Dialer app’s settings web page and allow filtering if accessible.

Must you use a third-party app for spam safety?

If the built-in spam safety in your Android machine isn’t slicing it, third-party apps might help. Apps like Truecaller and CallApp provide spam-filtering options past what you’ll discover with the Google Dialer, however include a few downsides. The primary being advertisements or a month-to-month subscription price to assist the app’s growth and upkeep of spam filters.

The larger drawback with utilizing a third-party app for spam filtering is that they sometimes request entry to your contacts, name logs, and different knowledge with a view to operate. Because of this, I’d take into account such apps to be a final resort choice.

Due to Name Screening, Google’s Pixel smartphones do have a leg up in terms of spam safety. The function permits the Google Assistant to reply your calls and assess whether or not it’s necessary sufficient to seize your consideration. Nonetheless, most Pixel house owners don’t know you could have Name Screening mechanically kick in for not simply potential spam calls but in addition numbers that you simply haven’t saved in your tackle e book.

When you personal a Pixel 6 or later, I extremely encourage you to mess around with the decision screening choices accessible within the Telephone app > Settings > Spam and Name Display > Name Display. First off, you’ll need to allow the toggle for “Routinely display calls” and choose from considered one of three safety ranges: primary, medium, and most.

Primary safety does the identical factor because the “Filter spam calls” toggle described above. That makes “Medium safety” the primary Pixel-exclusive tier. It mechanically screens suspicious calls through the Google Assistant and will yield a noticeable discount in undesirable calls.

Within the US and Canada, you may even see the choice to manually display calls on newer Motorola and Nokia units together with others that use the Google Dialer app. It’s not as helpful as automated Name Screening on Pixel units, however you’ll be able to work together with the caller through text-based prompts to search out out if the decision is value answering first.

Sadly, automated Name Screening is a basic instance of a Pixel-exclusive function that isn’t accessible worldwide. With solely a dozen supported international locations, it might not work should you’re on trip or use a overseas SIM card. This restriction additionally applies to some areas the place the Pixel is formally offered, like Singapore and India.

Fortunately, you continue to get the fundamental degree of safety regardless of the place you reside — as I mentioned earlier, you’ll be able to thank Google Dialer for delivering a lot of the spam safety you want.