8 Best Spam Call Blockers for iPhone
The number of spam calls coming to our phones is steadily increasing. This is confirmed by numerous studies conducted around the world. For example, according to a study by the company that owns the Truecaller application of the same name, in 2020 the number of unwanted calls in different countries of the world increased by 18% compared to 2019.
According to a Yandex study, 83% of Russians receive at least one spam call a week on their devices. According to information obtained from the WhoCalls application developed by Kaspersky Lab, in the first quarter of 2021, the share of spam calls among all incoming calls from unknown numbers in the Russian Federation was 70%, and the share of calls from fraudsters was 6.3%. At the same time, the latter figure also increased compared to last year.
Most often, after answering a spam call, we have to listen to intrusive offers of services from various financial institutions, cellular companies, Internet service providers, as well as sellers of all kinds of goods. Compared to spam calls, the proportion of calls coming from phone scammers is much smaller, but these calls are the real danger. Having followed the criminal’s lead, you run the risk of instantly losing all the funds on your bank card or getting a loan completely imperceptibly.
Common types of phone scams include, for example, messages about transactions with a bank card or account, as well as dropped calls, calling back to which you lose money. At the same time, every day the actions and capabilities of criminals are becoming more sophisticated. So, using phone spoofing, scammers can replace their phone number with the number of a well-known organization, for example, owned by a bank or law enforcement agencies, or use your friend’s number.
Also, to give the impression that the call is from your region, scammers can change the area code in their number. As soon as you answer the call, the criminal will try with all his might to convince you to provide him with all the necessary information. Elderly people are especially often victims of scammers, who go for tricks, despite numerous warnings.
You can protect yourself and your loved ones from such unwanted and dangerous calls with the help of special blocker programs installed in mobile phones. These applications identify calls from unknown numbers by checking them against their database and warn the user about spam or simply block the unknown number automatically.
Let’s take a look at some of the most well-established phone spam blocker apps for iOS mobile devices.
REKK – Call blocking
REKK – Call Blocker is a multifunctional application designed to identify calls from unknown subscribers with the ability to block them.
The advantage of REKK is that the application not only warns the user about a spam call, but also provides information about the organization that owns the unknown number: its name, location, website and email address.
Additionally, the program provides the ability to check any undecided phone number. If you miss a call from an unknown person, with REKK you can find out which company it belongs to by inserting the phone number into the app.
Calls and SMS messages from all unwanted subscribers in the application can be blocked, while it is possible to block SMS by a keyword (for example, “sale”, “discounts”, “survey”, etc.). The number of blocked phone numbers is not limited.
The undoubted advantages of REKK include constant updating and replenishment of the database of spam numbers, a convenient and understandable interface, as well as privacy – the application works anonymously and does not collect users’ personal data.
The program is completely free and operates in Russian and English. REKK requires iOS 13.0 or later.
App Store Link: REKK – Call Blocker .
Yandex – with Alice
A popular application from Yandex detects spam numbers by checking them against the Yandex.Directory database, which contains more than 5 million phone numbers from various organizations.
If the number is present in the Yandex database, during an incoming call, the name of the company and its area of activity will be displayed on the screen. If the subscriber is unknown, the application will try to recognize the purpose of the call and report a possible suspicion of spam.
Similar to REKK, the program allows you to get information about the company from whose number your device received a missed call. All that is needed for this is to go to the call log and read the information about the subscriber. All unwanted numbers can be blocked by yourself.
The Yandex app is universal – in addition to the automatic caller ID, it offers users many other useful options: using Alice’s voice assistant and smart camera, receiving notifications of important events, food delivery service, and also reports the latest news, exchange rates, weather and much more.
You can download the program from the link: Yandex – with Alice .
Sberbank Online
Since April 2021, the popular SberBank Online app has added a function to check incoming calls. Although this is not the main feature of the program, adding it makes the application even more in demand.
To identify calls, the service uses a database provided by the Sberbank security service, which includes more than 600,000 unique fraudulent phone numbers. Additionally, an artificial intelligence-based fraud monitoring system is used.
Now, if your device receives a call from one of the spam numbers contained in the application database, a special warning will be displayed on the phone screen.
To activate the service, on the main page of the SberBank Online application, go to the “Security” section and activate the “Check incoming calls” item.
The service is available for all iOS devices, however, if the application has been installed for a long time, it must be updated on your iPhone.
The application is available in the AppStore at this address: Sberbank Online .
WhoCalls: Caller ID
Developed by Kaspersky Lab specialists, Kaspersky WhoCalls determines phone numbers by automatically checking all unidentified incoming calls.
The program establishes whether a subscriber belongs to spammers or scammers using a database formed and replenished by community members. Any user of the service can participate in updating the anti-spam database.
So, if the number of the scammer who called you is not in the application database, you can enter it yourself by marking it as spam. You can also add comments to such numbers, which you will see on the device screen when you call again from this subscriber.
The main functions of the program include the detection of an unknown number (this does not require an Internet connection), providing information about unknown numbers and blocking unwanted calls, including by category.
In the application settings, you can set how to deal with unwanted calls – if you wish, you can immediately block them or show the number on the screen with your comment. In this case, all information is stored in the call log.
Just like REKK, WhoCalls provides information about the company that owns an unknown number, including its name and category, while reputation data is also available for premium version users.
In addition to the free version, the application offers a paid subscription to the premium version at a price of 129 rubles per month or 1190.00 rubles per year.
Install the program on iPhone from here: WhoCalls: Caller ID .
Hiya: Spam Phone Call Blocker
Hiya’s popular call blocker app automatically detects and warns the user about spam calls. The service identifies and blocks auto-dialing phone numbers, calls from collectors, telemarketers, advertising agents, as well as all kinds of fraudulent calls, including spoofing.
Spam numbers will be automatically blocked if you give the application permission to perform all operations on its own. The application’s huge anti-spam database is constantly updated and contains hundreds of millions of phone numbers around the world.
The program provides the function of checking a missed call from an unknown subscriber with the possibility of obtaining information about the name of the company that owns the number and its belonging to the spam category. Additionally, the application allows you to manage contacts by adding names and addresses from Hiya to your contact list.
The program is very easy to use and does not take up much space on the device. As a disadvantage of Hiya, you can indicate that it does not have a Russified version – the service is available in English, Spanish, Italian, German, Portuguese and French.
The app requires iOS 12.0 or later.
The application is installed from this link: Hiya: Spam Phone Call Blocker .
Truecaller
Truecaller detects and blocks scam and spam calls before you can answer them. The service provides for the possibility of automatic and independent blocking of unwanted calls and SMS messages, as well as providing information about a subscriber with an unknown number. It is enough to enter a phone number, and you will find out the name of the owner and his contact details.
Truecaller has a community of over 250 million users who are constantly adding to the app’s international database of spam numbers.
Additional program options include the ability to make phone calls directly from the application, a quick search for friends using T9, and the ability to see when your friends are available for a call.
The program offers free communication with friends and relatives in Truecaller, as well as the exchange of messages, photos and video files between users of the service.
Premium version owners have access to additional options such as getting information about people viewing their profile, no ads, and 30 contact information requests per month. The subscription price is $1.99 per month or $17.99 per year.
The application developers assure that the user’s contact list will never be made public and cannot be found through search engines.
Truecaller requires iOS 11.0 or later.
Learn more about the app: Truecaller .
Sync.ME – Caller ID & Contacts
Sync.ME is another popular free app to detect spam calls, SMS messages and identify calls from scammers.
In addition to identifying unknown numbers and warnings about spam, the Sync.ME application integrates with social networks – during an incoming call, a photo of the caller from his Facebook, Twitter or Google+ account appears on the device screen. Subsequently, the photo can be synchronized with contacts.
The Sync.ME international telephone database has one billion numbers and helps not only to identify spam calls, but also to receive information about unidentified missed calls. The application community has more than 15 million active users in different countries of the globe.
The service’s premium features include the ability to merge duplicated contacts, backup and sync contacts in the background, and more. A subscription to the premium version costs between $2.99 and $4.99 per month.
The application requires iOS 12.0 or later.
Download application: Sync.ME – Caller ID & Contacts .
Getcontact
The Getcontact app instantly detects and warns users about spam calls. Getcontact securely protects against unwanted calls by only allowing calls from the people you want to communicate with.
An interesting feature of the application is the ability to view how your number is written in the contact lists of other people. However, to access the list, you must grant access to your personal data.
The service provides for the possibility of automatic and manual blocking of subscribers. Automatic blocking is activated by turning on the “Spam protection” button.
By reporting suspicious numbers to the 10 million member Getcontact community, users can contribute to the app’s anti-spam database. The program provides an opportunity to get information about a subscriber that is not in your contact list.
Note that Getcontact only works with an active internet connection. Also, before starting to work with the application, you need to register by confirming your phone number.
The service is available in several languages, including Russian. The app requires iOS version 11.0 or later.
Download: Getcontact .
Article Conclusions
Against the backdrop of an ever-growing stream of spam and fraudulent calls and messages arriving daily on our mobile phones, the need for application blockers is becoming more relevant than ever. Increasing demand for such services creates supply.
Many companies are adding spam call detection and blocking options to existing products or creating new unique services. To date, spam call blockers are present in applications from Sberbank, Yandex, Google, MTS, Tinkoff, etc. Recently, the Ministry of Internal Affairs announced the development of its own Anti-Swindler service.
Finding an app that’s right for you isn’t difficult – the main thing is to carefully study its functionality and determine the options you need. Also, before installation, it is recommended to read the reviews about the program and the developer, as well as carefully study the user agreements and privacy policy.