Manage unknown callers on iPhone
Screen, silence, or filter calls in the Phone app and FaceTime.
In both the Phone app and FaceTime, you get to decide who can reach you, and when. There are a few ways to do this: screen or silence unknown callers, filter unknown callers, and silence spam callers.
Add important numbers to your Contacts—family, friends, your child's school, your doctor's office, and so on. This way, you always see these calls. If you call emergency services, call screening turns off for 24 hours.
Screen or silence unknown callers
Go to Settings > Apps > Phone or FaceTime.
Choose how to manage incoming calls from unsaved numbers. This means phone numbers that aren't saved in your contacts.
Phone app: Scroll to Screen Unknown Callers, then select Never, Ask Reason for Calling, or Silence. Never means calls from unsaved numbers ring like any other call; Ask Reason for Calling means these calls are screened (the caller is asked why they're calling before your phone even rings); and Silence automatically silences these calls and sends them to voicemail.
FaceTime: Tap to turn on Silence Unknown Callers. Calls from unknown numbers are silenced and sent to voicemail.
With call screening, standard calling and data rates may apply. On software versions earlier than iOS 17, Live Voicemail also needs to be turned on to use call screening. If you're roaming, phone calls are not screened, regardless of settings. If you call emergency services, call screening turns off for 24 hours.
Filter unknown callers
Go to Settings > Apps > Phone or FaceTime.
Scroll down to Call Filtering, and turn on Unknown Callers. Missed calls and voicemails from unknown numbers are moved to your Unknown Callers list.
If you want to see your Unknown Callers list in the Phone app or FaceTime, tap the Filter button > Unknown Callers. In the Phone app, this appears in the Recents tab in Classic view, and in the Calls tab in Unified.
Silence spam callers
Go to Settings > Apps > Phone or FaceTime.
Scroll down to Call Filtering and turn on your spam filter.
Phone app: Tap to turn on Spam. Calls identified as spam or fraud by your phone carrier are silenced, sent to voicemail, and moved to your Spam list.
FaceTime: Tap to turn on FaceTime Spam. Calls identified as spam or fraud are silenced and moved to the Spam list.
If you want to see your Spam list, tap the Filter button > Spam. In the Phone app, this appears in the Recents tab in Classic view, and in the Calls tab in Unified.
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