Too many junk calls to your iPhone? Try Apple’s new iOS 26 call screen feature

iPhone users have a new tool to combat the scourge of nuisance phone calls: a virtual gatekeeper that can screen incoming calls from unknown numbers.

It’s
among the bevy of new features that Apple rolled out with last month’s
release of iOS 26. The screening feature has been getting attention
because of the ever-increasing amount of robocalls and spam calls that leave many phone users feeling harassed.

Here’s a run-through of the new function:

How to activate call screening

First, you’ll need to update your iPhone’s operating system to iOS 26, which is available to the iPhone 11 and newer models.

To switch call screening on, go into Settings—Apps—Phone. Scroll down and you’ll find a new option: Screen Unknown Callers.

You’ll
be presented with three choices. The Never option lets any unknown call
ring through, while Silence sends all unidentified numbers directly to
voicemail. What you want to tap is the middle option: Ask Reason for
Calling.

If the option isn’t there, try restarting your phone.

I
still couldn’t find it after updating to iOS 26, but, after some online
sleuthing, I checked my region and language settings because I saw some
online commenters reporting they had to match. It turns out my region
was still set to Hong Kong, where I lived years ago. I switched it to
the United Kingdom, which seemed to do the trick and gave me the updated
menu.

How it works

Call screening introduces a layer between you and new callers.

When
someone who’s not in your contacts list dials your number, a Siri-style
voice will ask them to give their name and the purpose of their call.

At
the same time, you’ll get a notification that the call is being
screened. When the caller responds, the answers will be transcribed and
the conversation will pop up in speech bubbles.

You can then answer the call.

Don’t
want to answer? Send a reply by tapping one of the pre-written
messages, such as “I’ll call you later” or “Send more information,”
which the AI voice will read out to the caller.

Or you can type out your own message for the computer-generated voice to read out.

If you don’t respond right away, the phone will continue to ring while you decide what to do.

Teething troubles

In
theory, call screening is a handy third way between the nuclear option
of silencing all unknown callers — including legitimate ones — or
letting them all through.

But it doesn’t always work perfectly, according to Associated Press colleagues and anecdotal reports from social media users.

One
AP colleague said she was impressed with how seamlessly it worked.
Another said it’s handy for screening out cold callers who found his
number from marketing databases.

“However, it’s not great when delivery drivers try to call me and then just hang up,” he added.

Some
internet users have similar complaints, complaining that important
calls that they were expecting from their auto mechanic or plumber
didn’t make it through. Perhaps the callers assumed it was an answering
machine and didn’t seem to realize they had to stay on the line and
interact with it.

I encountered a different issue the first time
it kicked in for me, when an unknown caller — whether mistakenly or not —
threw me off by giving my name instead of theirs. So I answered because
I assumed it was someone I knew, forgetting that I could tap out a
reply asking them again for their name.

The caller turned out to
be someone who had obtained my name and number and was trying to get me
to do a survey. I had to make my excuses and hang up.

If you don’t like call screening, you can turn it off at any time.

As for Android

Apple
is catching up with Google, which introduced a similar automatic call
screening feature years ago for Pixel users in the United States.

Last month, the company announced the feature is rolling out to users in three more countries: Australia, Canada and Ireland.

If it’s not already on, go to your Phone app’s Settings and look for Call Screen.

Google’s
version is even more automated. When someone you don’t know calls, the
phone will ask who it is and why they’re calling. It will hang up if it
determines that it’s a junk call, but let calls it deems to be legit
ring through.

Google warns that not all spam calls and robocalls
can be detected, nor will it always fully understand and transcribe what
a caller says.

Samsung, too, lets users of its Galaxy Android
phones screen calls by using its AI assistant Bixby’s text call
function, which works in a similar way.

Is
there a tech topic that you think needs explaining? Write to us at
onetechtip@ap.org with your suggestions for future editions of One Tech
Tip.

—Kelvin Chan, AP Business Writer