All Sections

How to block nuisance calls on your mobile phone

Our guide to identifying and blocking nuisance calls and texts on your iPhone or Android mobile shows you how to squash the spam for good. Here’s our tips and tricks for getting some peace from nuisance phone calls.

Here at Recombu we’re pig sick of PPI claims people badgering us for our details, network reps asking us if we want to update our handset and automated voice messages that bang on about sending all of our cash to a special PO Box. We’re busy people, so we could really do without these nuisance calls and spammy texts that bug us on a daily basis.

That’s why we wrote this handy guide to identifying and silencing those nuisance phone calls and sales texts on your mobile phone. It doesn’t matter if you have an iPhone or an Android mobile, you should find some helpful tips for getting a bit of peace.

How to block nuisance calls on an iPhone

As long as you’ve got an iPhone that’s on iOS 7 or later, it’s easy to stop persistent nuisance callers.

Simply go to the Phone app on your Apple handset and browse to your list of recent callers, and find the number you wish to block. Prod the ‘i’ symbol beside it, then tap ‘Block this caller’. This not only stops calls from that number from ever alerting you (they go straight to voicemail), but also any messages they try to send.

You can also block and unblock numbers by going to Settings > Phone > Blocked on your iPhone.

How to block nuisance calls on an Android phone

If you want to block spam calls and messages on your Android phone, your best bet is downloading a call block app. We personally like Mr Number-Block (free to download from the Google Play store), which gives you extra information on unrecognised numbers (if available), and either hangs up on blocked callers or sends them to voicemail, whichever you prefer.

Call blocker anti-spam app for Android

The best part of Mr-Number-Block is its flexibility. You can specify individual phone numbers to block, or you can have the app block all unknown contacts, or all phone numbers beginning with certain digits (for instance, all 0800 numbers). You can even have Mr Number-Block dismiss calls from your entire contacts list, if you suddenly realise that you hate all of your so-called chums and just want a bit of peace.

There are plenty of other call and message blocking apps available on Google Play, so have a fish around if you want something a bit different. Just remember to read the reviews before downloading anything.

How to stop spam text messages on iPhone or Android mobiles

As well as spam calls, we find that we’re constantly receiving nuisance text messages, which are more irritating than a thousand Chuckle Brothers combined. The glorious excitement of hearing our phones ding, and thinking that one of our great chums has texted us, only to discover it’s a message from some dodgy PPI firm…well, it’s simply devastating.

Here’s how to work out if a message is legitimate marketing or pure, filthy spam, and how to deal with both cases…

How to tell if a possible spam message is actually a legitimate marketing text message

Although not technically spam, a non-stop barrage of marketing texts from companies can be just as irritating, especially if you’re receiving them simply because you forgot to uncheck a tickbox. If you’re completely sure that a spammy message has come from a legit UK company, you can text the given number (usually with just the word STOP) to get them to back off. Alternatively, many firms allow you to unsubscribe to their marketing drivel on their official websites.

Spam messages can be legitimate marketing texts as well as random unsolicited spam

If the text messages are something you never signed up for, accidentally or otherwise, then they need to be dealt with differently. This is true 100% pain-in-the-backside spam, sent out randomly to generic numbers by hundreds of thousands of devious damn dirty spam bots…

How can I stop spam texts from showing up on my mobile?

Proper spam messages are usually quite easy to spot. They’ll ask if you’ve been in an accident lately, or tell you you’ve got thousands of pounds in unclaimed PPI waiting, or try and sucker you into replying by claiming you’ve won a shiny new iPad.

Whatever you do, don’t reply or text STOP to these spam messages. That’ll just confirm that your number is in use, and you’ll end up receiving even more virtual crap from these nuisance texters.

It’s difficult to block these messages from coming through, but you can help limit the amount you get by only giving out your mobile number when absolutely necessary, using a landline number where possible, and avoiding listing your number online.

You can report spam messages to your network provider by forwarding them to 7726 (which used to spell out ‘spam’ on olde-worldy phone pads). Sadly the spammers change their details regularly, so few of the gits are actually caught and fined.

How to stop nuisance calls and spam texts: Our full video guide

Got any top anti-spam tips to share? Comments section ahoy!

Comments

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *