How to block spoofed calls on your iPhone

By Kim Komando

March 9, 2019

Every now and again, you get a phone call from a number you don’t know and get inconvenienced by silence or an automated voice. You could ask your cellphone provider to block specific numbers, but that won’t help much. Many if not all of these spam calls come from computer-generated numbers and rarely ever show up as the same number. Fortunately, app developer Sean Harding created No Neighbor to help with the problem of spoofed calls on your iPhone. Once enabled, the app sends all calls with a similar 10-digit phone number to yours directly to voice mail. The similar phone numbers that are blocked have the same area code and prefix as yours. The app gives the option of creating a whitelist, or calls from numbers you want to go through. This helps especially with other phone numbers that are connected to your phone plan and may be similar to yours. The app is simple and easy to do. All that is required of you is to enter your phone number and enable call blocking in your settings.

Downside to No Neighbor

No Neighbor is great to assist with the problem of spoofed calls, however, it doesn’t entirely solve the issue. The app only blocks numbers with the same first six digits as yours. Many fake calls come from numbers that are not this similar to the number you have. Additionally, calls aren’t totally blocked. Rather than just rejecting calls from spoofed numbers, the calls get sent to your voicemail, thus, still making the calls an issue you need to manage. A big upside to the app, which can also be viewed as a downside, is the option to whitelist numbers. While creating a whitelist can help immensely, it does require time to input each individual number rather than the app recognizing contacts from your phone book. No Neighbor doesn’t completely solve your spoofed call problem, but it certainly helps. In the App Store, No Neighbor has received a number of favorable reviews outlining how it has helped dwindle the number of spoofed calls. For as cheap as the app is ($0.99), it’s worth the download from the iPhone app store.

Tags: Apple iPhone, apps, book, call blocking, computer, download, phone, phone book, phone call, phone number, reviews, Robots, settings, spam calls, voicemail