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Comment by kemayo | Hacker News Reader

Strangely enough, given Android's comparatively-customizable nature, I think this is an area where iOS does it better? (Others might correct me.)

iOS 10 added "call blocking" as an app-type, which lets you choose apps which can filter phone calls for you. They can flag calls as possible-spam, or completely block them. (See [1] for Hiya's options screen, as an example.)

An "only ring for my friends" feature is sort of possible. You can keep your phone in "do not disturb" mode, and add people who you want to be able to call you to your "VIPs" list to let them through. That's a fair bit of manual management, though, which is a pain.

I don't think it's possible to make a call-blocker app which functions as a whitelist, sadly, because I think this is like their browser content blockers and operates as the app providing a list of blocked numbers for privacy reasons.

[1]: https://imgur.com/a/Yftxy

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Hiya exists for Android as well and has very high ratings [1]. I have used Android since v3 and you have been able to change the dialer to a custom app for at least that long.

You have also been able to limit ringing while in Do Not Disturb to starred contacts only, or even just "contacts" to eliminate the need to manage it like you mentioned [2].

[1] https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.webascende...

[2] https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15678075

Informative, thanks! I admit a notable chunk of my reasoning there was that the OP couldn't find a way to do it, so it probably wasn't built in. (I haven't used Android seriously in the last 5 years or so.)

I have my phone set to "Do Not Disturb" and it allows me to define that only starred contacts or regular contacts are allowed to get through. Given that most people I know rarely ever call I think it's a sane enough config setting. I have an Android Phone, more specifically an LG G5. No app required in my case, it's just hidden in the settings.

Android can absolutely do this. Either via settings or replacing the default calling app.

How can you do this via settings in Android? I've spent hours searching for the answer and have yet to find it.

Add spammers phone as a contact, then select "all calls to voicemail" for that contact.

That's not a very useful solution if I have to do it once for each spammer. You wouldn't accept that for e-mail.

You can't add "Private Number" as a contact, nor can you block it.

Even pre-smartphone landline systems could block (or route direct to VM) numbers with blocked caller ID.

You absolutely can block such numbers in the stock Android phone app; some online sources indicate iOS lacks this basic feature, but I don't know if they are accurate and current.

How do you block calls from numbers with blocked caller ID in the stock Android phone app? I can't find that option.

“block unknown callers” in the call blocking settings.

That doesn't exist in the latest version of the app. If I go to Settings->Call Blocking it's just a button labeled "ADD A NUMBER" plus a list of blocked numbers. The ADD A NUMBER button triggers a popup with an input field that only allows phone numbers.

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=se.embargo.blo...

Spammers use a spoofed caller ID with the same first 3 digits as your phone number so it looks like a local number sO blocking them by number doesn’t really work.

So let's make a daemon app which calls that exact number on the 2nd SIM and if it's not busy drops both calls.

I agree with you. I've tried to block each one of them for maybe months, but nothing's changed. I still get at least 2-3 calls each day from them. I think ignoring them is the best option for us now, or if you would, just answer their calls, ask their company name, and sue them because of their multiple calls. I just read about this at http://www.whycall.me/news/my-4500-payday-from-a-telemarkete....

Spammers generate random numbers in your area code for each call though, they don't call from the same number twice.

Can't. You can block individual numbers, but there is no tool in the base Android to block all unknowns. Fortunately there are plenty of apps which will do exactly that - but I'm confused as to why I need to install an app to do something so simple.

Because if any core OS had to contain every feature which is deemed "simple" then that OS will become bloated and complex.

Well “blocking” isn’t the same as “not ringing”, right?

The solution someone suggested elsewhere in this thread is to use make the default ringtone silence, then assign audible ringtones to all your contacts.

The problem with Hiya as I understand it is that it is limited by CallKit list size. I'm not 100% sure of this, but I think Apple's implementation requires a fully offline call list so that your phone calls are not sent to a public server and could be logged. This means that the number of phone numbers that Hiya can call spam must be downloaded ahead of time and loaded into CallKit. What I see often is that a phone number will not be flagged as spam, but if I query the number through the app later, it will correctly show it as spam. Someone correct my if I am wrong, but I think this is the problem.

Parent's phone is weird that it doesn't have a call-blocking feature. All flagship androids give you the option to block spam calls.

Even if the number changes every time? The common pattern lately is a number with the same leading six digits as my actual phone number, followed by a presumably falsified last four digits. As far as I know, these are randomly generated.

> I don't think it's possible to make a call-blocker app which functions as a whitelist, sadly, because I think this is like their browser content blockers and operates as the app providing a list of blocked numbers for privacy reasons.

There's only 10,000,000,000 phone numbers, not even eliminating area codes that don't exist. I wonder if iOS will break on that...?

Oh, that must be why the AT&T Call Protect app fails to block spammers the first time they call me. Always wondered about that.

I was looking at F-Droid repo and found QuiteSleep from 2012 which has option to "block unknown", so seems android solved this long ago.

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