How to: Blocking a Number from Calling Your Cellphone?

Receiving unwanted calls? Are you ready in frustration to either pull your hair out? You could change your number, but for many of us, it is a drastic step. We have lives built around our contact information. There is a reason they made numbers portable, after all. But what else can you do? How do you block unwanted calls??

Well, you actually do have a few options depending on the type of phone you're using, and your carrier. Let's take a look.

Any Phone Options

One of the easiest ways is via Google Voice. Of course this requires you to have a Google Voice account, if you dont have one you can request an invite

Blocking calls with Google Voice is fairly straightforward. You also have the option of sending them directly to voicemail, treating all their calls as spam, or blocking them entirely. Here's how blocking works:

Log in to your Google Voice account.
Find the call you want to block (or the voicemail that resulted from it).
Select the checkbox next to the call or voicemail.
Click the "more" link underneath the call.
Select "Block Caller."

Contact Your Carrier

Most carriers can block calls even if they don't realize it. Invariably it costs money and usually falls under the heading of Parental Controls, but it works just the same.

AT&T uses a feature called Smart Limits, charging $5/month for the service. Verizon's service is free but can only block five callers at a time for a total of three months; follow the tutorial at eHow. It easiest with T-Mobile, just call 611 and their customer service will help you block any particular number. If you're on Sprint, you may be out of luck. According to their customer support certain phones have the ability to block calls through parental controls, but you cannot request to have calls blocked without involving law enforcement. SMS text messages, however, can be blocked at no charge by contacting customer support. If your carrier does support some method of call blocking, generally you can block unknown and blocked numbers as well. In fact, this is generally easier for your phone company to accomplish than blocking individual callers.

Silence the Call

While not technically a call-block method, the result is much the same. If you install a silent ringtone (guide HERE) on your phone you can attach it to numbers you don't want to answer and never be bothered by them again.

That‚Äôs actually pretty brilliant. We would never have thought of that.

Android Phones

If you're on an Android phone you have a few options via the Android Marketplace, many of which are free. Here are a few options (some can block SMS as well):

These apps are not even all of thel Android call-blocking apps. If you have a favorite, please share in the comments.

Success with call-blocking varies, they are not always 100% effective. If you want to avoid apps you may have another option entirely. Some Android phones can send calls directly to voicemail. You can enable this by editing the contact information of the number you want to block.

iPhone

Outside of the aforementioned points; signing up for AT&T's Smart Limits, installing a silent ringtone, you are out of luck on the iPhone. Why is that a surprise?

Unless you‚Äôve jailbroken it! Then of course you can purchase iBlackList

, MCleaner and MobileGate through Cydia.

In Conclusion

Sadly, there is no single, one-size-fits-all solution. It seems like such a standard issue, it's surprising that more phone and/carriers don't offer real options for their customers. Unfortunately for now you are left to figure it out on your own, what option works best for you.

Leave us a note in the comments of your own paths/experience with call-blocking.

SOURCE

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