You are going to get unsolicited calls no matter what phone you use. There are a few methods (some specific to the Android) that you can utilise in order to reduce the amount of spam phone calls that you receive. Sometimes it is not just spam phone calls that are the problem. You may be getting calls from a pesky client or from someone who just doesn’t like you. If you know the number then you are one step ahead of the game and can take steps to block the number although this is not going to halt all communications from this person – they might opt to use a pay phone or a private number and then you are back at square one. Following are a few things you can do (some relevant to the Android in particular) to combat this.

Be Careful with your Number

While this is not a sure fire way to avoid pranksters and spammers – it is the first step in safeguarding your privacy. Don’t use your phone number for websites that are likely to spam your number with auto-diallers or telemarketing schemes. This might be commonsense but it is shocking to see how many people are happy to put their phone number into a scheme that promises to text them their IQ or some other rubbish information. Don’t give it out to anyone unless you are going to be forming a friendship or business relationship with them.

Answering Private Numbers

I know many people who refuse to answer calls from private numbers. This is a stupid way to fix the problem though – especially for those who run a business. You might neglect to answer a private number from a potential client who is willing to throw money at you to get a job done. There is a time to neglect to answer private calls however. If you are getting a relentless barrage of prank calls and then all of a sudden a call comes through on a private number, chances are the prankster turned the number sending function off on their phone.

Android Call Blocking Apps

There are so many of these available for free. However, they don’t promise one hundred percent effectiveness. They will only block the numbers that you tell them to block. If the prankster is using a private number then it is going to still get through.

Android’s Send to Voicemail Feature

This is another great function offered by the majority of Android phones. You can actually set specific numbers to go straight to voicemail. Again, this is heavily reliant on you knowing the number of the prankster or spammer. It is not going to work for private numbers. To turn this on look around in the settings for the individual number and there should be an option to enable this function depending on the Android phone, Android version and the manufacturer of the phone.

Don’t be dismayed if none of these features work. You can always contact your carrier and have the number blocked. If the person is still harassing you consider taking legal action against them.