How to stop spam calls and texts on iPhone and Android

iPhone

Calls

1. Open Settings, tap Apps, then tap Phone. On older iOS versions, go to Settings then Phone.
2. Find Screen Unknown Callers (older versions call it Silence Unknown Callers). Choose Silence to send calls from numbers not in your contacts to voicemail, or Ask Reason for Calling to have your iPhone answer and show you who is calling and why. Screening is only on recent iOS versions, so if you do not see it, update your iPhone.
3. On recent versions, look for Call Filtering and turn on Unknown Callers. Missed calls and voicemails from unknown numbers are then kept in their own list.

Trade-off: a doctor's office, pharmacy or delivery driver that is not in your contacts will go to voicemail. Check your recent calls each day. Apple notes that calls are not screened while you are roaming.

Texts

1. On recent versions, open Settings, then Messages (or Apps, then Messages) and look for Filter Unknown Senders or Unknown Senders under message filtering. Turn it on.
2. For a junk message, open it and tap Report Junk, then Delete and Report Junk. This works for iMessage. For ordinary text messages, whether it works depends on your carrier, so also forward the text to 7726.
3. To block a caller, open the call in Recents, tap the info button and choose Block this Caller.

Trade-off: texts from senders not in your contacts, such as a bank code or a parcel update you asked for, may show up under the unknown senders filter instead of your main list.

Google Pixel

Calls

1. Open the Phone app, tap the three dots (More), then Settings, then Caller ID and spam. Make sure See caller and spam ID is on. Google says this also warns you about suspected spam and about callers who hide their identity or pretend to be a contact.
2. If your phone shows a switch to filter suspected spam calls, turn it on.
3. Call Screen: Google's Phone app can answer for you and ask who is calling and why. Google lists Call Screen for Pixel in Canada, but in Canada it may only work when you tap Screen call on an incoming call, without the automatic options for spam and first-time callers that Google describes for other countries. Look for Call Screen in the Phone app settings to see what your phone offers.

Trade-off: a real caller who does not want to talk to a machine may hang up. Silently declined calls can hide a wanted one, so look at your call history.

Texts

1. Open Google Messages, tap your profile picture or initials at the top right, then Messages settings, Protection and safety, then Spam protection, and turn it on.
2. If a message says it is suspected spam, tap Report spam. Also forward it to 7726.

Samsung Galaxy

Calls

1. Open the Phone app, tap the three dots (More options), then Settings.
2. Look for Caller ID and spam protection and turn it on, agreeing when asked. Samsung's Smart Call may not be offered on every Canadian phone or carrier, so if you do not see it, use Google Messages and your carrier's tools instead.
3. Turn on Block spam and scam calls, then choose Block all spam and scam calls or Only block high-risk scam calls. The second one is gentler and lets telemarketers through.
4. To block a number, go back to Settings, tap Block numbers, and enter the number or pick it from your recent calls, messages or contacts. There is also a switch, Block calls from unknown numbers.

Trade-off: the unknown numbers switch is strong. A caller who is not in your contacts and hides their number will be blocked, including a real one. Try the spam setting first.

Texts

1. If you use Google Messages, follow the spam protection steps under the Pixel tab. They work on Samsung too.
2. If you use Samsung's own Messages app, open a text from a stranger and use its menu to block the sender or report it as spam. Names of the options vary by version. Also forward the text to 7726.

Other Android phones

1. Open the Phone app and look in its Settings for Caller ID and spam, or Block numbers. Many Android phones use Google's Phone app, where the steps match the Pixel tab.
2. For texts, use the Google Messages app and turn on Spam protection under your profile picture, Messages settings, Protection and safety. It works on most Android phones.
3. To quiet everything except people you know, look for Do Not Disturb in Settings. You can choose to allow calls from contacts or favourites only. Where it sits in the menu depends on the make of your phone.

Trade-off: Do Not Disturb with contacts only means you will not hear calls from anyone else, including a clinic or a delivery driver. Use it at night rather than all day.