Where to find call screening on your iPhone

Call screening on iPhone is built into the Phone app and works through the Silence Unknown Callers feature or the Filter Unknown Callers

Open the Phone app on your home screen. At the bottom of the screen, tap the three dots (or gear icon on older iOS versions) in the lower right corner. This takes you to the Phone app's own settings menu, separate from your device's main Settings. From here, you can turn call screening on or off, or adjust how it behaves.

If you do not see this menu button, your iPhone may be running an older iOS version that does not support these features, or your carrier may not offer them yet. You can still block individual callers manually through your Contacts app or through the Phone app's recent calls list.

Key Takeaways

  • Call screening settings live in the Phone app's own menu (the three dots or gear icon), not in your main iPhone Settings.
  • Silence Unknown Callers sends calls from numbers not in your contacts to voicemail without ringing your phone.
  • Filter Unknown Callers does the same thing but also separates those calls into a separate tab so you can review them later.
  • You can block specific contacts or numbers directly from your recent calls list by swiping left on the call and tapping Block.
  • Carrier support varies, so if you do not see these options, contact your wireless provider to confirm they offer call screening.

Turning Silence Unknown Callers on or off

Open the Phone app and tap the three dots or gear icon at the bottom right. Look for Silence Unknown Callers in the menu. If the toggle next to it is gray, the feature is off. Tap it once to turn it on; the toggle will turn green.

When Silence Unknown Callers is on, any call from a number that is not in your Contacts, Favorites, or recent call history goes straight to voicemail. Your phone will not ring. You will see a notification that a call came in, but you can check it on your own time. This is useful if you receive many spam or sales calls during your workday.

To turn it off again, return to the same menu and tap the green toggle. Unknown callers will ring through normally.

Using Filter Unknown Callers instead

Some carriers and iOS versions offer Filter Unknown Callers as an alternative to Silence Unknown Callers. The behavior is similar — unknown numbers do not ring your phone — but the difference is where those calls go. Instead of voicemail, they appear in a separate Unknown Senders tab at the bottom of the Phone app.

To turn on Filter Unknown Callers, open the Phone app, tap the three dots or gear icon, and look for the Filter Unknown Callers toggle. Turn it on. You will now see a new tab labeled Unknown Senders next to your Recents tab. Any call from an unknown number lands there instead of in your main call history.

This option is better if you want to review unknown calls later without them interrupting you, but you do not want to miss them entirely in voicemail. You can still call back any number from the Unknown Senders tab if it turns out to be someone you needed to hear from.

Blocking a specific number from your recent calls

If you want to block one particular caller rather than all unknown numbers, you can do it directly from your call history. Open the Phone app and go to the Recents tab. Find the number or contact you want to block and swipe left on it (or press and hold on it, depending on your iOS version).

A menu will appear with options including Block this Caller. Tap it. That number will never ring your phone again, and calls from it will go straight to voicemail. You can unblock the number later by going back to the same menu and selecting Unblock this Caller.

You can also block someone from your Contacts app. Open Contacts, find the person, tap Edit in the upper right, scroll down, and tap Block this Caller. The effect is the same.

Managing your blocked list

To see all the numbers you have blocked, go to your main iPhone Settings (not the Phone app settings). Tap Phone, then scroll down and tap Blocked Contacts. This shows every number and contact you have manually blocked.

To unblock someone, swipe left on their name or number and tap Unblock. They will be able to call you normally again. If you want to block them again later, you can do it the same way you did the first time — from Recents or from Contacts.

Blocked callers can still leave voicemail, but you will not see a notification that they called. Their voicemails will appear in your voicemail list, but marked as blocked.

What happens when you change these settings

When you turn on Silence Unknown Callers or Filter Unknown Callers, the change takes effect when ready. Calls that come in after you turn it on will follow the new rule. Calls that came in before the change will not be affected — they will stay in your call history or voicemail as they were.

If you turn off call screening, unknown callers will ring through normally again right away. There is no delay or waiting period. You can turn these features on and off as often as you want with no penalty.

If you block a specific contact, that person is blocked right away. If you unblock them, they can reach you when ready. Neither action sends them a notification — they will not know they were blocked or unblocked unless they try to call and notice the behavior changed.

Troubleshooting if you do not see these options

If you open the Phone app and do not see a three dots or gear icon, or if you tap it and do not see call screening options, your iPhone may not support these features yet. This can happen for three reasons: your iOS version is older than iOS 13, your carrier does not offer call screening, or your phone plan does not include it.

Check your iOS version by going to Settings, tapping General, then About. Look at the number next to Software Version. If it is iOS 13 or higher, your phone supports the feature. Contact your wireless carrier to confirm they offer call screening. Some carriers roll it out gradually, so it may become available to you later even if it is not available now.

In the meantime, you can still block individual callers manually through your Contacts app or recent calls list. This does not give you the blanket "silence all unknown callers" option, but it does stop specific numbers from reaching you.

Frequently Asked Questions

Will people know I have silenced their calls?

No. When you silence unknown callers, the caller hears a normal ring tone on their end, but your phone does not ring. They will not know the difference unless they call back and realize the pattern. Blocked callers may eventually notice they always go to voicemail, but there is no notification sent to them.

Can I silence unknown callers but still get voicemail notifications?

Yes. When Silence Unknown Callers is on, unknown callers go to voicemail and you will see a notification that a new voicemail arrived. You can listen to it whenever you want. Filter Unknown Callers works the same way but puts the calls in a separate tab instead of voicemail.

What if someone I know calls from a different number?

If they are in your Contacts, they will ring through normally even if Silence Unknown Callers is on. If they call from a number you have never called or received a call from before, they may be silenced. You can check the Unknown Senders tab or voicemail to see if they left a message, then call them back.

Can I turn off call screening for just one contact?

No. Silence Unknown Callers and Filter Unknown Callers explore to all unknown numbers at once. If you want to make sure one specific person can always reach you, add them to your Contacts. Anyone in your Contacts will ring through normally regardless of the call screening setting.

Do I need to pay extra for call screening?

No. Call screening is built into iPhone and most carriers offer it at no extra cost. If your carrier does not currently support it, there is no fee to wait for them to add it. Some third-party apps offer additional call screening features, but the basic iPhone call screening is free.