We can block calls from a specific number or you can block incoming calls from any number. It will depend on what you want that we must follow one process or another to reject incoming calls on the mobile phone. We can reject them by configuring our line from the operator or we can reject them one by one by adding that number to the black list of our smartphone.
Block calls from mobile phone
We can block calls received on the smartphone either Android or iOS and regardless of the operator you have. We can block all calls or just a phone number that is bothering us. This we can modify it whenever we want, activate or deactivate as we need.
On Android
From an Android phone we have two options to block calls: block all calls of unknown numbers or block a specific contact. The route will depend on the brand of your smartphone and the model because we must follow some steps or others that will vary depending on the version of Android, etc. But all models allow us to access blocked numbers or the black list.
In the Phone or Phonebook application we can add numbers to the blocked or trusted contacts list.
- Open the Phone app
- Tap on the three dots in the upper right corner
- Go to “Filter Rules”
Here we will have a series of options that allow us to activate the call filter rules or that allow us to create a list of blocked numbers that will be the only ones that will not be able to contact us. We can do it globally or individually, as we have explained in previous paragraphs. But let’s go by parts … The first thing we will find here (remember that the route may change depending on your mobile but it will be similar) is “Call filter rules”. Touch and the phone will allow us a series of options:
- Block all incoming calls
- Filter unknown numbers
- Filter private / held numbers
Check the switches that interest you.
If we go back, we can go to “Block list”. This will allow us to block specific calls from a number and not in general. Just tap to open the list and you will see all the blocked numbers on your phone. If you go to the bottom you can tap on “Add” to add a new blocked number.
On iOS
On iPhone you can also block contacts that you don’t want to bother you. You can add them to a kind of blacklist so they can’t contact you.
- Go to the Phone app
- Open the calendar or the Recent button
- Tap on the Information icon next to the number or contact
- Scroll down
- Tap on “Block this contact”
That person will not be able to contact you until you repeat the process and unlock it.
Block calls in apps
If they use other applications to call you and not through the conventional telephone, we can also block in WhatsApp or Telegram to that person.
On whatsapp
Here we not only block calls from that person but also the possibility of them contacting us.
- Open the WhatsApp conversation with that contact
- Once inside, click on the three points in the upper right corner
- Go to the option “More …”
- Choose the option that india “Block contact”
- It will allow you two options: Block or report and block
- Mark “Block” and they will not be able to contact you again
On Telegram
If you want them not to call you through Telegram we can also block any user to avoid receiving calls or video calls from that person but one of the advantages that this app offers us is that we can not only block someone in particular rather, we can limit who can call us and even mark exceptions so that only a few people have that right.
- Open the Telegram application on your mobile
- Tap on the three lines in the upper left corner
- Go to the application menu and open the settings
- Open the Privacy and security section
- Here we have to look for “Calls“
- Tap on this button
In this way, we will open the call management screen that allows us to choose who can call us or add exceptions. We can choose to be called: Everyone / My contacts / Nobody. And you can add users or exceptions to choose who can or cannot call you and who can and thus have full control of calls in this app.
Block calls on the landline
In the landline it will depend on the operator itself that you have to follow some steps or others but generally it will be enough to talk to your operator or configure it from the app or from the web page to activate it. In the case of a landline if you don’t want to receive calls just unplug it and it will stop working, of course. But we can also create lists with selectively rejected phone numbers.
There are also a series of codes that we can easily dial with the keyboard if we want to block incoming calls, for example, during a specific time. Generally, the code used for number blocking is the * 60 Although it will depend, as we say, on the operator. The most comfortable thing is that you consult the instructions of yours or go to the client area to see if this option is available.
Movistar explains it with its Selective Call Rejection service that allows you to choose which telephones ring and which do not. To enable the service in Movistar we have to enter * 93 # from the keyboard. And there are a number of codes that we can use:
- Creation * 93 * + phone number you want to reject + #
- Modification: # 93 * + phone number you want to remove from the list + #
- Deactivation: # 93 #
Block from operator
There are several options to block calls from the operator. You do not do it from a specific phone but from your line.
There are other operators that give us options to do it through codes dialed from the phone itself. We have several options to restrict calls and we can do it through a specific code on the phone that will depend on the type of restriction.
Restrict domestic outgoing calls, restrict international outgoing calls, and restrict incoming calls. The last one is the one that interests us and we can use the corresponding codes to cancel them: to restrict incoming calls, touch * 35 * KEY # and if you want to deactivate all # 35 * KEY #
- From the customer area
At Vodafone we can also manage restrictions, incoming or outgoing calls. We can do it from the My Vodafone application or from the customer area by accessing with our username and password and blocking the options.
You can go to your account and activate or desactivate the following options:
- Make all calls and SMS
- Receive all calls and SMS
- Make international calls
- Receive and make calls when I am abroad
- Receive calls when I am abroad
- Make calls to low-level premium rate services
- Make calls to high-level premium rate services
You can activate or deactivate the different switches to lock.
If what you want is to block special rate calls, we can also do it. This does not imply that you do not receive them but that they cannot be done from that phone in order to avoid scares on our operator’s bill when it arrives each month. Most companies allow us to do so from the line settings in the app or in your account section on the website and we can deactivate them at no cost.
In the case of Vodafone we can go to line management and it allows us to block two types of calls at no cost: high level calls with numbers that start with 803, 806 and 807 followed by 6, 7, 8 and 9 or that start with 907. Or low level calls in numbers that start with 803, 806, 807 followed by 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5. Or numbers 905.
It will depend on each operator that appears in one menu or another, but all of them will allow us to easily find this option to restrict calls. In the case of O2, for example, these calls are disabled by default and we must activate them by calling 1551 and contacting customer service but by default the lines are restricted to avoid special rate calls and Premium SMS.