Spam calls are annoying. I’ve my cellphone ringer on in case there may be an emergency however earlier than iOS 26, spam would typically name my iPhone not less than a handful of occasions every week. Spam calls may be extraordinarily annoying, particularly when ready for a name from someplace just like the physician’s workplace. However because of iOS 26’s name screening characteristic, I do not keep in mind the final time my cellphone rang for a spam name.
Name screening is not an Apple Intelligence characteristic so any iOS 26-compatible iPhone, just like the iPhone 14 Pro, can use it. I enabled the characteristic early within the beta course of and my iPhone has diligently held again spam calls, just like the Hoover Dam, ever since. However it’s a must to allow it first.
This is how you can allow name screening in a couple of simple steps and what to know concerning the new characteristic.
Do not miss any of our unbiased tech content material and lab-based critiques. Add CNET as a most well-liked Google supply on Chrome.
Easy methods to flip name screening in your iPhone
1. Faucet Settings.
2. Faucet Apps close to the underside of the menu.
3. Faucet Cellphone.
Beneath the part Display Unknown Callers, you will see three choices: By no means, Ask Cause for Calling and Silence. This is what you must learn about every of those choices and which one is true for most individuals.
Which name screening choice do you have to select?
Selecting By no means is the default choice and lets calls from unsaved numbers come via and ring in your cellphone. It additionally paperwork missed calls in your Recents record in your Cellphone app, identical to earlier than name screening was obtainable.
For those who faucet Ask Cause for Calling, your iPhone will ask anybody who calls you from an unsaved quantity why they’re calling you with out ringing your iPhone. After the caller solutions a couple of questions, your iPhone will notify you with a transcript of the caller’s solutions. Then you’ll be able to resolve whether or not you wish to reply the decision.
It’s also possible to choose Silence, which is the nuclear choice for cellphone calls. Any unsaved numbers that decision you’ll be silenced and despatched to voicemail, no questions requested.
Ask Cause for Calling is the most suitable choice for most individuals who wish to display calls. I selected it, and whereas it notified me when rip-off callers answered some questions, which they hardly ever did, it additionally notified me when my physician’s workplace referred to as to go over some take a look at outcomes. If I had chosen Silence, I’d have missed my physician’s workplace (and selecting By no means would imply checking each name if I used to be anticipating one thing essential).
For those who select Ask Cause for Calling and dislike it, you’ll be able to all the time observe the steps above once more and select one of many different choices. And keep in mind, you’ll be able to all the time silence your iPhone and never be bothered by any cellphone calls in any respect. My spouse has not taken her cellphone off silent in months, and he or she stays blissfully unbothered by spam calls.
For extra iOS information, here is what to learn about iOS 26.2 and what was included in iOS 26.1. It’s also possible to try our iOS 26 cheat sheet for different ideas and tips.
Watch this: The Finest Tech We Noticed at CES 2026
