5 ms·

That really helps when it's the same number trying to call you again and again (and for the record, all of my Android phones have had the same feature). Unfort

That really helps when it's the same number trying to call you again and again (and for the record, all of my Android phones have had the same feature). Unfortunately, here in the UK it's my landline that gets called (which doesn't have that feature) and almost always from a withheld or international number, which means I can't block just that caller anyway.

kbart 11y ago
I'm not sure about stock Android, but on Cyanogenmod you can block calls from unknown numbers (not present on your contact list) or even block using wildcards. Extremely useful feature for my spam phone.
- enraged_camel 11y ago
  What if a legitimate person, such as a friend, gets your number from someone else? What if you use that number for business (e.g. you're a freelancer), and you want to be able to receive calls from customers? There's basically about a thousand scenarios where "block calls from unknown numbers" feature wouldn't work. I call it the "nuclear option" and just with nukes, the collateral damage just isn't worth it.
  - kodis 11y ago
    While immediately blocking all unknown numbers may well be excessive, I'd like a feature where all known good numbers (my "white list") go straight through, all known bad numbers (my "black list") don't even cause the phone to ring, and all other numbers go straight to voicemail. They'd be easy to review at my leisure for addition to my white or black list and the phone spammers would never again interrupt the peaceful enjoyment of my dinner.
  - kbart 11y ago
    I don't imply that this feature solves all the problems, but I know plenty of people (mostly attractive girls), that won't answer to unknown numbers on their personal phone anyway. Furthermore, there's log of blocked calls you can always check for repeated attemps and call back, or your hypothetical friend can send you sms to present himself.
antimagic 11y ago
I kind of feel like saying "don't use landlines then dummy!" I mean it's a bit glib, but in all seriousness, why would you use landlines these days for telephone calls? Maybe it's different in the UK, but certainly here in France even the most basic phone plans come with pretty much unlimited domestic calls making the low-tech problems associated with landline phones just not worth the hassle anymore.
- joe5150 11y ago
  For a lot of subscribers in the US, telephone is bundled with cable TV and internet packages. trying to purchase one or the other or both without the all-in-one bundle is usually more expensive. Also, at least in my market, I've been seeing a lot of scaremongering ads about how cell phones aren't reliable in an emergency and don't alert LE to your location immediately like dialing 911 from a landline does. It's ironic when these ads are placed by the cable companies which generally use digital telephone products that are susceptible to outages and don't work when the power is out, just like cable.
  - michaelt 11y ago
    Even if you save money by accepting a landline as part of a bundle, doesn't mean you have to plug a phone into the socket.
    - joe5150 11y ago
      That's true, but I think most people will feel obligated to since they're paying for it anyway, and landline phones are cheap.
  - dublinben 11y ago
    You should check your cable bundle again. Chances are, they're charging you at least $20 for that digital 'landline' service you don't really use.
- Shengbo 11y ago
  I'm also curious since I've never had a landline. Maybe we did at some point because it was bundled with other subscriptions, but never had anything plugged into it. I'd just use my cell phone for every single call I make anyway, so I don't really see the point of having one.
4lun 11y ago
I have the same issue, but on my mobile. Same message every time "We've been trying to contact you regarding mis-sold PPI.." but different number. Originally it was from a range of UK mobile numbers, but now it seems to all be foreign numbers so I guess the mobile operators picked up on it. Not really anyway to block it, but at least when it's an unknown foreign number I can be reasonably sure it's a scam and just reject the call.

kbart 11y ago

I'm not sure about stock Android, but on Cyanogenmod you can block calls from unknown numbers (not present on your contact list) or even block using wildcards. Extremely useful feature for my spam phone.

enraged_camel 11y ago
What if a legitimate person, such as a friend, gets your number from someone else? What if you use that number for business (e.g. you're a freelancer), and you want to be able to receive calls from customers? There's basically about a thousand scenarios where "block calls from unknown numbers" feature wouldn't work. I call it the "nuclear option" and just with nukes, the collateral damage just isn't worth it.
- kodis 11y ago
  While immediately blocking all unknown numbers may well be excessive, I'd like a feature where all known good numbers (my "white list") go straight through, all known bad numbers (my "black list") don't even cause the phone to ring, and all other numbers go straight to voicemail. They'd be easy to review at my leisure for addition to my white or black list and the phone spammers would never again interrupt the peaceful enjoyment of my dinner.
- kbart 11y ago
  I don't imply that this feature solves all the problems, but I know plenty of people (mostly attractive girls), that won't answer to unknown numbers on their personal phone anyway. Furthermore, there's log of blocked calls you can always check for repeated attemps and call back, or your hypothetical friend can send you sms to present himself.

antimagic 11y ago

I kind of feel like saying "don't use landlines then dummy!" I mean it's a bit glib, but in all seriousness, why would you use landlines these days for telephone calls? Maybe it's different in the UK, but certainly here in France even the most basic phone plans come with pretty much unlimited domestic calls making the low-tech problems associated with landline phones just not worth the hassle anymore.

joe5150 11y ago
For a lot of subscribers in the US, telephone is bundled with cable TV and internet packages. trying to purchase one or the other or both without the all-in-one bundle is usually more expensive. Also, at least in my market, I've been seeing a lot of scaremongering ads about how cell phones aren't reliable in an emergency and don't alert LE to your location immediately like dialing 911 from a landline does. It's ironic when these ads are placed by the cable companies which generally use digital telephone products that are susceptible to outages and don't work when the power is out, just like cable.
- michaelt 11y ago
  Even if you save money by accepting a landline as part of a bundle, doesn't mean you have to plug a phone into the socket.
  - joe5150 11y ago
    That's true, but I think most people will feel obligated to since they're paying for it anyway, and landline phones are cheap.
- dublinben 11y ago
  You should check your cable bundle again. Chances are, they're charging you at least $20 for that digital 'landline' service you don't really use.
Shengbo 11y ago
I'm also curious since I've never had a landline. Maybe we did at some point because it was bundled with other subscriptions, but never had anything plugged into it. I'd just use my cell phone for every single call I make anyway, so I don't really see the point of having one.

4lun 11y ago

I have the same issue, but on my mobile. Same message every time "We've been trying to contact you regarding mis-sold PPI.." but different number. Originally it was from a range of UK mobile numbers, but now it seems to all be foreign numbers so I guess the mobile operators picked up on it. Not really anyway to block it, but at least when it's an unknown foreign number I can be reasonably sure it's a scam and just reject the call.