How Do You Silence an Unknown Number?
Starting in iOS 13, Apple added a feature to iPhones that allows you to stop unknown calls from ringing. Telemarketers and spammers often use the ‘Unknown Caller’ ID to try to reach you, and if you get a lot of them, they can be annoying. Here’s how to stop those calls before they even make your phone ring. Once you’ve enabled the Silence Unknown Callers feature when someone using an unknown number calls your phone, the call will be sent directly to voicemail, and it will appear in your Recent Calls list, but your phone will not ring. So, the unknown caller can leave a voicemail; you just won’t be disturbed by the incoming call. Your phone will only ring if the number calling you is in your contact list or if the incoming call is from a number you have recently called that is not in your contacts list. Based on information from your Mail and Messages apps, Siri might also have suggestions for answering calls not listed as contacts.
Limitations of the Silence Unknown Calls Feature on iPhone
When you turn on the Silence Unknown Calls feature, one thing to keep in mind is that it could severely limit the calls coming into your phone. If you don’t have a caller listed in your contacts, it’s unlikely they’ll get through to you. And while that sounds wonderful (especially if you receive a ton of spam calls), it could mean you miss important phone calls, like those from a doctor’s office, an employer, or even a repair person or contractor. If you know you will receive a call from a potentially unknown number, you can always go back into Settings > Phone > Silence Unknown Calls and disable the feature until you receive the call.
