A complete and intuitive guide to blocking unwanted calls on both your home phone number and your smartphone forever
Lunch, dinner and even work. Our day is punctuated by phone calls. Both the home one and the smartphone. In most cases they are not good news but the usual call centers that try to sell us everything. Let's see then, with this comprehensive guide, how to defend ourselves from unwanted calls.
There are several ways to defend yourself on the landline from unwanted calls from call centers, but also and especially to avoid the unpleasant phone scams. In order to stop the continuous promotional calls we can decide to enroll in the Public Register of Oppositions. But this is not the only way to defend ourselves from persistent telemarketing calls. In fact, by now even smartphones have become a target of promotional calls, and it is necessary to install the right applications to be able to block unwanted calls.
How to subscribe to the Public Opposition Register
This is a service made available to citizens that allows them to exclude their number from those available to the various call centers. To register, the first thing to do is go online to www.registrodelleopposizioni.it. Here we select the words Subscriber Area that we find in green at the top left of our monitor.
Once in the Subscriber Area we will notice a series of icons, five to be precise. We have to click on the one with the wording "Web", which is also the first in the list. In this way we'll open a pop-up menu, and select the item Subscription. Here below we will read the words: "Dear Subscriber, in order to register your number in the Public Register of Oppositions through the web, you must fill in and send the electronic form at the following link". By clicking on the link we will be taken to a new page where we will have to fill in the necessary form. In order to complete the operation we will need our telephone number, VAT number in case of a business telephone, our birth and residence data and an e-mail address. Once the form is filled out, click on the Send button in the bottom left corner. At the end of the registration we will see a summary page, remember to print it because it could be useful in the future. If, in fact, after our registration we continue to receive calls from call centers we can turn to the Guarantor for the protection of personal data and report the fact. To do this we download, always from the site of the Register of Oppositions, the file with the words "Reporting of receipt of unwanted advertising phone calls - For confidential telephone users". Fill it in and send it by registered mail to the address in the form at the top right. Remember that the activation of the registration in the Register of Oppositions takes about 15 days.
Limits of the Register of Oppositions
The registration in the Register of Oppositions will prevent us from having to answer various promotional and unwanted calls. However, it may not solve the solution permanently. Legally, in fact, even if we are enrolled in the Register of Oppositions, the companies that we have enabled to receive promotional communications can still call us. This is something that often happens when you subscribe to an Internet site, participate in an online contest or subscribe to services of various kinds. Therefore, we should always be careful when releasing our number on the Net and when clicking "I agree" when subscribing to sites, forums or social networks of various kinds.
How to block unwanted calls on smartphones
As we said promotional calls, unwanted calls and scam attempts are no longer an exclusive phenomenon of landlines, but they are also recurrent on smartphones. To do so, especially on Android devices we can decide whether to use the settings present by default on our devices or to rely on third-party apps. In most cases the apps provide more protection from pressing business calls.
Samsung Smartphones
Let's see how to block unwanted calls on some Android smartphones. If, for example, we have a Samsung phone running Android Lollipop, or a Galaxy S5 or S6 or Note 4, we can adopt a simple method to block incoming calls. This is a default phone option that is very easy to set. To do so let's go into the Call Log, in the top right corner we'll find the icon for advanced settings. Let's go in and select the item add number to automatic rejection list. A drastic but still effective choice could also be to select "Block all unknown numbers".
HTC Smartphones
As on Samsung HTC has also made it super easy to block calls to its users, thanks to a setting present by default. To do this, on the One M7, One M8 and One M9, all we have to do is open the Call History and then tap the search icon, the one with the magnifying glass, to find the number we want to stop. Tap on the unwanted number and a popup menu will appear so select Add to call block. We can also manage blocked contacts since HTC smartphones create a folder with all the blacklisted numbers in it.
LG smartphones
Some LG smartphones, especially those still running Lollipop, adopt some quick and ingenious solutions to avoid business calls. Setting it up is very easy, actually you don't have to set anything, we will decide at the time of the call whether to add the number to the black list or not. To do this, when we receive the unwanted call, instead of sliding your finger from the center to the red handset on the left to close it, bring the red handset to the center. This operation will automatically send the number to the blocked contacts. Or we can set automatic rejection for all unknown or private numbers.
Should I answer?
If your smartphone doesn't have effective settings by default and you are wondering how to block unwanted calls you can ask for help from third-party applications. One of the best is Should I Answer? The name is self-explanatory and allows you to immediately understand the main purpose of the application. Should I Answer? allows you to block incoming calls from any number and find out in advance the users' opinion about that contact. For example, if you receive a call from a call center, the app will allow you to find out in advance and you will be able to not answer it, saving you valuable time. The app uses an internal database that is constantly updated by other users. It also works offline.
Calls Blacklist
Another very useful app for blocking nuisance calls on Android is Calls Blacklist which allows you to create a personal list with all the contacts you want to reject. The user will be able to add a number to the blacklist or add it directly to one of the following categories: "Private numbers", "Unknown numbers" or "All calls". In addition to the ability to block calls, the user will have the option to put a block on receiving SMS messages as well. Blacklist is a very comprehensive application: both a free and a paid version without ads is available on the Google Play Store.
Google Dialer
Google offers a service to block business calls and generally all unwanted calls. It's called Google Dialer. Obviously, in order to make it work, you have to install the corresponding application that you can find in the Play Store. It only takes a few minutes to do this. Having downloaded the app, we have to launch it. Once done, go to the menu and click on the icon with three dots in the upper right corner. Then go to Settings and select Blocked Numbers. Then select the Add a number heading and enter all the contacts you want to block.
True Caller
If you are looking for free apps to block incoming calls True Caller is one of the most used apps by Android users. This is because it offers two different services: on the one hand you can block calls from people you don't like, on the other hand you will be able to reject call centers. In order to make the best use of the features offered by True Caller, you must subscribe to the platform and you'll be able to start using the database, such as Should I Answer?, with all the call center numbers reported by the community. Each user will be able to add new contacts and put in his personal black list those he doesn't want to hear anymore.