Avoid unwanted calls with Verizon Call Filter FAQs

Call Filter uses analytics and databases that are constantly evolving to detect spam calls, including those that may be spoofed.

You can help us improve the accuracy of the service by reporting spam numbers we may have missed.

We also use the STIR/SHAKEN technology to reduce the chances of incorrectly blocking or identifying a "good" call as "Potential Spam." Learn more about STIR/SHAKEN and how Verizon is using it.

Verizon doesn't guarantee that all spam calls will be detected. If you disagree with how a number was categorized by the system, you can unmark the number as spam, add to your contacts, or allow the number.

If a legitimate number is incorrectly identified as spam or miscategorized, visit our Verizon spam feedback page to let us know.

Call Filter app users with Call Filter (free) and Call Filter Plus can add phone numbers to a personal allowed list. Numbers added to this list will not be blocked*. Visit Add/remove allowed numbers to learn how.

*Some numbers may still be blocked by another app or service on your device. To help ensure any calls you want to receive are not blocked, you can also add them to your contacts.

Learn how to report and block a number as spam and more in our Call Filter How to Use Guide.

• Potential Spam*: Unwanted callers that may be calling indiscriminately or inappropriately to a large number of recipients.
• Robo Caller: Automated caller with a pre-recorded message.
• Potential Fraud: An entity likely pretending to be someone they're not with malicious intent.

*All spam calls will be labeled as "Potential Spam" for customers enrolled in the free version of Call Filter.

Verizon Call Filter Plus identifies calls by their category. You can block these calls by toggling the category filter in the Call Filter app.

Categories you can block are:

• Telemarketer - sales call to solicit a product or service.
• Nonprofit - a charity or other similar organization.
• Political - a pre-recorded call to inform or inquire about political affiliations or upcoming elections.
• Survey - an automated call to collect information.

Categories that can't be blocked are:

• Healthcare - a doctor's office, hospital, ambulance, police station, etc.
• Public Service - calling to address specific needs pertaining to members of a community.

Yes, Call Filter can identify and block spam calls from international numbers the same way as domestic spam calls. You don't need to take additional action to block these calls if your spam filter is turned on.

Spam calls will either go to voicemail or be terminated depending on what you select in the Call Filter app or My Verizon. If you do not update your settings, spam calls will go to voicemail by default.

If you are an iPhone user with iOS 14+ or newer, you have access to the Silence Junk Callers feature.

Silence Junk Callers is auto-enabled on your device.

• It automatically silences potential fraud and spam calls and sends them to voicemail.
• If a call is suspected as a spam call, you'll see "Maybe: Junk" on identified incoming calls.

Learn how to turn off Silence Junk Callers.

Note: Wanted calls may be inadvertently blocked when Silence Junk Callers is turned on.

If you have iOS 17 or iOS 18, you may see certain calls (i.e., telemarketers, political, non-profits, survey) identified in a "Maybe" category.

If you want, you can use the Call Filter app to block these calls or send to voicemail. Just turn on Call Category blocking below the Spam Filter.

Note: Wanted calls may be inadvertently blocked when Silence Junk Callers is turned on.

Visit How to use Call Filter to learn how to turn off Silence Junk Callers.

*Only available on iOS 14 and newer.

Neighborhood (or neighbor) spoofing is when a scammer calls you from a fake number that's familiar or similar to your own, to trick you into answering the call. The incoming call will have the same area code and likely the same 6-digit prefix as your own phone number, hoping you’ll think it’s a neighbor.

To help protect you against neighbor spoofing calls, we’ve added Neighborhood Filter to the Call Filter app. With Neighborhood Filter you can automatically forward to voicemail calls from your own area code/prefix and others. With Call Filter Plus you can also filter out an entire area code.

Here's what you get:

Due to the complexity of neighborhood spoofing, all calls from area code/prefix or area code you entered will be blocked, not just spam calls. Some wanted calls may be inadvertently blocked.

Visit How to use Call Filter to learn how to use Neighborhood Filter.

*Area code block is only available on Android devices with the Call Filter app preloaded

To make sure you receive calls from a number with an area code/prefix that you've blocked with Neighborhood Filter, save the number to your contacts or allow the number in the Call Filter app.

If the number is in your Recent Activity in the Call Filter app, you can select "Ignore filter" to unblock it.

Visit How to use Call Filter to learn how to unblock numbers.

Visit How to use Call Filter for instructions to set up and use these Call Filter features:

• Get started with Call Filter
• Manage spam numbers
• Block and unblock numbers
• Manage Neighborhood Filter
• Manage notifications with Call Filter
• Manage pictures
• Look up a number's city and state
• Opt out of blocking high-risk spam calls on iPhone
• Unsubscribe from Call Filter

For select Verizon-purchased Android devices*, the Call Filter app can no longer be updated. As a result, some functionality (e.g., spam filter settings) may exist in the app but won’t update to our systems or sync with My Verizon. On these devices, it's best to use and manage Call Filter in My Verizon.

Check if your device is or isn't compatible with the Call Filter app and if you can manage Call Filter in My Verizon.

Visit My Verizon Website - Manage Call Filter to learn how to turn off your spam filter or update your block preferences in My Verizon.

*Verizon-purchased Android devices from 2017 or earlier, or which don't support Android 10 or above Includes (i.e., Samsung Galaxy S8, Samsung Galaxy J7V, LG G6™, and LG K20™ V).

Visit How to opt out of blocking high-risk spam calls on iPhone to learn how.

On a Verizon purchased Android device, only the newest, most updated version of the Call Filter app will match the settings in My Verizon. To fix this, update* your Call Filter app in the Google Play Store.

*Eligible device required. Only Verizon-purchased Android devices can use or update the Call Filter app. BYOD devices are not included.