# Block Spam Calls on iPhone, Android and German Landlines

> On iPhone, open Settings, Apps, Phone and set Call Screening to Ask Reason for Calling or Silence, then turn on Unknown Callers and Spam. In Phone by Google, tap a call in your history and choose Block/report spam. On a German landline, block numbers in your router or ask your provider. Filters for unknown callers beat blocking single numbers.

- URL: https://nummernindex.de/en/blocking-and-reporting/block-spam-calls/
- Language: en
- Updated: 2026-10-19
- Publisher: Nummernindex (OnlineBuilders LLC, https://onlinebuilders.biz)

Blocking a number takes ten seconds. It often achieves little. Spam callers rotate numbers constantly, and anyone who blocks them one by one is fighting a battle they cannot win. Real protection comes from combining a few targeted blocks with filters for unknown callers. Here is how to do both, on your smartphone and on a German landline.

## The three levels of blocking

You can block on the device, on your landline router, and in your provider's network. The closer to the network you block, the less reaches you at all.

**Blocking options compared**

| | iPhone (iOS 27) | Android (Phone by Google) | German landline |
|---|---|---|---|
| Block a single number | yes | yes | router or handset |
| Reject anonymous calls | via filters | Unknown option | usually in the router |
| Silence unknown numbers | yes | varies by phone | no |
| Ask caller for a reason | yes, Call Screening | Pixel: manual in Germany | no |
| Spam detection | via carrier and apps | Caller ID and spam | provider-dependent |

Source: Apple iPhone User Guide; Phone by Google Help; Bundesnetzagentur

One thing first. No device block protects you against expensive callbacks. If you never need 0900, 0137 or short-code services, ask your German provider to block those ranges on your line. Section 61(1) of the Telecommunications Act gives you that right, free of charge. Our guide to [German premium-rate numbers](https://nummernindex.de/en/number-ranges/german-premium-rate-numbers/) explains why it is worth doing.

## Block and screen calls on iPhone

Apple's iPhone User Guide for iOS 27 describes this under [Screen and block calls](https://support.apple.com/en-gb/guide/iphone/iphe4b3f7823/ios). The essentials:

- Block one person: open Phone, tap Contacts, open the contact and tap Block Contact.
- Unblock: Settings, Apps, Phone, Blocked Contacts, then Edit.
- Filter unknown callers: Settings, Apps, Phone. Unknown Callers moves those calls to a separate list. Spam silences calls your carrier identifies as potential spam or fraud and sends them to voicemail.

Call Screening is the more interesting tool. With Ask Reason for Calling, your iPhone answers calls from unknown numbers without interrupting you, and only once the caller has given their name and reason does it ring and show you the answer, so you can decide whether to pick up. With Silence, unknown numbers go straight to voicemail and only appear in your recent calls.

If a legitimate number ends up among Unknown Callers, say your GP's practice or your landlord, tap Mark as Known. Future calls then ring normally without saving the number as a contact.

My recommendation for most people, and especially for newcomers to Germany who get calls from offices they have not saved yet: Ask Reason for Calling. A real caller will say who they are, though note that Siri speaks in your iPhone's default language, so a German caller may hear an English prompt.

You can also turn on caller identification through Apple Business Connect, your carrier or installed caller ID apps, under Call Blocking & Identification.

## Block calls on Android

Android varies by manufacturer. The steps below apply to Phone by Google, which runs on Pixel phones and many others. Samsung and other brands ship their own dialler apps with similar features under different names.

**Blocking a number in Phone by Google**

1. **Open Phone** Tap More, then Call history.
2. **Pick the call** Tap a call from the number you want to block.
3. **Block** Tap Block/report spam. Future calls are declined automatically.
4. **Block hidden numbers** Settings, Blocked numbers, turn on Unknown. This blocks private or unidentified numbers.

Source: Phone by Google Help

According to Google, the Unknown setting only blocks calls with a hidden number. Numbers that are simply not in your contacts still get through. For spam, there is Spam and Call Screen in the settings (Caller ID and spam in older versions); Filter spam calls stops notifications for those calls while keeping them in your call history.

Pixel phones offer Call Screening, where an assistant answers for you. Google says that in Germany it is only available manually, meaning you start it yourself when the phone rings. Automatic screening is limited to a few other countries, including the UK and the US. Google also notes that manual screening only works with a SIM card from a country where the feature is offered. Germany is on that list, so a German SIM is fine.

A privacy note: for caller ID and spam protection, the phone sends numbers of callers who are not in your contacts to Google, which checks whether they belong to a business or are spam. Numbers in your contacts are not sent.

## Block calls on a German landline

If you have a German landline, you have three options. The most convenient is usually the router. Common models offer call blocking for single numbers, whole prefixes or anonymous calls. On a Fritzbox, a common router in Germany, look under Telephony and Call Handling, depending on the software version.

Many cordless phones have their own block list, but it only works on that handset, not on other phones on the same line. The router is almost always the better place.

Your provider is the third option. The Bundesnetzagentur notes that some network operators let customers block whole groups of numbers or individual ones. Ask what your provider offers.

For anonymous calls there is a legal basis. Under section 120(4) of the Telecommunications Act and section 15 of the TDDDG, you must be able to reject calls with a hidden number easily and free of charge.

## Text message spam

Calls are only part of it. According to the Bundesnetzagentur, about 60 percent of all complaints about number misuse in 2024 concerned unwanted SMS and messenger messages, many pretending to come from banks or parcel services and linking to sites that ask for personal or card details.

On iPhone, open Messages, go to Manage Filtering and turn on Screen Unknown Senders. Messages from numbers not in your contacts then land in a separate folder without notifications, and you can allow categories such as verification codes. Report spam directly in the message. Apple points out that reporting does not stop the sender; you have to block them as well.

Never tap links in such messages or call numbers they give you. If in doubt, open your bank's app or call the number on your card.

## Where blocking hits its limits

A block stops exactly one number. Nothing more. Scammers change numbers often, and with [caller ID spoofing](https://nummernindex.de/en/spam-and-fraud/caller-id-spoofing-germany/) you may end up blocking an innocent person whose number was misused. Filters for unknown callers are more effective than long block lists.

For repeated marketing calls in Germany, reporting is the more lasting fix. The regulator can switch numbers off and impose fines; our guide to [reporting scam calls in Germany](https://nummernindex.de/en/blocking-and-reporting/report-scam-calls-germany/) shows how. For threatening calls with no number, see how to [trace anonymous calls](https://nummernindex.de/en/blocking-and-reporting/trace-anonymous-calls/). And for unexplained charges on your mobile bill, the [third-party billing block](https://nummernindex.de/en/blocking-and-reporting/third-party-billing-block/) is the right tool, not number blocking.

Businesses that take many calls can build similar screening into their own phone systems, for example a voice assistant that asks callers what they need first. That is the kind of system providers of [AI bots](https://onlinebuilders.biz/solutions/ai-bots) develop.

Your next step: turn on screening for unknown callers on your phone today, and check whether your router can reject anonymous calls.

## FAQ

### Does the caller know I blocked them?

Not directly. In Phone by Google, blocked calls are declined automatically; on iPhone, blocked contacts do not ring through. What the caller hears depends on the network and device.

### Can I block calls with no caller ID?

Yes. German law requires that you can reject calls with a hidden number simply and free of charge. In Phone by Google the option is called Unknown under Blocked numbers; many German routers can reject anonymous calls too.

### Why do spam calls keep coming after I block the number?

Spam callers switch numbers constantly, and some spoof other people's numbers. Filters that silence or screen all unknown callers work better than long block lists.

### Do blocked callers reach my voicemail?

It depends on the phone. Google says that with visual voicemail turned on, blocked callers cannot leave a voicemail.

Photo: Santeri Viinamäki, CC BY-SA 4.0 (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Hand_holding_smartphone_with_blank_white_screen.jpg)