Can I block incoming calls not in my Contacts, Samsung Galaxy Note 8?

[Android Central Question]

Just want to hear my phone ring when someone in my Contacts calls. All other unknown callers blocked.

 

[belodion]

Moved to Note 8 for comments from users.

 

[VidJunky]

If your phone has Parental Controls there is usually a setting there to restrict calls to contacts only. If not you can try a Parental app from the Play Store or you can try Google Voice from the play store.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6g-QkTSnRpw

 

[vnmous1]

http://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.vladlee.callsblacklist

 

[VidJunky]

http://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.vladlee.callsblacklist

The first 6 reviews for this app say it's not working...

 

[vnmous1]

The first 6 reviews for this app say it's not working...

With pie or in general? I am on oreo and it works fine

 

[VidJunky]

With pie or in general? I am on oreo and it works fine

They all reference an update to the app that happened in March that killed it. No one mentioned an OS or device. I error on the side of caution when it comes to installing apps and only read negative reviews so when I look at an app and all of the first reviews you see are negative it sends up flags to me. Now granted these all claim an app update caused the issue but I also know that Google has been cracking down on security, particularly where it concerns your call log, they actually made the makers of the Whitepages app and Reverse Lookup app stop pulling numbers from people's call log or have their app pulled even though the action is initiated by the user I feel the change is asking the lines of what this app does. So it's hard to say if this is just a bug, changes because of Google's crack down or something else...?

 

[CatLady2010]

I set my phone's ring tone to silent and then made custom tones for each of the people I actually want to hear from. This works for me, because I don't necessarily want to know immediately when everyone on my contacts list calls me.

 

[Katrina White1]

Just want to hear my phone ring when someone in my Contacts calls. All other unknown callers blocked.

Just use the do not disturb feature. Set it to ring for contacts only.

 

[Katrina White1]

Mine is set to favorites only between a certain time, but there's an option for contacts only. That'll be the option for you

 

[VidJunky]

While I just don't answer calls if I don't know the number there are times when I'm expecting unknown callers so I couldn't personally just ignore everyone else, but Katrina's idea is probably the best I've seen. I guess calls would still go to VM and from there you could screen them but for me screening a call from hours or days ago just wouldn't work. I haven't tried it on my S10 but on my U12 I was blocking numbers from my recent calls list as they came in... I don't know you "Block", didn't leave a message "Block", left automated message "Block"...

 

[tube517]

Calls Blacklist Pro has been great for me but I switched before I updated to Pie.

Reason I switched to You mail which has a built in call blocker/spam blocker. It plays a "this phone has been disconnected" message to known spam numbers. You can also have custom vm messages. They have a library of them

 

[VidJunky]

Custom outgoing messages is one thing I like about Google Voice. Now it doesn't tell if the call is spam or B.S. or anything like that but if you have some friends you like to mess around with or one company or person that calls you relentlessly, which I did, you can do things like send calls directly to VM, customize the outgoing message when calls are sent to VM, only play the outgoing message and not have the call go to VM or ring your phone, forward calls to all of your phones, for years I had a work cell and a personal one this was a great feature. The service also gives you a local number, but it doesn't have to be local, from what I can tell if you know the area code to any U.S. city you can get a number for most of them. I use this number when signing up for things online, entries into contests, people I hardly know and/or don't want to give my real personal number to, and the calls come through to my phone just like if they had dialed me direct. Plus with this number you can screen calls. It will either announce the contact name if you have them in your phone, or ask them to say their name before it puts them through. This way you can choose to answer or not and if you don't all they know is that their call went to VM. They never know you declined the call. For those of us who don't want to pay for visual voicemail GV does that too. Turns almost all of your VM into texts, it can also send them to your email. I say almost because if the message is short, like just a few words it sometimes won't do it, or if the caller is unclear or a lot of background noise it won't do it. Did I mention it's free? Yeah they charge for international calls but I don't do much of that so...

 

[Nickerz]

Should I Answer? App...

I've been using the app called Should I Answer? and it has a button you can toggle on/off to block incoming calls for phone numbers not stored in contacts. See screenshot below...

If I know I'm getting a call back from customer service (usually if hold time is too long and they give you the option to hold your place in the calling que and offer to call you back), I have the app in my edge bar where I can quickly access it and turn it on/off.