How To Block Calls from Private Numbers on Android

Anna Middleton Read more December 28, 2021

Calls from private numbers have long been an issue for anyone who answers their phones. Since the days of caller ID, recipients have often tried to avoid these types of calls as they’re either spam, harassment, or simply annoying. Fortunately, modern cell phones make it easy to block private calls.

If you’re using an Android phone, you can block calls from private numbers. This tutorial will show you how.

How to Block Calls From Private Numbers

At one time, recipients of private calls had no other option but to answer or decline the alerts. Fortunately, developers created a way for cell phone users to silence annoying calls using the call blocking features permanently.

Here’s how to block calls from private numbers in Android:

Open the dialer app on your phone.
Select the three dot menu icon in the top right.
Select Settings.
Tap on Block numbers.
Toggle on Block unknown/private numbers.

That’s all you need to do to stop annoying anonymous calls. Do keep in mind that the instructions above vary depending on your phone’s manufacturer and the Android version you’re running.

How Does Call Blocking Work?

When you enable call blocking, your phone will not ring when a number you’ve blocked is detected. Whether you block specific phone numbers or you’ve taken the steps above to stop all private and unknown calls, you will receive no alerts that the caller is attempting to reach you. You won’t receive texts from the numbers either.

Of course, the caller can still leave voicemail messages, so you won’t miss any important communications if you check your voicemails.

Blocking private numbers isn’t perfect. The setting is a blanket ban on all private numbers, so friends or family who use withheld numbers will be blocked too. This is because blocking is done on the handset and not on the network.

Do keep in mind that some of your friends or family may have private numbers, so it’s a good idea to let them know your phone won’t accept those calls because the blocking feature can’t differentiate between friend and foe.

Frequently Asked Questions

Here are some more answers to your most frequently asked questions.

How do I block texts from private numbers?

Fortunately, the steps mentioned above block all communications from private and unknown numbers. This includes text-based communications. There are no additional steps needed to stop text messages from private numbers.

Can I use third-party applications to block private callers?

Yes! If you’re running an older version of Android, our methods may not work for you. Fortunately, the Google Play Store is full of helpful apps that can detect and block private calls. More popular apps include Hiya and Truecaller.

If you choose to use a third-party application to take control of your phone’s calls, do keep in mind that you’ll need to allow permission for the app to override the native dialer app. This means you’ll want to read the reviews before downloading to ensure that the application is both trustworthy and reliable.

There’s an app for that

There are many apps that say they can block calls for you and can perform various caller identification tasks. Android and iPhone both have call rejection built-in, so these are of varying value. If unknown call blocking isn’t working out for you, it might be worth checking this page on the Google Play Store.

It has a list of apps offering a range of features, including blocking private callers, unknown callers, blocking spam SMS, and more. If the built-in features aren’t hitting the spot, maybe one of these will.